HEARTS AT WORK PROJECT

Hearts Abound at the Folk School

The Folk School community has always come together to support one another during challenging times. Inspired by the efforts of essential frontline workers, we have created Hearts at Work, a new Folk School project to acknowledge and show our gratitude for front line workers during the COVID-19 crisis.

VIRTUAL MORNINGSONG

Tune Into Virtual Morningsong Every Friday

Join us every Friday morning on Facebook Live for Virtual Morningsong. It's a great way to start the day! To watch live, all you have to do is visit our Facebook Page at 7:45–8:15 a.m. on Fridays. If you miss a Morningsong, or want to re-watch, you can view the recordings by following the links in the artists section below.

Appalachian Traditions

Embracing Appalachian Home Life with Jason Lonon, Blacksmith & Woodworker

Jason Lonon is a professional woodworker and blacksmith. Since 1997, he has studied, practiced, and taught traditional woodworking, carving, and blacksmithing and is a regular instructor at the Folk School. In his blacksmith shop, Jason specializes in making traditional woodworking tools, and for fun he carves wooden bowls and spoons. On August 17, 2020, Jason will be the panelist for our next Appalachian Traditions Discussion. Enjoy our interview!
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In the Garden

Sweet Corn Talk

It's time to harvest sweet corn in the Folk School garden. Come along with Farmer Teddy as he shows the best way to pull corn.

News and Updates

Schedule & FAQs: June 25 Update

After careful consideration, we have made the difficult decision to cancel all previously scheduled classes and events, including Fall Festival, concerts and dances through the rest of 2020. Read our complete June 25 update which includes our Cancellation Refund Policy and FAQs.

Artist Resources

Coming Together: COVID-19 Artist Resources

We are encouraged by the outpouring of support and concern for the craft community as we learn about resources for artists during these times. We have compiled a list of COVID-19 resources available for artists here. If you have additional information and would like to contribute to this list, please post a comment below.

Folklife Resources

Coming Together: COVID-19 Folklife Resources

While we continue to monitor COVID-19 updates, we have been overwhelmed by the resources we've found providing assistance to folklife organizations, artists, and storytellers. We have compiled this list of COVID-19 folklife resources so that others can continue to share their stories, crafts, and rich cultural heritage during this time.

Community Resources

Coming Together: COVID-19 Community Resources

As we enter a new normal, we are discovering ways to support our neighbors during these trying times. We feel it's essential to stay connected and to share information about ways our community can give and receive support. We have created this community resource list and will continue to update it as we learn new information.

Community Voices

Bread Baking Tutorial Series with Emily Buehler

This past April, when my biannual bread-making class at the Folk School was canceled, I decided to use the time to record some videos to share online. The videos cover some bread-making basics like information about ingredients, a little bit of biology and chemistry for the science folks, and tips to use throughout the process, from kneading to shaping to baking.

Fund-A-Need Program

View the John C. Campbell Folk School 2019 Annual Report

Our 2019 Annual Report is now available on our website. We publish it in grateful recognition of our generous supporters and to share our audited financial performance as a non-profit organization.

Featured Recipe

Spring Green Soup

In the springtime, the 300 acres that comprise John C. Campbell Folk School turn at least 300 colors and that’s just the greens. There is not enough paint to capture it although we try. The winter passed, the woods and garden erupt and we are reminded to eat greens. Spring gardens are filled with tender lettuces and early spring vegetables including broccoli, green onions and carrots.

Order The Folk School Cookbook

The Folk School Cookbook

Author Nanette Davidson meticulously collected, curated, and adapted over 200 delicious recipes for The Folk School Cookbook. These include some of the most memorable recipes served family-style in the school’s Dining Hall and at seasonal celebrations over the decades. Bring the Folk School's culinary traditions into your own kitchen and order your copy today!

RECENT STORIES

Goodbye to Bea Hogan, friend of the Folk School

Marion Beatrice “Bea” Robinson Hogan (1918–2020) completed her earthly journey Saturday, July 18, 2020. After graduating from Andrews High School, Bea attended John C. Campbell Folk School in Brasstown, where she learned weaving and woodcarving along with traditional Appalachian arts, music and dance. There Bea met her future husband, Frank Hogan, who reportedly declared, “That’s my wife, boys, if I ever get her!” upon first seeing Bea. The couple made a home in Brasstown and worked at the Folk School.

Traditional Appalachian Scholarships Available for 2021 Classes

The Folk School plays a vital role in developing and supporting the next generation of culture bearers and practitioners of traditional Appalachian craft. To help students understand, recognize, and more widely practice traditional Appalachian skills and techniques, we are offering a limited number of scholarships for designated traditional Appalachian classes.

Health and Safety Information

As we prepare for 2021 programs, the health and safety of our students, instructors, staff, and community is our top priority. We recognize COVID-19 will likely continue to be a public health concern in 2021, and there is much more to learn about it in the coming months. Our staff is continuing to monitor guidelines from the CDC and North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services and developing a plan for reopening, and will be sharing the details on our website.

A Look at Our Dye Garden

Welcome to the new Folk School Dye Garden. Natural dye comes from the leaves, flowers, or roots of plants. In this video, we will take a look at Nankeen cotton, indigo, coreopsis, yarrow, French marigolds, madder, chamomile, and purple gromwell.
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Dance Musicians’ Week Instructors Host Virtual Events

Dance Musicians’ Week is a weeklong summer class devoted to learning and improving techniques of playing and arranging music for traditional contra, square, and couple dancing. Our wonderful instructors have taken the initiative to keep the spirit alive virtually this year. Celebrate and reconnect all this week with online programming hosted by the instructors.

