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May 2020
Announcing Class Cancellations
MMFS is committed to providing a safe and supportive experience for all our students, instructors, and volunteers. We are monitoring the COVID-19 situation closely and following recommendations from the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) and the Minnesota Department of Health. All classes have been cancelled through May 1, 2020. At that time we will reassess the changing situation regarding COVID-19 precautions. Students registered for cancelled classes will receive an email with confirming details and will be issued a gift certificate…
Find out more »Build a Wooden Paddle
- Sold out!
If you have not been able to take this class yet – now is your chance! Limited space available! Build your own bent shaft canoe paddle. Students will learn about wood selection and grains, use of hand tools and skill saw, paddle design and considerations, and paddle sizing. Each student will leave with a completed bent shaft paddle ready for varnishing. This class will take place over 3 days for a total of 9 hours: Friday 5/1 - 5:30pm -…
Find out more »Introduction to Stove Carving: House Numbers
Create unique hand-carved house numbers with skilled stone mason Mike Tibbetts. This is how gifted stone masons of the Middle Ages began learning their craft, by creating castle numbers! Perhaps not, but this class will provide a hands-on introduction to stone carving, and you’ll take home a beautiful addition for your house. Learn what material works best, how to create a stone blank of the desired size, design considerations and how to carve stone. Each participant will take home an…
Find out more »Shibori Indigo Dye
Shibori is an ancient Japanese dyeing technique that involves folding, twisting or bunching cloth and then binding it to create incredible patterns. The dyeing process is quite playful and the end result is undeniably stylish. One of the earliest written descriptions of shibori dates to 238 C.E.! Popular instructor, Cara Corey will lead students in a variety of Shibori folding techniques to create brilliant patterns with indigo-dyed textiles. You will use wood boards, clips, rubber bands, and other items to…
Find out more »Stone Balancing
The piling of stones has been happening since ancient times, whether for spiritual purposes, identification of burial grounds, navigation, or other reasons. Stone balancing has been compared to yoga practice, as the mind becomes focused and quiet during the process of balancing the stones. Uniting elements of performance art, sculpture, and meditation, Peter Juhl has been arranging natural stones to create works of art for over twenty years, primarily on the North Shore of Minnesota. The sculptures he creates evoke…
Find out more »Intuitive Watercolor Painting
Recent studies have shown that adults need more playtime in their lives! Through Intuitive Watercolor Painting, you have the chance to let your creative muse "take the wheel" for a while. A variety of watercolor paints will be available for you to explore, "play" with different paint and styles to discover what will delight your muse the most! Students will learn a few basic watercolor techniques, such as, "wet on wet", "dry brushing", and "lifting". In intuitive painting, there’s no…
Find out more »Sew a Leather Market Tote
In this class, we will learn the basic skills of leatherworking while sewing a classic 100% leather tote bag. Learn about cutting leather, preparing it for stitching, saddle-stitching and riveting handles. Leave with a beautiful Market Tote of your very own and the skills to do countless leather working projects for a lifetime Tote measures approximately 16”x14” and is made out of brown oil-tanned cow hide. All materials will be prepared by the instructor before class, but each step of…
Find out more »Chip Carving for Beginners
There are many techniques and ways to carve wood. One of the most basic methods, which is great for beginners, is chip carving. Chip carving is a very old craft found throughout history in many cultures and was believed to have started in China. It eventually spread through various wars and invasions into Europe and into Switzerland. Early in history, it was a carving technique used to add ornate decoration to buildings and churches. It eventually became a popular folk…
Find out more »Anyone Can Draw! Beginning Travel Sketching
Learn to draw and get more out of traveling! ‘Moment sketching’ is capturing the moment, expressing how you feel about what you are observing and sketching. It’s the perfect approach for traveling, as it will help you become more observant and expand your traveling experience. A wise man once said the only way to learn how to sketch, is to sketch! Want to learn? This class will introduce drawing and design concepts (line, shape, value, perspective, shade, shadow, composition) in…
Find out more »Healthy Self-Reliance: Forage and Cook Your Food
