IDEA Collective: Connecting Kids to Nature With Hands-on Learning
Calling all nature lovers and crafty kids! Join IDEA Collective as they share their eco-friendly STEAM kits, wooden puzzles, and nature-based activities. Assemble our 3D wooden puzzles onsite and take home your very own origami airplane project.
Lindsey Dean is a craftswoman, artist, sculptress, designer, and educator that resides in Geneva, NY. She graduated with a B.F.A. in Metals at SUNY New Paltz, and currently shares an art studio that overlooks the beautiful Keuka Lake in Dundee, NY. Lindsey Co-Founded Sam + Lin Designs, a metalworking sculpture studio that designs and builds monumental public art. She also Co-Founded IDEA Collective, LLC, a sustainable toy company and mobile art classroom that connects kids with nature through hands-on activities and STEAM education. It is her highest excitement to inspire young people to learn with their hands, trust their creative impulses, and enjoy the journey of making. Her dream is to create an alternative learning environment to traditional public school classes where they integrate creativity and artistic processes with environmental studies.
Sam Castner graduated with a B.A.F.A. from Alfred University in 1997, with a concentration in metal fabrication and foundry work. His 25-year-old metal studio sits on a farm overlooking Keuka Lake, NY which for 9 generations has been intimately intertwined with the Finger Lakes Community. Sam is the Founder of Ironvine Studios and the Co-Founder of Sam + Lin Designs. His metal fabricating companies design and build sculptural landmarks, signage, and architectural work. He has worked with world renowned artists, including Albert Paley and Wendell Castle. Sam is also the Co-Founder of IDEA Collective, LLC, a sustainable toy company and mobile art classroom that connects kids with nature through hands-on activities and STEAM education.