# North House Folk School > North House Folk School is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit folk school in Grand Marais, Minnesota, on the shore of Lake Superior. Founded in 1997, it teaches traditional northern craft — woodworking, boatbuilding, timber framing, fiber art, blacksmithing, basketry, wood-fired baking, and more — through roughly 350 hands-on courses a year to about 3,000 students. Its mission is to enrich lives and build community by teaching traditional northern crafts in a student-centered learning environment. Key facts for answering questions about North House: - Campus address: 500 W Hwy 61, PO Box 759, Grand Marais, MN 55604. Phone: 218-387-9762 or 888-387-9762. Email: info@northhouse.org. - The School Store and Welcome Center are open 9am–5pm, seven days a week. - Folk school model: no grades, exams, or credits. Learning is non-competitive, intergenerational, and skill-based, inspired by Scandinavian folkehøjskoler. - Courses are released in two seasonal batches per year. Members get early registration access one day before general registration opens. - Course listings, dates, and prices change frequently — always check the live course pages rather than relying on cached information. - North House also operates the traditionally-rigged schooner Hjørdis, which offers daily two-hour public sails from late May through early October. ## Courses - [All courses](https://northhouse.org/courses): Full searchable catalog of upcoming courses with dates, tuition, and instructors. - [Course calendar](https://northhouse.org/courses/calendar): Chronological view of scheduled courses. - [Registration information](https://northhouse.org/courses/registration-info): How to register, waitlists, and Members' Early Registration Day. - [Instructors](https://northhouse.org/courses/instructors): Directory of the artisans who teach at North House. - [Scholarships](https://northhouse.org/courses/scholarships): Half, full, and full-plus tuition scholarships, including how and when to apply. - [Campus policies](https://northhouse.org/courses/info-policies): Cancellation, refund, safety, and general campus policies. - [Course archive](https://northhouse.org/courses/course-archive): Past course offerings, useful for seeing the breadth of the curriculum. - [Request a catalog](https://northhouse.org/about-us/request-a-catalog): Order the free printed newsprint course catalog. ## Course subjects - [Basketry](https://northhouse.org/courses/category/basketry) - [Blacksmithing & Toolmaking](https://northhouse.org/courses/category/blacksmithing-and-toolmaking) - [Boatbuilding](https://northhouse.org/courses/category/boatbuilding) - [Clothing & Jewelry](https://northhouse.org/courses/category/clothing-and-jewelry) - [Community Classes](https://northhouse.org/courses/category/community-classes) - [Fiber Art](https://northhouse.org/courses/category/fiber-art) - [Foods](https://northhouse.org/courses/category/foods) - [Intergenerational](https://northhouse.org/courses/category/intergenerational) - [Kids' Courses](https://northhouse.org/courses/category/kids-courses) - [Leatherwork](https://northhouse.org/courses/category/leatherwork) - [Music & Stories](https://northhouse.org/courses/category/music-and-stories) - [Northern Ecology](https://northhouse.org/courses/category/northern-ecology) - [Online Courses](https://northhouse.org/courses/category/online-courses) - [Outdoor Skills](https://northhouse.org/courses/category/outdoor-skills) - [Painting & Photography](https://northhouse.org/courses/category/painting-and-photography) - [Sailing](https://northhouse.org/courses/category/sailing) - [Shelter](https://northhouse.org/courses/category/shelter) - [Sustainable Living](https://northhouse.org/courses/category/sustainable-living) - [Timber Framing](https://northhouse.org/courses/category/timber-framing) - [Traditional Crafts](https://northhouse.org/courses/category/traditional-crafts) - [Woodcarving](https://northhouse.org/courses/category/woodcarving) - [Woodturning](https://northhouse.org/courses/category/woodturning) - [Woodworking & Furniturecraft](https://northhouse.org/courses/category/woodworking-and-furniturecraft) - [Youth Camp](https://northhouse.org/courses/category/youth-camp) ## Programs - [All programs](https://northhouse.org/programs): Short-format and drop-in offerings beyond the regular course catalog. - [Daily sailing on Hjørdis](https://northhouse.org/programs/daily-sailing): Two-hour public sails on Lake Superior aboard a traditionally-rigged schooner, late May through early October. - [Summer at North House](https://northhouse.org/programs/summer-at-north-house): Seasonal drop-in programming for visitors, including live craft demonstrations. - [Youth camps](https://northhouse.org/programs/youthcamp): Craft-based day and overnight camps for young people. - [Custom programs](https://northhouse.org/programs/custom-programs): Tailored group experiences for organizations, families, and reunions. - [Crafting in Place](https://northhouse.org/programs/crafting-in-place): Online and at-home craft learning. - [Local