Budding Wheeling is a 7-month agricultural entrepreneurship program for youth aged 13-17. In Budding Wheeling, participants learn business and farming skills, then put these skills to use as they run their own flower farming business.

This Budding Wheeling season has also included the expansion of an arts education program folded into our regular programming. This arts education was formed with an intent to expand on the concept that not only are our flowers a resource, but the time, effort, labor, and voices of our local youth are valuable as well.

The work our students have prepared is the culmination of a season of careful effort to utilize our flowers throughout their entire life cycle - from ephemeral fresh bouquets, morning flower blooms plucked for flower pounding, stems hung and dried for dry flower bouquets, petals ground into spreadable dust, and finally, the pure pigment form of a plant extracted via the lake dyeing process.

See work from the students on display at the Artisan Center Gallery from 11.6.24-12.2.24. Thanks to Wheeling Heritage for hosting us in their space!