Marine Mills Folk School 2023-2024 Impact Statement
Rooted in Place and Growing!
Dear Marine Mills Folk School Supporters,
Since our doors opened in October 2018, a community of Marine Mills Folk School (MMFS) teachers, learners and supporters has blossomed!
Following a nearly 200-year-old tradition of folk schools throughout the world, MMFS is working to enrich lives and strengthen community.
Our Mission
To enrich lives and strengthen community by inviting all people to discover the joy of creating together from a folk school tradition.
Each week, we witness the power of people gathering to create a community of learners and artisans who share their talent and expertise.
We are exploring new growth opportunities, such as in developing youth programming and offering more freewill supported community events.
New artisans are joining our family of instructors in the areas of fiber arts, culinary arts, outdoor skills, visual arts, and woodcarving.
Support from individuals, granting organizations, volunteers, members, board and staff are giving us the confidence to offer new classes, seek new partnerships, and dream big about our future.
Thank you for your belief in and support of our mission. We look forward to continuing to grow – together!
In gratitude,
Kate Seitz, Marine Mills Folk School Executive Director
Robin Brooksbank, Marine Mills Folk School Founder and Board Chair
Who We Are – Together
We are a community of:
- Artisan-Instructors
- Lifelong Learners
- Volunteers
- Community-minded Individuals
We fulfill our mission by partnering with artisan-instructors who have a passion for teaching hands-on arts and crafts to eager learners of all ages. Our teachers are skilled guides in woodworking, fiber arts, visual arts, culinary arts, outdoor skills, and other arts & crafts.
We offer lifelong, hands-on, whole person learning for all ages in a supportive environment that is fun, collaborative and restorative. MMFS incorporates a philosophy that places relationships and connections between people at the center of learning and life.
While promoting lifelong learning, MMFS is imbued with a strong sense of place, with an underlying goal to strengthen the economic base in and around the St Croix River Valley.
“It feels good to give myself time to relax and refresh my mind in a stressful and busy world while spending time with my sister and new friends.”
– Kate F., Lifelong Learner and MMFS Student
What We Accomplish – Together
Marine Mills Folk School offers in-person classes and free community events, and is the only folk school within one hour of the Twin Cities that’s open year-round. We’re continuing to grow our program offerings, from 11 classes and 52 learners in 2018 to 365 events and nearly 3,000 attendees of all ages in 2023. No two weekends are the same at MMFS!
A snapshot of classes includes:
- Intro to Welding
- Boro Mending
- Canoe Paddle Building
- Ribbed Basket Basics
- Ax Basics
- Metalsmithing
- Band Weaving
- Herbal Remedies
- Mushroom Foraging
- Poetry
- Community Singing
In addition to classes, MMFS hosts drop-in community events led by volunteer artisans:
- Tuesday Knit Nights
- Open Wood Carving
- Community Bridge Club
- Bluegrass Jam Sessions
- Community Singing
- Dare to Repair Fix-It Clinic (one in Osceola, Wis. and one in Marine on St. Croix
Attendance at community events has nearly doubled since spring 2022, with approximately 225 people dropping-in each month!
“As an instructor of handcraft for over 30 years, few folk schools in the region are as effective at following the true principles of N. F. S. Grundvig as MMFS. There is a focus on community, the hands, the head and the spirit.”
– Fred Livesay, Woodworking Artisan-Instructor
Where We Are Growing – Together
“Stick your finger down into the ground and smell where you are! This is where the needs of the people are found, which can be different in different times and places. Where this meets the abilities of the teacher, therein lies the [folk school’s] calling.”
– Ludvig Schroeder, 1872
Thanks to the support of generous individuals, foundations, granting organizations and others who believe in our mission, we are meeting the needs of our community by:
1. Sustaining program growth
MMFS experienced an explosion of growth in 2023, more than doubling the number of classes and community events offered over the prior year. The upward momentum brings increased energy around our organization, with more students, instructors, volunteers, and members joining and supporting our work.
We are aware of the challenges around sustaining this level of programming: staffing time and energy, instructors’ availability, market saturation and need to reach new audiences, to name a few. Your support allows us the flexibility to direct funds to essential areas and to respond to needs throughout the year.
2. Co-locating with another growing organization
We share our space with Marine Village School, a K-5 public school. We are two separate organizations, with the elementary school operating Monday-Friday while our arts education nonprofit operates mostly on weekends and evenings. As a result, the building is always humming with activity!
Our teams have come up with creative solutions for sharing the space, including putting castor wheels on tables in order to quickly set up and take down classrooms in almost any room in the school.
We’re also exploring other ideas to provide for learners who want to take classes on weekdays, when our building is unavailable. With support from a Minnesota State Arts Board grant, we are offering mid-week programming for older adults at a local church in Marine, using classroom space they don’t use during the week.
3. Responding to the “Epidemic of Loneliness”
“Loneliness is far more than just a bad feeling—it harms both individual and societal health. It is associated with a greater risk of cardiovascular disease, dementia, stroke, depression, anxiety, and premature death. The mortality impact of being socially disconnected is similar to that caused by smoking up to 15 cigarettes a day, and even greater than that associated with obesity and physical inactivity. And the harmful consequences of a society that lacks social connection can be felt in our schools, workplaces, and civic organizations, where performance, productivity, and engagement are diminished.”
– U.S. Surgeon General’s report, “Our Epidemic of Loneliness and Isolation,” May 2023
In this report, the U.S. Surgeon General urges all Americans to strengthen connections and relationships with others.
MMFS is perfectly poised to offer meaningful solutions to this epidemic. Through class and community event attendance, participants are:
- Engaging with a new community where they feel seen and are valued for their unique gifts
- Developing an enhanced sense of self-worth
- Growing their abilities to take on new challenges or opportunities that they may not have felt up to previously
“It feels good to give to students because it’s like dropping the proverbial pebble in a lake, the ripples go on forever.”
– Liz Towers, Teacher, Volunteer, Knitter, and Host of Tuesday Knit Nights
2023 Financials
The state of the folk school is strong – and growing!
Strong Roots, Strong Community & Growing!
Whether you’re a lifelong learner, artisan-instructor, community member, volunteer, or all of the above, you are helping us to not just grow but also to thrive in fulfilling our mission to help everyone discover the joy of creating from a folk school tradition!
To make a donation in support of our mission, become a member or discuss other giving opportunities, contact Executive Director Kate Seitz at kate.seitz@marinemillsfolkschool.org.
Thank you!
Marine Mills Folk School
550 Pine Street
PO Box 111
Marine on St. Croix, MN 55047
info@MarineMillsFolkSchool.org
612-440-6295