The beautiful bird cage terrarium planter sitting on the front porch has been begging to showcase something outstanding – and now it has a Fairy Garden!
Local Attraction: Maureen Carlson's Center for Creative Arts
The Scott County Art Crawl was yesterday, October 9th, which included the studio of one of our local downtown artists, Maureen Carlson. Other stops along the art crawl in Jordan were Jessica Barnd Bauer, oil paintings, and eight artists at Crofut Winery – Linda Reckard, button pendants; Rose-Marie F. James, fused art glass; R. Michael Leek, ink, pencil, acrylic; Ashley Davidson, copper sculpture; Lowell Pajati, copper sculpture; Mary Pearson, digital photography; Theresa Beissel, watercolor; and Steven Showalter, functional & woodfired pottery.
Since Maureen’s studio is just a couple blocks from the inn, I decided to stop in and pay a visit during the art crawl. Maureen is a nationally recognized polymer clay artist expressing her creativity through a series of whimsical Wee Folk characters. As a matter of fact, at the Nicolin Mansion we blessed each new guest room with one of Maureen’s fairies after renovations were completed. Maureen is also an author, instructor, and story teller. Her Storyclay Telling sessions bring out your imagination as you participate in the creation of a one-of-a-kind character. Also a leading organizer of the annual Jordan Art Festival, Maureen has found many outlets to express her creativity.
[slideshow]
Visit Maureen at her studio when you come to town. Her studio is located in a charming, historic building on Water Street beside Sand Creek.
Studio Hours: Friday, 10:00 a.m. – 9:00 p.m.
102 Water Street
952-492-3260
Jordan Art Festival 2010
This past weekend, June 26th and 27th, was the 7th Annual Jordan Art Festival. It was great to see our town all dressed up, bustling with artists and visitors! Each year I look for a few treasures to add to our mansion, and I found some great ones. From 225 Water Street’s Flea Market I found 2 vases for the Mertz fireplace and a fabulous photo of an art deco lady. From Primary Colors I found a beautiful copper sunflower for the courtyard. And from the artist booth’s I found a glass sculpture by Barbara Sells, and a fantastic birdhouse sculpture by Billy’s Bird Cabins. If you missed this event, be sure to visit us next year – and you can always see what there is to see and do in Jordan by checking out the Attractions page on our website.
Crystals Restored to Art Festival Arbor
The crystals have been returned to the Arbor we purchased at the 2007 Jordan Art Festival!

Crystals Hanging from Arbor
Greeting you as you enter the courtyard garden, the crystals send rainbow lights dancing through the gardens. When we first brought the arbor into the courtyard, we didn’t have it anchored down. Strong wind blowing through the courtyard would knock down the arbor and crystals would be lost in the plants. I recovered as many as I could, they were said to come from an antique chandelier from New York, but I’ve had to add several new crystals found on eBay. It’s so beautiful having it restored to it’s former grandeur.
And speaking of the Art Festival – the 6th Annual Jordan Art Festival is coming up this weekend, June 20 & 21. Both Saturday and Sunday there will be Artist Demonstrations in oil painting, watercolor, wheel-thrown pottery and more. The Ambrose Freedman Log Cabin will be open for tours by Myrna Pekarna, and then stop over at Pekarna’s Meat Market next door for some of the best ribs, sausages, and blue cheese you’ll ever find! Across the street Maureen Carlson, our Jordan resident polymer clay artist, will be presenting her Storyclay (TM) Telling at 1:00 each day. And don’t miss the Recycled Art Contest III entries and winners on display in the courtyard at 225 Water Street. Past contest entries have been extremely creative, so be sure to check it out!
The Jordan Art Festival is just one part of the 2009 Jordan Summer Celebration. In Lagoon Park check out “Pork In The Park” sponsored by the Jordan Jaycees. There will be food vendors – featuring pork sandwiches – plus craft vendors and performers in the bandshell. And on Saturday morning, the 6th Annual Jordan Valley Bike Tour featuring 12, 20, 35 and 60 mile rides leaves from the Mini Met Stadium.
And if you need a place to stay, we still have some rooms available at our Bed & Breakfast for each night of the Art Festival. You’ll be just a few shorts steps away from all of the festivities!