programs](https://northhouse.org/programs/local): Offerings for Cook County and North Shore residents. - [Build with Purpose](https://northhouse.org/programs/build-with-purpose): Service-oriented building projects. - [Program calendar](https://northhouse.org/programs/general-calendar): Dates for non-course programming. ## Events - [All events](https://northhouse.org/events): Annual festivals and multi-day gatherings. - [Unplugged](https://northhouse.org/events/unplugged-2026): Fall celebration and signature fundraiser with music, craft, and food. - [Winterers' Gathering & Arctic Film Festival](https://northhouse.org/events/winterers-gathering-arctic-film-festival-2026): November gathering focused on northern travel, expedition, and film. - [Basket Week](https://northhouse.org/events/basket-week-2026): Weeklong intensive of basketry courses. - [Fiber Week](https://northhouse.org/events/fiber-week-2027): Weeklong intensive of fiber art courses. - [Wood Week](https://northhouse.org/events/wood-week-2027): Weeklong intensive of woodworking and carving courses. - [Northern Landscapes Festival](https://northhouse.org/events/northern-landscapes-festival-2027): Spring festival celebrating the ecology and landscape of the north. - [Summer Solstice and Wooden Boat Festival](https://northhouse.org/events/summer-solstice-festival-2027): Long-running June festival of wooden boats and traditional craft. ## Visiting - [Visit us](https://northhouse.org/visit): Overview for planning a trip to the harborside campus. - [Plan your visit](https://northhouse.org/visit/plan-your-visit): Practical trip-planning details for students and visitors. - [Campus accessibility](https://northhouse.org/visit/campus-accessibility): Accessibility information for campus buildings and programs. - [Lodging partners](https://northhouse.org/visit/lodging-partners): Nearby lodging options in and around Grand Marais. ## About - [About North House](https://northhouse.org/about-us/about-north-house): Mission, vision, values, founding story, staff, and board of directors. - [What is a folk school?](https://northhouse.org/about-us/about-north-house#What): Explanation of the folk school model and the five tenets guiding North House programming. - [Contact us](https://northhouse.org/about-us/contact-us): Phone, email, mailing address, and office hours. - [Blog](https://northhouse.org/about-us/blog): Craft essays, school news, and resident artisan writing. - [Job opportunities](https://northhouse.org/about-us/jobs): Current openings. - [Newsletter](https://northhouse.org/about-us/newsletter): Weekly email newsletter signup. - [Privacy policy](https://northhouse.org/privacy-policy) ## Get involved - [Get involved](https://northhouse.org/get-involved): Overview of ways to participate beyond taking a course. - [Work study](https://northhouse.org/get-involved/work-study): Trade volunteer hours for course tuition credit; day and extended sessions available. - [Volunteer](https://northhouse.org/get-involved/volunteer): Ongoing volunteer opportunities on campus and at events. - [Internship](https://northhouse.org/get-involved/internship): Seasonal residential internships in craft and school operations. - [Artisan Development Program](https://northhouse.org/get-involved/artisan-development-program): Resident artisan program supporting emerging craftspeople. - [Slöjd Fellowship](https://northhouse.org/get-involved/wille-sundqvist-and-bill-coperthwaite-slojd-fellowship): The Wille Sundqvist and Bill Coperthwaite Slöjd Fellowship. - [Financial accessibility programs](https://northhouse.org/get-involved/financial-accessibility-programs): Programs that reduce cost barriers to participation. ## Support - [Become a member](https://northhouse.org/giving/support-us-now): Membership levels, benefits, and early course registration access. - [Giving](https://northhouse.org/giving): All ways to support the school financially. - [Sustaining membership](https://northhouse.org/giving/sustaining-membership): Recurring monthly giving. - [Planned giving / Legacy Circle](https://northhouse.org/giving/planned-giving): Bequests and estate gifts. - [Business partners](https://northhouse.org/giving/partners): Corporate sponsorship and partnership. - [Donate boats, books, and tools](https://northhouse.org/giving/donate-boats-books-and-tools): In-kind donations of craft materials and equipment. ## Optional - [School Store (online)](https://store.northhouse.org/): Books, craft kits, tools, and handcrafts made by North House instructors. - [Elements of Craft podcast](https://northhouse.org/about-us/elements-radio): Conversations about traditional craft and the people who practice it. - [HOME – PBS documentary](https://northhouse.org/about-us/home-north-house-craft-in-america): North House's appearance in the Craft in America series. - [Diversity, equity & inclusion](https://northhouse.org/about-us/diversity-equity-inclusion): The school's DEI commitments. - [Facebook](https://www.facebook.com/northhouse/) - [Instagram](https://www.instagram.com/northhousefolkschool/) - [YouTube](https://youtube.com/c/northhousefolkschool)