Here, in their own words, are some comments
of people who have attended a Jack Teegarden carving seminar:
“The experience at Jack’s shop is a complete
distraction from daily responsibilities and should be effective stress
therapy for many people.”—Roy Fogwell, Professor of Animal Science,
Michigan State University.
"It is an invitation to be in touch with
a peaceful and relaxing continuity from mind and soul to hands and eyes
to the raw materials produced by nature." —A S. Gross Point, Michigan
“...a most rewarding experience, I'd suggest
it to anyone who wants to learn to carve decoys." —R. D. Bowling Green,
Ohio
"Jack provided me with the skills and knowledge
to accomplish an art form that I did not believe myself capable of," —L
A. Bethlehem, Pennsylvania
"The magic of the north is alive and well
at Jack's ... shop." —B. S. Grawn, Michigan
"...terrific instructor. He brought out
a talent I didn't know I had." —D. Mc. Louisville, Kentucky
“Terrific. A very fast-moving day. I was
amazed at how Jack made it look so easy with his visual aids and teaching
methods.—Joseph W. Labiak, Caro, MI.
“Carving decoys using Jack’s methods is
a great way to replace stresses of the day with good feelings about my
accomplishments.—David Steele, Grosse Pointe, MI.
“Exciting, interesting; packed full of
how-to ideas.— Glenn Jarrell, East Grand Rapids, MI.
"Every student is successful independent
of previous knowledge or experience." —R. F. East Lansing, Michigan
"Jack took a rather complex subject and
showed me that decoy carving can be a rewarding and achievable experience."
—W.M. Ocala, Florida
"Best of all, I came home smiling!" —D.
K. Livonia, Michigan
"It really got my mind off everyday problems,
plus I carved two priceless decoys." —E. C. Warsaw, Indiana
"My time spent with Jack was educational,
relaxing and enjoyable." —M.A. Grosse Pointe Park Michigan
"Your teaching method is really unique
and I'd recommend your course highly to anyone." —T. S. Cheboygan,
Michigan
"I have been teaching and coaching in great
places of higher learning. I know what real learning experiences are...
I truly was great and enjoyable learning experience!" —T. A. Toledo,
Ohio
“Jack shared so generously of his ideas,
knowledge, talent and unique philosophy that his seminar was truly inspiring.”—Marge
Linebaugh, Grawn, MI.
“Jack is a wonderful teacher, not only
of decoy carving, but of life, nature and the environment. My time spent
with him was educational, relaxing and enjoyable.”—Michael M. Anthony,
Grosse Pointe Park, MI.
"At Jack Teegarden's School I found total
relaxation from my business routine and a result (the decoys) which astounded
not only my family and friends, but most of all myself." —F. P.
St. Louis, Missouri
Quotes From Publication
"A northern Michigan snowshoe maker, who
learned and taught the art of making snowshoes during 20 years as a Boy
Scout executive from Scout Councils in Lansing, Fling and Indiana ... He
also turns out decoys, an occasional totem pole for a camp or a dog sled
for those who race Alaskan Huskies and other sled dog teams." —Lansing
State Journal, Sunday, December 21, 1980
"When people see Jack Teegarden's hand-carved
decoys, Michigan artist Gwen Frostic once said, they'll want to take home
a piece of the dream". Teegarden's dream meant giving up a 20 year career,
moving to Beaver Valley near Mesick and carving out a living in the northern
Michigan woods." --Michigan Living, October 1989
"Snowshoes carry their maker' s pride ...
Teegarden enjoys turning out a handcrafted set of snowshoes - and takes
a lot of pride in them." —The Grand Rapids Press, Sunday, December 14,1980
"Jack Teegarden is taking wooden ducks
to new heights... Students from diverse backgrounds are flocking to northern
Michigan studio to learn more than the art of duck carving... The purpose
of the decoy carving school is not to make a three-dimensional graphic
reproduction of a duck. It is to preserve a folk-art form... to capture
the essence of a particular species without Vie details. —Michigan Country
Lines, March-April 1990
"He calls himself a maker. This is Jack
Teegarden, designer and crafter of a unique breed of decoys and this is
Beaver Valley, a combination haven and state-of-mind that is powerfully
reminiscent of coming home ... That he makes decoys is an understatement.
"Decoys can catch the feeling of another place in time when life, allegedly,
was simpler," he claims in a voice which drops to a prayer-like whisper
and then rushes suddenly back up to add volume to his next thought. "It's
something to do with duck hunting and the primal man who spend a long time
gathering foods to put up for winter. I think decoys are somewhat symbolic
of this march through the marsh, winter about to come, the early light
of dawn and the camaraderie of fellowship among hunters." —Traverse,
the Magazine, January 1986
"Teegarden is a master carver and an outdoor
educator, as well as a bit of a backwoods philosopher. "I want them (his
students) to feel the simplicity of working in a traditional way on crafts
that have been around since man first learned how to use simple tools."
—Traverse City Record-Eagle, January 26, 1997
