North House Folk School

All program details are below.

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Weekend Highlights

Friday–Sunday, November 20–22

Presentations

From climate studies to stories from northern travels, performances celebrating northern geographies and cultures to winter sport or camping secrets, these inspiring presentations offer something for everyone and take place throughout the weekend. All presentations are free and take place in the Blue Building. 

A Naturalist’s Winter

Friday, November 20, noon
with Charlie Pavlisich

Winter is an excellent time to enjoy the northwoods. Though it might appear that things are frozen and unchanging until spring, winter has a fascinating phenological rhythm, full of subtle and dramatic changes the keen observer can learn to appreciate. Join Charlie Pavlisich of Wolf Ridge Environmental Learning Center for a blend of science and stories from his years appreciating the winter landscape.

Bizhikiwag: The Bison Herd in Grand Portage

Friday, November 20, 3pm
with Jared Swader

In 2023, the Grand Portage Band welcomed bizhikiwag, the bison, back to their land. Join Bison Herd Manager Jared Swader to learn more about this effort, its connection to food sovereignty, and plans for the future of the herd.

Two Writers in the Far North: Dispatches from Svalbard and the Tallship Antigua

Saturday, November 21, 10:30am
with Stacy Carlson and Kathryn Nuernberger

What happens when artists’ projects determine the course of an arctic expedition? Hear from award-winning Minnesota authors Stacy Carlson and Kathryn Nuernberger, who both participated in the northernmost artist residency in the world. During a two-week voyage in Svalbard, Stacy, Kathryn, and 25 other artists pursued their creative projects while living aboard an antique schooner, immersed in a landscape of tundra, ice, reindeer, and polar bears. The writers will share photos and stories of Svalbard, read excerpts from their work, and discuss how the landscapes and other artists they traveled with on The Arctic Circle residency shaped their creative work.

Stacy Carlson’s latest novel, The Gyre, won the 2026 IndieReader Discovery Award for historical fiction, and chronicles the travails of a Russian Orthodox monk who wants to be the northernmost holy man in the world.

Kathryn Nuernberger is an essayist and poet whose latest book, Held: Essays in Belonging, is about symbiotic mutualisms, climate change, and finding family at the end of the world.

Svalbard, the Ice Paradise

Saturday, November 21, 3pm
with Paul Schurke and Ryan Rumpca

Svalbard has been called the "Arctic Serengeti" for its wealth of wildlife—thousands of polar bears, walruses, and reindeer, plus belugas, narwhals, & blue whales, the largest animal that has ever lived on this planet. Lying between Scandinavia and the North Pole, the island chain is home to the world's northernmost town, Longyearbyen, a chic community with Europe's largest wine cellar, 5 Star hotels, an opera house, and the global seed bank. Curiously, it was founded by the mining engineer, John Longyear, whose family also founded Minnesota's iron industry. An international zone administered by Norway, Svalbard hosts enclaves from various countries (including Russia's only community that—since it launched the war in Ukraine—still has full internet access). But Svalbard is so remote that it’s against the law to be born or die there (and no cats allowed either—but lots of sled dogs!).

Ely adventurer Paul Schurke has been exploring Svalbard by dogsled & ski for twenty years. Duluth filmmaker Ryan Rumpca has explored the area by sailboat with Paul's son Peter, a boat captain there. Paul & Ryan will share stories, photos and film footage of this Arctic haven, including fresh footage from Ryan's trip there this fall and Paul's June trip with Grand Marais friends Buck Benson and Carol Desain.