An interest in healthy eating and cooking for her young family led Tanna Worrell to search out information about foraging and natural foods. Her thorough knowledge and passion to teach others about foraging is reflected in the glowing reports from her previous class participants. We’re pleased to welcome her back this summer. Join Tanna during each month of the growing season as she shares her knowledge about wild edible and medicinal plants. The primary focus of each session will be…
Find out more »Intro to Tai Chi
Tai Chi is a meditative moving practice that has been gaining popularity in recent years with many studies tying this practice to improved health, wellness as well as longevity. Evidence-based studies have shown that the health and wellness benefits of Tai Chi practice may include increased bone density, lowered blood pressure, increased physical strength and balance, increased immune function, decreased anxiety and depression as well as decreased inflammation. Experienced instructor Aimee Van Ostrand, owner of Healing Within Acupuncture & Wellness…
Find out more »June 2020
I Need to Write! – A Writing Workshop
“Find out the reason that commands you to write.” --Rainer Maria Rilke “There is no greater agony than bearing an untold story inside you.” -- Maya Angelou “…figure out what you have to say…” -- Barbara Kingsolver “We tell ourselves stories in order to live.” --Joan Didion Need to write? To share ideas and experiences? Need help on a writing project to make it sing? Need to explore how, when, or where to publish? This workshop is for…
Find out more »Block Printing on Fabric
One of the oldest forms of art, block printing is both historical and accessible, as it involves simply carving an image on linoleum blocks and using permanent fabric inks to print the designs on fabric. Join Karen Rognsvoog, experienced folk school teacher, for an introduction to block printing on fabric. Learn how to carve your own design on to a linoleum block and then transfer (print) this design on natural fiber fabrics (cotton, linen and silk) to create napkins, table…
Find out more »Make Your Own Herbal Medicines
Learn about the beneficial plants growing in our own backyards! There are many useful medicinal herbs: Dandelions, Creeping Charlie, Plantain broadleaf and violets, to name a few, that volunteer themselves in our yards and gardens and hold a bounty of nutrients as well as therapeutic qualities. We will learn to make a few simple preparations with some of these easy to find and easy to identify plants. Instructor Betsy Nelson, AKA That Food Girl – Culinary Herbalist will demonstrate drying…
Find out more »Healthy Self-Reliance: Forage and Cook Your Food
An interest in healthy eating and cooking for her young family led Tanna Worrell to search out information about foraging and natural foods. Her thorough knowledge and passion to teach others about foraging is reflected in the glowing reports from her previous class participants. We’re pleased to welcome her back this summer. Join Tanna during each month of the growing season as she shares her knowledge about wild edible and medicinal plants. The primary focus of each session will be…
Find out more »July 2020
Healthy Self-Reliance: Forage and Cook Your Food
An interest in healthy eating and cooking for her young family led Tanna Worrell to search out information about foraging and natural foods. Her thorough knowledge and passion to teach others about foraging is reflected in the glowing reports from her previous class participants. We’re pleased to welcome her back this summer. Join Tanna during each month of the growing season as she shares her knowledge about wild edible and medicinal plants. The primary focus of each session will be…
Find out more »Beginning Crop Art
Is Crop Art the first exhibit you race to at the Minnesota State Fair every year? This is the class for you! Typically incorporating a variety of seeds, grains and other natural materials, crop art has been described as the ‘collision of art and agriculture’. Is crop art ‘kitsch’ or ‘art’ or somewhere in between? You decide, as you join the fun and create your own design. Did you know the Minnesota State Fair is the only state fair with…
Find out more »August 2020
Foraging Field Trip!
Walk in the woods with the Friendly Forager! Tanna Worrell is the Friendly Forager, and she is inviting all those interested to join her for a walk in her family’s woods, foraging for natural foods. Tanna and her family have been foraging their property for over twenty years, so she knows just where to go for the season’s best plants. This unique opportunity is only being offered through Marine Mills Folk School, giving attendees the chance to learn from one…
Find out more »September 2020
Healthy Self-Reliance: Forage and Cook Your Food
An interest in healthy eating and cooking for her young family led Tanna Worrell to search out information about foraging and natural foods. Her thorough knowledge and passion to teach others about foraging is reflected in the glowing reports from her previous class participants. We’re pleased to welcome her back this summer. Join Tanna during each month of the growing season as she shares her knowledge about wild edible and medicinal plants. The primary focus of each session will be…
Find out more »