Jewellery Retreat With I'Thandi Munro on Nova Scotia's North Mountain

Set against the basalt ridgeline of Nova Scotia’s North Mountain, the 2026 Jewellery With I'Thandi Munro retreat is a hands-on weekend workshop in Canning, Nova Scotia. Over a long Friday evening through Sunday afternoon, participants move between a focused jewellery studio and the valley’s forest and field trails, learning metal casting, soldering and basic fabrication while soaking up the Annapolis Valley’s rugged geology and wide skies. This intimate retreat centers on ring-making and foundational metalsmith techniques. I'thandi Munro — jeweller, metalsmith, filmmaker and dancer — leads the sessions, demonstrating acetylene-torch soldering, metal melting and casting, sawing with a jeweller’s saw, precise measuring with callipers, and finishing methods including filing, pickling and polishing. Instruction balances demo time with hands-on work so beginners leave with one-of-a-kind pieces and the skills to build on. Materials and a collaborative studio environment encourage experimentation with found objects and mixed metals. What makes this weekend special is the place. Canning sits in the Annapolis Valley beneath North Mountain, a volcanic basalt ridge that shapes local soil and views; the landscape’s fields, recovering woodlots and hawthorn-lined hedgerows are part of the creative rhythm. The studio schedule intentionally weaves studio time with gentle movement — forest walks and orchard paths — so you can clear your head between solder joints and hammer blows. Expect to see white-tailed deer at dawn and migrating songbirds in season; local flora includes sugar maple and white birch. Practical notes: the retreat runs from Friday evening to Sunday mid-afternoon and is open to adults 18+. No prior metalsmithing experience is required, though returning students will quickly progress. The organizers invite participants with accessibility needs to reach out in advance; late-fall and winter trails can be uneven. A detailed packing list and schedule are shared before arrival, and carpool coordination is encouraged. Beyond technique, Munro brings layered perspectives shaped by her mixed Afro-Euro L’nu identity and work across visual and performance art. That lens makes the workshop as much about process and lineage as about finished pieces. For creative travelers who want a low-key outdoor escape with a practical craft payoff, this retreat pairs tactile learning with an outsized sense of place. Bookable through the program’s reservation link, this workshop is a chance to reconnect with making, leave with wearable work and explore a distinctive slice of Nova Scotia where basalt ridges, orchard country and studio light create an unexpectedly inspiring setting. Participants typically travel from Halifax and surrounding communities; nearby accommodations in Canning and Wolfville provide comfortable country inns and B&Bs, and the organizers suggest arriving early to settle into studio time and local trails. Bring closed-toe shoes for studio work and layered clothes for cool valley mornings to stay comfortable during outdoor breaks regularly.