Instructors
Britta Harris
Britta Harris is a natural dye and fiber artist from Chippewa Falls, Wisconsin. Her natural dye practice focuses on seasonal foraging and finding color in her own backyard. She has worked in public education for 18 years and loves teaching outdoors and providing students with hands-on experiences to help build their interest and curiosity.
Read More...Susan Rockwood
Susan Rockwood became a flower farmer 12 years ago, after retiring from a career in healthcare administration. She started Arcola Trail Flower Farm, a small commercial cut flower farm in Stillwater Township, and now grows over 75 varieties of cut flowers using organic and sustainable methods. In addition to selling flowers to wholesale and retail…
Read More...Elle Sullivan
Elle Sullivan began Mellifera Flowers in 2020, a 1/4-acre flower farm nestled in between dairy goats, hay fields, and wild wetlands. What started as a side-project bringing weekly flowers to a few customers has evolved into a 50-plus member flower CSA serving communities across the Twin Cities metro area. Elle teaches a variety of workshops…
Read More...Mandora Young
Mandora Young was born in Vientiane, Laos. She came to the United States in 1979 as a refugee to California. She learned Hmong embroidery from both her mother and grandmother, who are skilled in cross-stitching, reverse applique, and story cloth stitching. Mandora enjoys teaching Hmong embroidery to students, adults, and anyone who wants to learn…
Read More...Robin Garwood
Robin Garwood is a book and installation artist based in Saint Paul, MN. He was the September 2022 Pine Needles Artist in Residence in Marine on Saint Croix. His work has been shown at Art Shanty Projects, Northern Spark, Mary Jo Van Dell Gallery, the Minnesota Center for Book Arts, and the Sogn Valley Art…
Read More...Jake Fee
Jake Fee is a craftsman, artist, and teacher currently living in Grand Marais, Minnesota. His mission is to connect people to the landscape through craft and play.
Read More...Kristi Fackel
Kristi Fackel is the owner of Maude Medicinal Clothing and a medicinal and natural dyer, practicing herbalist/Ayurvedic health counselor, clothing designer and maker, embroideress, avid knitter, and sometimes weaver. She was a handwork teacher at Minnesota Waldorf School for 10 years and taught knitting, crochet, embroidery/cross stitch, hand and machine sewing and felting (among other…
Read More...Kevin Ewing
Kevin Ewing is an artist based in Rochester, Minnesota whose work blends craftsmanship with nature inspired design. He began his artistic journey in the 1980’s with a small furniture shop in the historic Winona Depot Freight House. While making furniture, he was drawn to the art of carving, incorporating intricate details into his bespoke furniture.
Read More...Jeff Rabkin
Jeff Rabkin took up coffee roasting on a whim several years ago and enjoys teaching this fun, economical and practical skill. In addition to coffee roasting, Jeff teaches AI classes, facilitates LEGO Serious Play, and consults on using AI for corporate innovation. He’s also building an application for organic farmers. In addition to his seemingly…
Read More...Jules Bunch
Jules Bunch (they/them) is a maker and educator who believes that working with our hands reconnects us to ourselves and to one another. Trained in sculpture and experienced in teaching woodworking, metalwork, mold-making, and material processes, they guide students through approachable, confidence-building projects that honor both tradition and experimentation. Based in South Minneapolis, Jules teaches…
Read More...Charles Buchwald
Charles Buchwald has voyaged in homebuilt boats across the Boundary Waters and throughout the Salish Sea, and has sailed around the Apostle Islands on Lake Superior. He holds a degree in Studio Art, studied at the Westlawn School of Yacht Design, and has worked with the Minnesota Historical Society. He designs museum exhibits with his…
Read More...Larry Underkoffler
Now retired, Larry Underkoffler taught Junior High Art for 25 years. He is a Marine Corps veteran who served in Viet Nam, Air Traffic Controller, Camping Director for 8 years, illustrator of children’s books and Sculpture and has served as the Superintendent of Art for the Washington County Fair for the past 18 years. He…
Read More...Alison Bakke
Alison Bakke is a regenerative flower farmer and botanical artist who grows and creates with seasonal blooms using sustainable practices. Her work blends cultivation and creativity, transforming her own grown botanicals into art that celebrates texture, color, and the beauty of impermanence. She is passionate about teaching others how to grow, harvest, and create with…
Read More...Pieper Fleck Bloomquist
Pieper Fleck Bloomquist is a contemporary folk artist with nearly 30 years’ experience painting in the traditions of Swedish dalmålning and bonadsmålning. Using either modern acrylics or the traditional materials of linen/jute, traditional gesso, and egg tempera, she creates painted tapestries with scenes that narrate modern human stories – drawing inspiration from family traditions, her…
Read More...Liz Schreiber
Liz Schreiber is a 15 year veteran of the State Fair and has won multiple ribbons over the years. When not winning ribbons, she has worked as an illustrator for multiple publications using crop art as her medium including VitaMN, The Growler, and Edible Twin Cities. Liz has taught workshops on Crop Art at the…
Read More...Erin Wilaby
Erin Wilaby (they/them) is a botany technician who has worked with the U.S. Forest Service and an artist with a deep love for tactile materials such as ceramics, fiber arts, and origami, as well as playing with color. Originally from Minnesota, Erin has lived in several places across the country and internationally, developing a deep…
Read More...Kaitlin Wadley
Kaitlin Wadley is a lifelong Midwesterner whose life can be divided into two halves: growing up in Lafayette, Indiana, and later settling in Minneapolis, Minnesota, where she currently resides. Curious by nature and always eager to learn, Kaitlin is a multidisciplinary artist working in drawing, painting, embroidery, knitting, printmaking, and beadwork. Her influences include High…
Read More...Joe Manthei
Joe Manthei began leathercrafting in 2011, starting with bookmarks made from fish leather. In 2019, he began tanning his own fish skins in response to growing interest in locally sourced fish leather. Joe has taught wallet-making and handbound journal classes and continues to share his craft through teaching. Although retired, he still works as a…
Read More...Jess Lindell
Jess Lindell has been painting watercolor pet portraits for over 20 years, earning multiple State Fair ribbons and a feature on Twin Cities Live. She was first introduced to the magic of watercolor by her aunt Meridith and quickly fell in love with the medium. Her mother’s work as a veterinary technician later opened the…
Read More...Riley Kleve
Riley Kleve is a nonbinary textile artist and educator creating interactive, collaborative work in community-led settings. Their practice in weaving, handspinning, and embroidery draws from history to imagine a queerer future for textiles. They have taught fiber classes of all sizes, from biweekly library gatherings to large dusk-to-dawn community arts festivals. Riley is a 2025…
Read More...Miriam Khanan
Miriam Khanan began dipping their own beeswax Shabbat candles in 2019 after noticing that most Jewish candles are machine-made from paraffin wax, a petroleum product. Today, they make thousands of Chanukah, Shabbat, and non-denominational candles each year. A novice beekeeper, Miriam also sources wax from the St. Croix River Valley. Miriam loves sharing the meditative…
Read More...Linda Johnson-Morke
Linda Johnson-Morke is a shepherd who has been felting for many decades. Her background in engineering has deepened her curiosity and understanding of the felting process. Over the years, she has raised more than 10 different breeds of sheep and has traveled widely to teach and study feltmaking. Her travels include New Zealand, as well…
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