Courses

Traditional northern craft meets Don Draper? Fedoras are definitely back in fashion, DIY is all the rage, and in this fun course you can combine them both. Put a northern twist on a southern hat weaving tradition and make a woven cattail hat to protect yourself from the sun during…

Enjoy the contrast of light and dark wooden strips, the quiet lapping of water on wood, and the pride of craftsmanship that stems from building your own cedar-strip boat. You'll be involved in the process from start to finish—cutting thin cedar planks and assembling an appealing pattern for your canoe…

Join fiber artist and botanist Sarah Nassif to explore the magic of organic indigo to dye a variety of fibers shades of blue. Using water from Lake Superior in the process, we will learn how water plays a role in fabric production traditionally and nowadays, and how this affects the…

Celestial navigation is one of the oldest of all forms of navigation and for thousands of years has guided mariners safely across the trackless oceans of the world. It is a traditional craft that is rich in both history and romance. With the advent of modern electronics, one can now…

Once you've mastered the noon sight, it is time to spend a day with the sun, taking sextant sights throughout the day and advancing your position on the chart. This course will take students beyond the noon sight and teach them how to find a position by taking sextant sights…

Navigating by the stars is the oldest form of celestial navigation and has been used for millennia by seafarers to find their way on the seas. This is the third course in our celestial navigation series and will introduce you to taking and working out sights from the moon and…

A chainsaw is a powerful and efficient tool that requires a specific set of skills and experience to safely operate and maintain, even if those skills are used only on an occasional weekend at the cabin. This course will teach students to recognize and avoid the the hazards that surround…

Autumn brings a riot of color to the landscape of the North Shore. This workshop is your opportunity to capture a bit of the season with beads. Each participant will bring an autumn image to inspire their design. From your image you will create a unique “bead painting” embroidered on…

Spend a wonderful evening in the kitchen as you learn new cooking skills and share great culinary fun with other students who love to cook. In this hands-on cooking class, you’ll prepare and enjoy a delicious summer evening meal, including wine pairings and craft brews. Take home a recipe packet featuring…

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…

You can make a fine light sparkling hard cider as good as any in the world with a minimum of equipment, some apple juice, and time. Come join in the fun as we begin one batch by pitching the yeast and finish another batch by bottling. Participants will all take…

Popularized today by many historical reenactors of the fur trade era, the throwing axe is a weapon that is deeply embedded in North American history. Akin to the hatchet, it offers the ability to split and chop wood but is also designed to be used as a hand-to-hand or throwing…

When northern European emigrants came to North America they brought with them a host of crafts and skills necessary for survival in their new world. The basketry tradition known as ‘stake & strand’ was one such craft, as baskets were used to store nearly everything around the homestead. Learning to…

Combining blacksmithing and jewelry-making, this course offers an opportunity for beginning and advanced students to develop their skills as they forge and craft a Damascus ring with a silver liner. Students will begin by forging a piece of damascus steel, a particularly beautiful and ornamental steel filled with folds and…

Highly prized for centuries for its uncanny strength, ability to hold an edge, and distinctively beautiful swirling and flowing patterns, Damascus steel is art—forge welding at its finest—as you combine different types of steel, forge them through fire, and hammer into one solid billet. Like a baker uses kneading and…