Exhibition: July 25 – August 29, 2026 · Free & open to the public
Workshop: Saturday, August 29th · 10am–4pm · $250 CAD
This summer, the SHED at Chetwyn Farms is transformed.
From July 25th, Toronto-based artist Paula Hartmann fills our entire shop space with Suspended Sunshine — a breathtaking installation of Polish paper chandeliers, known as pajaki (pronounced pah-YONK-ee), suspended from the ceiling in a cascade of colour, movement, and light. Walking into the SHED this summer means walking beneath a canopy of living folk art.
Come for the alpacas. Stay for the magic overhead.
About the Exhibition
Suspended Sunshine runs from July 25th through August 29th and is free to visit during regular SHED opening hours. Paula's work fills the space from floor to ceiling — dozens of delicate, handcrafted paper chandeliers swaying gently above you, each one rooted in Polish folk tradition and shaped by Paula's contemporary, playful sensibility.
The word pająk means spider — a nod to the web-like intricacy of these suspended forms. In Polish culture, they are symbols of good luck, abundance, and harmony, traditionally made during long winter evenings to brighten homes and mark life's celebrations. Here at the farm in high summer, they bring exactly that: suspended sunshine.
Make Your Own: The Workshop
On the final day of the exhibition — Saturday, August 29th — Paula opens the Studio Loft for a full-day hands-on workshop. In this intimate session, she guides you through the traditional techniques behind pajaki, from selecting your papers and colours to assembling your own finished chandelier to take home.
You'll work in our newly converted 1800s barn Studio Loft, with floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking the alpaca pastures. All materials are provided, a light vegetarian lunch and refreshments are included, and you're welcome to bring specialty papers or decorative elements to make your piece uniquely yours.
By the end of the day, you'll leave with your own pajak — a piece of living folk art, and a memory of a very special day at the farm.
- Date: Saturday, August 29th, 2026
- Time: 10am–4pm
- Location: Studio Loft, Chetwyn Farms, Prince Edward County
- Cost: $250 CAD · All materials, lunch & refreshments included
- Spaces: Limited to 10 participants
About Paula Hartmann
Paula Hartmann is a Toronto-based visual artist specialising in kinetic paper sculpture and community-based art. Originally from Germany, her work draws on traditional crafts — Polish pajaki, Scandinavian himmeli — blended with a contemporary, playful sensibility. Her installations have appeared at Nuit Blanche Toronto, the Burlington Waterfront Sculpture Trail, and the Gladstone House, and she has collaborated with global brands including UGG.
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