Fred made his first spoon at age seven and since then has focused his life and career on traditional handwork. He trained as a wheelwright and carriage-builder for seven summers and went on to study Scandinavian folk art, decorative arts, art history, and museum studies. Thirty-five years of teaching and study in the US and in Sweden gives him a clear understanding of the joy that handmade objects bring to everyday living, the healing art of craft, and the meditative connection between hand and heart. Fred is a founding instructor of North House Folk School, as well as a founder of the Spoon Gathering in Milan, MN. He teaches internationally and locally.