Nord Hus Expedition: Sailing the Great Lakes to Greenland

Sunday, November 22, 12pm
with Lonnie Dupre

Chased by gales, the 2025–26 Nord Hus expedition sailed into Lewisporte, Newfoundland on September 13 at 10:15am, making for an exciting finish of their 7,500-statute-mile Arctic voyage. The core crew consisted of veteran polar explorer and mountaineer Lonnie Dupre, mountaineer/Arctic explorer Pascale Marceau, professional sailor/wildlife ecologist Ashe Berton, and professional sailor/mountain athlete Hyland Garvey. On April 10, 2025, Nord Hus began its journey from the little hamlet of Grand Marais, Minnesota. The High Arctic voyage to Greenland was conceived by Lonnie Dupre, who explained, “My dream of going north in my own ship like that of past explorers Peary, Amundsen, and Nansen started 2 decades ago when I realized we could sail from my hometown, through the Great Lakes all the way to Greenland!” By August 4, 2026, Nord Hus reached the Polar Inuit community of Qaanaaq at latitude 77.5° some 740 miles north of the Arctic Circle. By August 6, it was time to sail 2,500 miles south and across the Labrador Sea to Newfoundland before the Arctic night and fall storms could halt them. On Sunday morning, September 13, the crew docked in Lewisporte, Newfoundland under a gentle breeze, calm waters, and the warmth of the rising sun. Lonnie will give a 1-hour ice-filled presentation on their observations and findings, followed by Q&A.

Skill Share Demonstrations

These short, intensive sessions focus on particularly handy skills and are free to attend!

Fika Coffee, Josh Lindstrom

Friday, noon, Garden Classroom

Step into any North House classroom and you'll likely be greeted by the smell of freshly brewed Fika coffee. Fika is a local coffee shop and roastery started by Josh Lindstrom, who is not only obsessed with coffee, but has traveled around the world to forge connections with coffee growers. Come warm up and learn where your favorite beverages come from!

Drop-In Games, Jake Fee

Friday, 1-3pm, Red Building

Come and learn how to play ancient board games by the fire. Stamp your own game set to bring home and share with friends and family!

Stranded Colorwork Knitting: Ergonomics with Tiny Needles, Mathilde Yakymets-Lind

Friday, 1pm, Garden Classroom

When knitting wooly things for winter, Nordic colorwork patterns provide beautiful designs and extra warmth from the layer of wool floats on the interior of the items. Mathilde will cover the ergonomics of using tiny double-pointed needles: how to keep consistent tension, manage yarn and floats, and protect yourself from hand strain.

A place for winter coats: The Making of a Wooden Coat Rack, Paul Linden

Friday, 2pm, Garden Classroom

Slojd for the home! Paul Linden will explain the design, planning and preparation for a winter coatrack inspired by an old Swedish design. The coat rack is constructed using hand tools exclusively, working with bench and block planes, hand saws, chisels, and even carving knives.

Wild Herbal Hydrosols, Sam Martinez

Friday, 3pm, Garden Classroom

Created with the alluring elements of steam and hand harvested winter botanicals, this skill share invites you to experience spirit lifting and grounding delights known as hydrosols. Observe a simple hydro distillation method at work and learn about the uses and benefits of these herbal preparations. Donations appreciated but not required for handouts and hydrosol sampling.

Putting Experience Into Words, Anna Crabtree

Friday, 4pm, Garden Classroom

Join craft education intern Anna Crabtree for a look into her capstone project—a book dedicated to documenting physical craft processes, typed on a typewriter and featuring hand-drawn illustrations throughout. Come explore the art of putting hands-on experience into words. 

Learn to Line Dance, Emma Mathews-Lingen

Saturday, noon, Red Building

Emma will slowly teach a line dance step by step, then dancers will try it out to music! Warm up and move around, no experience is necessary!

Life with Sled Dogs, Brittany North

Saturday, 1pm, Milling Shop

Dog trainer Brittany will discuss her unique relationship with her sled dogs. She'll talk about the practical aspects of working with sled dogs like training, gear, and diet. But be prepared for some heartwarming anecdotes as well, since life with dogs is also full of adventure and mischief.

Pet a Sled Dog, Brittany North

Saturday, 2pm, Red Building

Meet the dogs behind the stories. Come pet Brittany and Ted's sled dogs!

Designing Scandinavian Colorwork Mittens, Steph Vos and Lauren Newby 

Saturday, 2pm, Milling Shop

Friends Steph and Lauren band together to share their excitement about Scandinavian mittens. They'll discuss color, tradition, contemporary designs, and even invite you to design your own! 

