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Artisan Development Program

Meet Josie Cooke

Posted October 23, 2025
by Josie Cooke

Meet Josie Cooke! In her first blog post as a Resident Artisan, Josie writes about the Slow Fashion Movement, and her work creating locally sourced, ecologically friendly, and ethically produced textiles.

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Binding and Unbinding the Enemy

Posted October 16, 2025
by Gabe Strand

What’s in a symbol? In this blog post, Resident Artisan Gabe Strand writes about carving—and then removing—a motif from a bench he made, exploring the role of symbols in culture, craft, and life.

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Meet Jake Fee

Posted October 14, 2025
by Jake Fee

Meet Jake Fee, one of our new artisans in the Artisan Development Program! In his first post, Jake introduces himself in the form of a diagram, writing about his guiding lights of Craft, Play, Land, and more. 

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Harvesting Hickory Down South

Posted July 3, 2025
by Gabe Strand

Hickory bark is not easily purchased, so acquiring it often means venturing out to the woods. In this blog post, Resident Artisan Gabe Strand writes about harvesting hickory bark with friends in Central Appalachia.

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Making Handplanes with Björn Svantesson

Posted April 17, 2025
by Gabe Strand

Handplanes are an essential tool for the woodworker, and they're something that anyone can build. Gabe Strand writes about making handplanes with Björn Svantesson in Sweden. 

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Vernacular Habitation of Dalarna

Posted April 1, 2025
by Ty Sheaffer

Like a dialect, houses in rural Sweden bear distinct differences that reflect the way of life in that village. Resident Artisan Ty Sheaffer shares about traditional homes in Dalarna and the stories told by their construction. 

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Hello from Norway

Posted April 1, 2025
by Cooper Ternes

Color is a central part of Cooper Ternes's craft. In this blog post, Cooper writes about being inspired by color in Scandinavia, including the surprising hue he searched for throughout his trip. 

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Fibers Unleashed: Finding Textiles in Unexpected Places

Posted March 26, 2025
by Riley Kleve

Sometimes, treasures are found in the most surprising places. In this blog post, Riley Kleve writes about traveling through Sweden, and the unexpected textiles and tools they found along the way. 

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Dispatch from Sweden: Making Bentwood Boxes

Posted March 25, 2025
by Gabe Strand

The Resident Artisans are in Sweden! In this blog post, Gabe Strand writes about his travels through southern Sweden, including making bentwood boxes at Helena Åberg's workshop.

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Embracing Winter as a Grand Marais Artisan

Posted February 12, 2025
by Riley Kleve

Winter can be an intense season in northern Minnesota. In their latest blog post, Riley Kleve writes about embracing their first-ever winter in Grand Marais: from skiing to studio time to welcoming guests from Sweden. 

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