How to Build Community

MMFS Founder Robin Brooksbank stands with MMFS artisan-instructor Laurelei Creuzer at an Appreciation Event

Laurelei Creuzer teaches Pysanky-Ukrainian Egg Dyeing at Marine Mills Folk School. Here are her tips for building community.

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Woodcarver’s Corner

carving spoon

Woodcarvers can supplement their craft and find a wide variety of books through the Washington County Library system.

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Marine Fall Festival Returns September 16

Bluegrass band North Shore Trail performs at the Marine Fall Festival at Marine Mills Folk School while a crowd watches.

The Marine Fall Festival hosted by Marine Mills Folk School will be held from 10am to 4pm on Saturday, September 16. Drop in and enjoy a variety of activities at the free community festival located on the grounds of Marine Mills Folk School.

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The Genius of the Folk School Model

MMFS Board Members stand outside, ready to welcome you to the folk school.

Folk schools originated in the 1850s as part of a movement to provide individuals a way to gain self-knowledge and purpose in connection with their community through lifelong learning.

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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…

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Fred 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…

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Become 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…

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I 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…

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Taking 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.…

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Folk 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…

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Scandinavian 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,…

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I 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…

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Make Time During the Shortest Month

Take a mental health break with any of our classes – escape into learning as you share time and laughter with old and new friends.  Whether online or in-person, you’ll leave energized and proud of what you’ve accomplished.   Grab a friend virtually and go online to learn how to make authentic Risotto in your own kitchen or dig into geology with…

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Improved Registration Process

Speaking of new beginnings, MMFS has made some changes to our online registration process.  If you notice something that seems wonky, please let us know!  We don’t want you to get frustrated and there may be a glitch on our end.  info@robinmarinemillsfolkschool-org cover photo credit: cookie the pom on unsplash.com

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What’s Up at MMFS?

Interested to learn the secrets of spoon carving from a master carver?  We’ve got one spot left for this weekend’s 2-day session, grab it! Or how about starting the year off with a clean slate and clean hands, using hand-made soap, made by you? Gather all your favorite memories about a special person and create an Heirloom Bear, for a…

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