North House Folk School

Liesl is a spoon carver, kolroser, and teacher and is fast becoming known as one of the top kolrosers in the US.  Her backgrounds as a handlettering artist and graphic journaler influence her spoon forms and kolrosing images.  In her teaching, Liesl works with students to carve spoons and kolrose (think of kolrosing as tattooing wood) with confidence and joy through mindfulness, technique, and practice. The American Swedish Institute invited Liesl to do an exhibit of thirty-five of her kolrosed spoons made from 2020 to spring of 2023 that chronicle COVID and historical times.  She teaches at the American Swedish Institute, Fireweed Community Woodshop, John C. Campbell Folk School, North House Folk School, and Vesterheim. She was the 2023 Folk-Artist-in-Residence at the University of Wisconsin–Madison and received a 2024 Artist Fellowship from the American Scandinavian Foundation. Liesl has received national recognition for her work in education, equity, and organizational change and was given the Ethical Leadership Award for her work at the IDEAL Center, Science Museum of Minnesota. She loves that spoon carving and kolrosing are crafts that are accessible, affordable, enjoyable, and healing.