Boreal Beeswax Balms, Samantha Martinez

Saturday, 3pm, Milling Shop

Conifers are defining ecological species that mark a climate with long, intense seasons of cold. Come to learn about the healing properties and uses of tree saps and resins when refined and combined with midwest cranberry seed oil and beeswax to produce healing balms. Small quantity of balms available for purchase following demonstration.

Needle Felt a Winter Landscape, Susan Ferguson 

Saturday, 4pm, Milling Shop

Join us to needle felt a winter landscape, northern lights, or any creative scene!

Aebleskiver: a Danish treat, Ian Carr

Sunday, 9am, Milling Shop

Resident Artisan Ian Carr will make and share delightful Danish treats! Aebleskiver are pancake-balls from Denmark that are cooked in a special pan and then dipped in jam and powdered sugar. Come watch, learn, and sample these delicious fluffy spheres!

Carve a Cutting Board, Paul Linden

Sunday, 10am-3pm, Red Building

Paul Linden will demonstrate how to create a custom cutting board using hand tools! Drop in and watch the cutting boards take shape, or those that are ready to spend a couple hours crafting can make one of their own (while supplies last). A $25 cash materials fee should be paid to Paul if you’d like to make a cutting board. 

The History of Kolrosing, Liesl Chatman

Sunday, 10am, Milling Shop

In Liesl’s opinion, there’s no better way to spend the winter than kolrosing! In this skill share, Liesl will share how stories have been and continue to be told by tattooing wood using an old craft called kolrosing. She will talk about what she's learned across several trips to Norway, Sweden, Germany, and Belgium in search of this nearly lost decorative craft.

Looking Towards Thaw: Timber framing a sugar shack, Teagan Weiss and Lily Simko

Sunday, 11am, Milling Shop

Interns Teagan and Lily share stories about their ambitious capstone project: creating a timber-framed sugar shack.

Friction Fire, Ty Sheaffer

Sunday, noon, Fire Ring

Come learn the ancient human technology of rubbing sticks together to make fire! In this skill share we'll use two different approaches: the bow drill and hand spindle. Additionally, there will likely be opportunities to sing some fire songs while we work. Kids welcome! Usually kids around age 9 and up have the strength and coordination to make a lot of smoke, maybe even a little ember! Join Ty by the fire circle

Arctic Film Festival

This one-of-a-kind festival features films from around the globe that visually tell the story of the North. Documentaries, features, and shorts showcase Arctic landscapes, traditional cultures, northern adventures, and changing climates. All film screenings are free and held in the Blue Building.

Wind, Tide & Oar

Friday, November 20, 9am
Huw Wahl, 2024

Wind, Tide & Oar is a poetic documentary on engineless sailing, shot on analogue over three years across the UK, Netherlands, and France. Wahl captures traditional boats, rhythms, and maritime heritage, exploring ecology, sustainability, and humanity’s bond with nature.

The Embroiderers

Friday, November 20, 10:30am
Maeve Brennan, 2016

Commissioned for the 2016 exhibition At the Seams: A Political History of Palestinian Embroidery, this documentary compiles several personal interviews with Palestinian women whose skillful hand-embroidery is rooted in the rich traditions and regional symbols of their homeland.

Three Thousand

Friday, November 20, 11am
Asinnajaq, 2017

In this short film, Inuk artist Asinnajaq plunges us into a sublime imaginary universe — 14 minutes of luminescent, archive-inspired cinema that recast the present, past and future of her people in a radiant new light.

Steward•Ship

Friday, November 20, 11:15am
Luke Kaneb, 2026

Luc Milam navigates Maine’s rugged coastline aboard a 1951 Herreshoff H-28, Holiday, discovering that the freedom to explore is inseparable from the responsibility to care for the places that make that life possible. It’s equally a tribute to those who care for treasured places and do hard things because it’s good for the soul, and to the process of learning those values from those who came before us.

Crac

Friday, November 20, 11:30am
Frédéric Back, 1981

A wooden rocking chair serves as a tool to delve through the history of Quebec in the last century.

