Courses

Without question, the Adirondack chair is a timeless classic - its high back, large armrests and contoured seat and back are unmistakable.  For many, the Adirondack chair defines the ideal deck or lawn chair for a well-deserved break.  This course is the perfect opportunity for you to learn and expand…

Are you ready to tackle a more challenging Sami inspired bracelet project? Make a bracelet worthy of a Nordic god! Expand your technical expertise by creating a beautiful multi-braid bracelet using the same tin thread and reindeer leather you've gotten familiar with in previous classes. Students will create a double…

The market basket will take you many places: from the market to the beach, from picnics to the grocery stores. This course is an introduction to the awesome qualities of the ash tree, which we will use for both weaving the basket and making the handles. Through scraping and cutting,…

The black ash pack basket: it's beautiful, highly functional and can be made using simple materials. The first part of the class will be spent preparing black ash splint for your basket by pounding a locally harvested log. Next, you'll weave the basket and finish it with a rim, handle,…

Get ready to cook over the campfire and learn the basics of blacksmithing by creating your own set of handmade iron cooking tools that you can pack in your trunk, portage in your pack or break out in the backyard.  Students will create tripods, adjustable chain hooks, and grates, as…

Outfit your own blacksmithing tool chest while developing and refining your skills on the forge. In this course, you will create the set of tools needed to become a backyard blacksmith, while simultaneously learning the basics of blacksmithing. Initial tool projects will include tongs and fire-tending tools. Heat treatment, forging,…

Always wanted to try your hand at the forge? This is the place to start and continue to develop your blacksmithing skills. You will be introduced to the basic skills of the blacksmith including safety, fire control, tools and equipment in both a classroom and 'on the forge' setting. Student…

In this in-depth basketry course, we’ll explore the range of materials found in Northern Minnesota that can be used for making baskets. Birch, Basswood, Spruce, Cedar, Willow and Ash are some of the local species with ties to basketry. Get a taste of working with different materials as you create…

This course takes students through the step-by-step process of crafting a wooden longbow, wooden-shafted arrow, and bow string. To facilitate learning about constructing a traditional bow, students start with a rough-cut stave of hickory. Bows are backed with flax-fiber linen.Each arrow includes a field point and feathers. String is made…

Build a highly functional new table, perfect for a home office, computer desk, potting table or anything in between using reclaimed cedar lumber. This table’s construction is designed around the use of basic tools, including the use of dowel pins and smaller cross pins to secure the joints. Students will…

Pick up your hammer! This course is designed for students with little or no building experience who want to build a tiny home, small cabin, or workshop. The techniques for building a small frame building are not only for the skilled carpenter; nearly anyone can come away from this course…

Wool is an incredibly flexible and playful medium full of color and textural possibilities. In this workshop we will replace paint with wool as our artistic medium as we create one large mural encouraging us to consider the many challenges and injustices of the past year. There will be three…

Spend a day aboard the Hjørdis and learn the basics of sailing a 50’ gaff-rigged schooner on Lake Superior. This course offers a mix of in-class preparation and on-the-water experience: topics include points of sail, seamanship, rope-work, sailing terminology, and boat handling technique. Wind, weather, and waves vary greatly on…

Hand-stitched mending can be a gateway to creative expression, as well as a way to care for our textiles, the people we love, and our planet. In this workshop we'll build skills for useful and beautiful stitching from simple to invisible to decorative. We'll try out hand-sewing techniques including darning,…

Have you ever wondered about the trees that grow in Minnesota? What makes them different across the state and special to our region of the country? Explore how to use your curiosity and five senses as tools to begin learning how to look and appreciate the wide world of trees!…