Dale Bryner

Dale Bryner, the founder of Earth Arts, passed away peacefully on November 16, 2011 in the company of family and friends. Dale was a beloved mother, sister, friend, environmental educator, teacher, and member of the community. Dale came to Ithaca in 1999 and founded Earth Arts, a wilderness education and mentoring program. Prior to coming to Ithaca, Dale earned her M.F.A. at Carnegie Mellon University in ceramic art, painting, and design. She began her teaching career in Valley City, North Dakota, and later moved to the Southwest, where she taught at a variety of colleges and art centers, becoming a respected expert in traditional American Indian primitive pottery, techniques, and firings. Dale taught Art Education in Iowa before moving to upstate New York, to combine her love for the outdoors, teaching, and art to create Earth Arts. Dale’s passion was connecting youth and adults to the land, to each other, and to their community through earth-based arts. Dale’s love and devotion is remembered by her children Phoebe and Ben, her brother and sisters Rachel, Andy, and Donna, and by the many families and friends here in the community that she loved