Uiksaringitara (Wrong Husband)

Friday, November 20, 1pm
Zacharias Kunuk, 2025

Igloolik, Nunavut, 2000 BCE. Kaujak (Theresia Kappianaq) and Sapa (Haiden Angutimarik) were promised to each other at birth. After the sudden death of Kaujak’s father, her mother marries a man from another camp, tearing the young lovers apart. The promise of a better life quickly turns to a nightmare, with aggressive suitors backed by an evil shaman vying to win Kaujak’s hand. But Kaujak resists, holding on to hope that Sapa will one day make things right.

Snow Bear

Friday, November 20, 4pm
Aaron Blaise, 2025

When a lonely polar bear can’t find a friend... he makes one. Set in a rapidly changing world, Snow Bear tells the story of a polar bear in an unforgiving environment on his quest to find a friend. This independent 2D hand-drawn film was painstakingly created entirely by Aaron Blaise over 3 years. It is an adventure infused with humor, relatability, and emotional depth in the tradition of classic animated films.

Borderline

Friday, November 20, 4:15pm
Johannes Vang, 2026

A Norwegian customs officer, a Finnish poacher, and a mysterious Swedish woman meet at the border between their homelands, becoming entangled in a conflict over laws, language, and prejudice.

Ish Meets a Mermaid

Friday, November 20, 4:30pm

An Ojibwe artist named Ish finds that his paintings aren’t selling anymore, he is in debt to his gallery rep, and a local goon is lurking around his studio. When he decides to take an artist’s getaway, he meets trouble with a mysterious woman, Ziibi, who claims to be part of an underwater society that tribal mythology refers to as the people of the water, or Nibiinaabe. Ziibi brings Ish on a wild ride that ultimately leads to him finding success in the last place he ever expected — death.

Skiing in the Shadow of Genghis Khan

Friday, November 20, 9pm
2008

A movie about the traditional skiers in the Altai Mountains of China. Skiing in this part of the world dates back thousands of years, and small areas still retain the original ski culture. Though Norway is perhaps the birthplace of modern skiing, the ski culture of the Altai Mountains persists as a tool for living and thriving in the snowbound landscape of a winter world. A returning favorite from past Arctic Film Festivals!

A New Kind of Wilderness

Saturday, November 21, 9am
Silje Evensmo Jacobsen, 2024

On a small farm in a Norwegian forest, the Paynes strive to be wild and free. But when tragedy strikes, their idyllic world is shattered, forcing them to navigate the expectations of modern society. This intimate and soulful documentary explores love, growing up, and how we navigate life after loss.

You Must Destroy

Saturday, November 21, 12pm
Doran Acero, 2026

Two U.S. Forest Service personnel are tasked with disposing of their old mascot costume, Twigs the Turkey. When they improperly dispose of the suit, we find out why there were strict protocols in place. (It’s alive and is coming back after them.) Directed by Grand Marais’ very own Doran Acero, this film includes a scene filmed at North House Folk School!

Outta Sight

Saturday, November 21, 12:45pm
M Baxley, 2026

Team River Runner provides healing and wellness to veterans through paddle sports — mainly whitewater kayaking. In this film, five visually impaired veterans come to Paradise Valley, Montana to learn whitewater kayaking from their fellow veteran guides. Participants progress from flat water paddling to Class 3 rapids in one week. In this short period of time, the power of the river brings the group together in deep connection through interdependence and support. As in their previous military experience, the group becomes a cohesive unit. Directed by local filmmaker M Baxley!

Threshold

Saturday, November 21, 1:30pm
Lars Brinkema and Torsten Brinkema, 2026

Threshold follows decorated cross-country skier Jessie Diggins as she competes at the highest level of the sport while battling an eating disorder. Diggins is a four-time Olympic medalist who won the United States’ first gold medal in cross-country skiing in 2018. The documentary follows the US team over the course of the 2023–24 season, as Diggins’ mental illness resurfaces, interrogating the toll of the control and precision demanded by the sport.

Chasing Time

Saturday, November 21, 9pm
Jeff Orlowski-Yang, 2025

A meditative exploration of time and mortality, Chasing Time follows photographer James Balog as he brings the 15-year Extreme Ice Survey project to a close. A beautiful tribute to the power of images, the Emmy-winning team behind Chasing Ice returns to unveil astounding visual evidence of climate change and to inspire action toward a sustainable future.

