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Spoons, New Beginnings & Woodcarving
Spoons are symbols of new beginnings … …from a baby’s first bite to a woodcarver’s first foray. When someone is interested in learning to carve wood, they’ll often choose to start with a spoon. So much learning goes into the art form: wood selection, tool usage, curing, and even history. Form and function are explored. Risk-taking is…
Read MoreI Was Hooked! Foraged & Farmed Holiday Wreaths
Lindsay Ellis has a new holiday tradition, thanks to the Foraged & Farmed Holiday Wreaths class at Marine Mills Folk School. As she gears up for her third year of taking the class, Lindsay shares what makes this activity so special for her and her family. “This will be the third year that my mom,…
Read MoreFred Livesay to Teach at Marine Mills Folk School
Internationally renowned woodcarver will lead an Advanced Spoon Carving workshop Woodcarvers are invited to attend a special two-day Advanced Spoon Carving workshop with Fred Livesay at Marine Mills Folk School. “We’re so excited to be able to feature Fred at this two-day workshop,” says Kirsten Skoglund, program director for Marine Mills Folk School. “Fred will…
Read MoreBecky Utecht
Becky raises sheep and makes fiber art, specializing in feltmaking. Using the wool from her flock of sheep, she creates two- and three-dimensional felt art pieces including wall art, garments, accessories, rugs, and vessels. Felting combines her love of animals and nature with her passion for art. She enjoys teaching and sharing the magic of…
Read MoreLiesl Chatman
Liesl Chatman is a spoon carver, kolroser, and teacher. Her kolrosed spoons have been exhibited at the American Swedish Institute and the Vesterheim Museum, and she has taught kolrosing, spoon carving, and given demonstrations at North House Folk School in Grand Marais MN, ASI and Fireweed in Minneapolis, the Spoon Gathering in Milan MN, Greenwoodfest in…
Read MoreBecome a Member of Marine Mills Folk School
Many of you know the joy and community that comes from taking a class at Marine Mills Folk School: learning from our skilled artisans; meeting other curious, supportive learners; and experiencing the pride of challenging yourself and the personal growth that follows. At the heart of our mission is providing opportunities for the joyful learning…
Read MoreCarson Gross
Carson is a wild-food enthusiast and educator. His fascination with fungi began in Western Pennsylvania, when a friend showed him a bright orange chicken-of-the-woods mushroom. He was immediately hooked and set out to learn everything he could about foraging for mushrooms, an obsession that continues to today. Carson joined the Western PA Mushroom Club in…
Read MoreI Was Hooked! Basket Making
Becca Gross has taken her education beyond the classroom, exploring the art of basket making in her free time. We love to celebrate and share stories like hers, and hope you enjoy hearing from Becca in her own words. “This past winter, I took Kirsten Skoglund’s Market Tote class. After the class, I purchased a…
Read MoreHeidi Skoog
Heidi Skoog is the proprietor of Serious Jam. After nearly two decades as an award-winning florist, she swapped blooms for an apron to pursue her passion for food. A self-taught jam maker, Heidi combines traditional methods and a flair for experimenting with flavor combinations and unusual ingredients. The result is a well-balanced, vibrant preserve that…
Read MoreTaking Pride in Ourselves
Photo by Tony Webster. One of our not-so-secret goals as a folk school is to create world peace by bringing together people from different cultures and ways of life. With the Twin Cities Pride Festival and other Pride events taking place this weekend, we wish to honor LGBTQ+ individuals who have been fighting for decades for equal rights.…
Read MoreFolk School Aims to Strengthen and Empower
By Nealy Corcoran editor@countrymessenger.com Marine Mills Folk School offers a variety of classes where everyone is welcome. People are invited to learn traditional skills in a collaborative environment. Classes include (but are not limited to) photography, gardening, knitting, baking, wood-carving, syrup making, music and much more. Following a focaccia baking class, students at MMFS proudly pose…
Read MoreScandinavian Textile Artist Returns to Marine Mills Folk School
Kirsten Aune, artist-owner of Kirsten Aune Textiles Studio in Duluth, Minn., will be returning to Marine Mills Folk School on Monday, June 20 to teach Scandinavian Textile Stenciling. Students ages 18 and older will learn the art of stenciling on fabrics as they create a decorative textile for the home such as a pillow cover, handbag,…
Read MoreI Was Hooked! Barn/Hex Signs
Janet Walker Beckman reached out to Marine Mills Folk School recently to share her burgeoning interest in creating barn/hex signs. We love to celebrate and share stories like hers, and hope you enjoy hearing from Janet in her own words. “One of the first things that caught my eye when I moved to the Chisago…
Read MoreLeah Moss
Leah Moss-Parham is an Ayurvedic Practitioner with an MS in Ayurveda and Integrative Medicine from the Maharishi International University. She is a member of the Maharishi Ayurvedic Association of America and holds a professional Practitioner of Ayurveda Certification from the National Ayurvedic Medical Association, NAMA. She owns her own Ayurvedic practice, Simply Veda LLC located…
Read MoreNino Nardecchia
My name is Anthony “Nino” Nardecchia. A 1967 graduate of White Bear Lake High School, I attended the United States Air Force Academy graduating in 1971. For the next 20 years, I served in the Air Force in many capacities including being an F-15 jet fighter pilot. After retiring from the Air Force in 1991…
Read MoreChiaki O’Brien
Chiaki O’Brien is a SAORI Leaders Committee Certificate recipient. She began SAORI Weaving in 1996 in Japan. She worked as an instructor for the SAORI head office/school in Japan before moving to Minnesota in 2004. She’s been teaching a variety of ages and abilities at schools (including special education classes), at facilities for people with…
Read MorePeta Barrett
In the early ’90s a friend took me on my first true Boundary Waters canoe camping trip – a group of women. The camaraderie, the laughter, the solitude for reflection, the joyful teamwork as we gently paddled and portaged the wilderness…I WAS HOOKED! I’ve now racked up some 25+ years of wilderness trail experience, leading…
Read MoreDale Setterholm
“My family grew up loving the outdoors, and we always took an interest in what it was we were seeing out there,” says Setterholm on his start in geology. He worked for the Minnesota Geological Survey for 40 years before retiring. “Geology is everywhere,” he says. “It’s the study of the earth, and we all…
Read MoreElena Bantle
Elena Bantle has never met a craft that she didn’t like! She lives on about 5 acres on the edge of Duluth, with her wife, her 18 year old Alaskan husky, snuggly cat, chickens and goats. Her crafts vary widely, but share a common wonder for the natural world and its abundance. She is a…
Read MoreMike Willenbring
Mike Willenbring grew up in Marine on St. Croix and is a graduate of Stillwater High School. After a career working in several Twin Cities restaurants, he opened his own restaurant, Manger Restaurant and Wine Bar in Bayport, MN, in 2018. He currently lives in Stillwater with his wife Nicole, and 3 kids, Maddy, Milo…
Read MoreJaime Brennan
Jaime Brennan had a love for plants and wanted to know what their names were starting at age 5. In college she found a program focused on flowers and plants and graduated with a Bachelors in Horticulture. It was a natural progression for Jaime to want to know more about the power of plants and…
Read MoreEmily Anderson
Emily Anderson leads workshops that help students create fresher and more intuitive paintings. A life-long artist, Emily recently picked up the paints again and has begun the joyful journey of creating playful and layered landscapes. Students will come away from the class feeling excited to know that often, the paintings that took the shortest amount…
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