Source to Sea: A Winter Migration

Sunday, November 22, 9am
Cory Maria Dack, 2026

Cory Maria Dack, an Indigenous Latina wilderness guide, paddles the entire length of the Mississippi River, from Lake Itasca to the Gulf of Mexico, over 134 days. Born in Quito, Ecuador and raised in northern Minnesota, Cory approaches the river not as something to be conquered, but as a living, relational being. Guided by Indigenous teachings, ceremony, and song, the film reframes wilderness adventure through a decolonized lens, centering humility, reciprocity, and listening.

Hundreds of Beavers

Sunday, November 22, 10am
Mike Cheslik, 2022

In this 19th century, supernatural winter epic, a drunken applejack salesman must go from zero to hero and become North America’s greatest fur trapper by defeating hundreds of beavers.

Friday Highlights

Friday, November 20

Open Fire Dinner on a Stick & Outdoor Shorts Film Festival

5:30pm start

Gather around a bonfire and cook over an open fire as a community. Participants bring their own food; we’ll provide the fire and the pointy sticks. Sausages to steaks, pudgie pies to home fries, it’s all welcome. Beginning at 5:30pm, we’ll enjoy a selection of winter-themed short films.

Snowshoe Shuffle Traditional Community Contra Dance

6:30pm family dance, 7:30pm community dance, Red Building

Don your winter wardrobe and warm up at this friendly community contra dance. The dance takes place in the historic timbered woodshop.

Cold Snap Poetry Celebration

8pm, Blue Building

Cold Snap Poetry Celebration is a friendly gathering highlighting spoken word and the glories of the frozen North! Join in the fun by reading one of your own works or any seasonal poetry of your choosing. By sharing your favorite hibernal verse, presenters will receive wide recognition as cultural icons, as well as a free bottomless bag of popcorn for the weekend!

Register here

Saturday Highlights

Saturday, November 21

The Great Gear & Ski Sale

9am checkin, 10am sale begins, Commons

Bring your outdoor equipment to sell or get in on some great bargains & buy. Backcountry skis to winter canvas tents. Ice skates to kites. Winter boots to down jackets. All are welcome. Get your registration form here! 

North House partners with BILL.com for Gear Sale payouts. Interested in direct deposit for your Gear Sale split? Let us know when you turn in your Gear Sale registration, or simply write "BILL" on the bottom of your sheet, and we'll send you an e-invite from BILL after the sale. Not interested? A check for any owed Gear Sale splits will be mailed from BILL to your address on file in 7-14 days.

Winter Tent Camp Tour

2pm, meet at the fire cirlce

Peek behind the flap of some of the tents set up for the weekend. Hot to cold, yurt to quinsey, there’s always an intriguing variety of cozy habitations on display. 

The Deep Freeze Chili Feed

5:30pm, Blue Building

Bundle up and grab your bowl for this traditional winter favorite: chili & freshly baked cornbread. Hot chili (your choice: vegetarian or meat) is cooked up in the kettle and enjoyed in the company of other hearty winterers. $10/person paid at the door. Kids 8 and under eat free.

Featured Speaker: Kayleen Ward-Peter

7pm, Red Building
Gardening Above the Arctic Circle and Other Adventures

North House is honored to welcome Kayleen Ward-Peter to Winterers’ Gathering. Kayleen is Gwich’in from Venetie, Alaska, a small village located north of the Arctic Circle. Kayleen is making the long trip south to share stories of her work in food sovereignty, capacity building, and cultural vitality in her northern homeland. She serves on the council of the Native Village of Venetie Tribal Government and is also the chair of the T’ee Drin Jik Tribal Conservation District. Kayleen is a powerful advocate for the Porcupine Caribou herd and the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. Kayleen’s work centers on her homelands and the animals and plants of her northern landscape. Aside from work, Kayleen is an outdoors woman and an artist. Whether she’s hunting, getting wood, exploring the land, beading, sewing, or identifying natural plants, outside is where you will find her.

Kayleen will give the featured presentation on Saturday, November 21, at 7pm in the Red Building. Free and open to the public.