Rob Withrow Featured on “At Home with FLONC”

Check out this recent video of longtime Folk School instructor and Brasstown local Rob Withrow. The mini-feature was created by local photographer Nathan Baerreis for the “At Home With FLONC” series for First Lady Cooper.

Growing Tomatoes: Pruning & Trellising

Farmer Teddy discusses companion gardening in the June garden at John C. Campbell Folk School.
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Working for You: A Video from Our Staff

Enjoy our “Working for You” Video by the Folk School Staff.The Folk School staff brings originality, creativity, and passion to your Folk School experience. Even without classes, we are working harder than ever to guide the evolution of the Folk School. We hope you enjoy the following messages from staff about our current projects. …

Succession Planting: Squash & Zucchini

Join us for a video about succession planting in the Folk School Garden. Farmer Teddy takes a look at our squash and zucchini beds and identifies how our plants inevitably develop wear and tear. Learn how to keep your crop coming with succession planting.

Follow the Red-Railed Walkway by June Rollins

Watch a video slideshow to see how June Rollins created her beautiful watercolor of our iconic red-railed walkway. June also writes about this special place on campus. Whatever your path of creative discovery, the red-railed walkway is waiting.

Farmer Teddy Discusses Companion Planting

Curious about companion gardening? Can you guess what the main purpose of a cover crop is? Watch Farmer’s Teddy’s latest garden video to find out! Take a look at a section of the Folk School Garden and hear about the benefits of interplanting and companion planting.

Another Weave in the Basket that Connects Us All by David Baker

David Baker recently traveled to the South Carolina coast and had a joyous reunion with Sarah Edwards-Hammond, sweetgrass basket maker and Folk School instructor. We asked David about this magical afternoon. We love to see friendships and connections created on campus and in the studio. Folk School friends last a lifetime!

I Made a Classic Appalachian-style Ladderback Chair with Lyle Wheeler

Lyle Wheeler, a longtime Folk School instructor in both Woodworking and Blacksmithing, is a treasure of the Folk School. The week I spent years ago, building a ladderback chair with Lyle, changed the way I think about craft and my own capabilities as a maker. I am excited that later this month Lyle will be giving a Zoom presentation on June 15 as part of the Folk School’s Appalachian Traditions Discussion series. I encourage you to tune into his talk, and learn from this wonderful self-proclaimed “all-around “good ol’ boy” from Millers Creek, North Carolina.”
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Watch Leah Dolgoy Play Morningsong from Montreal

On Friday, May 29, the sweet-stringed sounds of Leah Dolgoy’s autoharp filled Folk School ears with joy and magic for our Facebook Live Morningsong. If you missed the live show, be sure to watch the recording via the link posted here in our blog post. Also, enjoy an interview with Leah, originally published in 2016.

If You Want to Sing Out, Sing Out with Aubrey Atwater

Using clogging, music, and storytelling to charm Folk School audiences since 1996, Aubrey Atwater exudes a talent, grace, and humor unique to the most talented of performers. She teaches traditional music and dance regularly at the Folk School and while classes are on hiatus, Aubrey joined us for a virtual discussion on Monday, May 18 as part of our Appalachian Traditions discussion series. View the recording of the talk and also enjoy an interview with Aubrey.

What’s An Artist to Do?

June Rollins shares a video she made for her watercolor class and gives us some tips for artists while staying at home.

“Like many of us, Rob, my husband, and I have been at home since Mid-March. The first couple of weeks it felt like I had taken early retirement. I was scheduled to teach my first, week-long watercolor class at the Folk School, March 29–April 4, 2020. It didn’t happen. My class was just one of many that had to be canceled. I had planned on sharing the painting steps of “Made For The Sun,” with my class. Instead, I’d like to share them with you in the video slideshow below.”

Tips for a Late Freeze in the Garden

A May Mother’s Day frost is late for our region. When temperatures get down to below freezing, learn what I do in the Folk School Garden to prevent damage and to protect the young plants. Also, stay tuned to the end of the video to see my tips for your home gardens.

Shearing Day at Martha’s Farm & A Prize for All

The days have pushed themselves along since the birth of our three brave lambs born to “Robin” on March 6th. When they arrived, I did not call them anything much. I just looked at them, noted their shape and health and desire to eat, and thought, Those three, they are the ones without names!
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A Look Back at Folk School May Day Celebrations

Wishing you a happy May Day! We’re looking forward to dancing around the May Pole together again, but until then, we put together this post filled with photos of years past, a video from 2011, and an excerpt by Nanette Davidson about May Day from The Folk School Cookbook. Enjoy!

#GivingTuesdayNow = Generosity Now

Jerry Jackson, Folk School Executive Director, talks about “Giving Tuesday Now” a global day of giving as an emergency response to the need caused by COVID-19.#GivingTuesdayNow is a day of giving and unity that will take place on May 5 as an emergency response to the unprecedented need caused by COVID-19.
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Late April Garden Tour

Enjoy a tour of the late April Folk School Garden. The tour includes a look at early cucumbers, melons, zuchinni, and summer squash. We are still harvesting salad greens and the beets are almost ready to pull up too. The tomatoes are planted and strawberries are just turning from pink to red. We are still using some hoops to cover some of the crops on chilly nights. The new cut flower section is looking good with early cosmos, zinnia, and snapdragon starts.

A Look at Southern Scrap Quilts with Pepper Cory

One of Pepper’s specialties is Southern scrap quilts, both making and collecting. Pepper explains that Southern scrap quilts, particularly from North Carolina, are a fascinating study in frugality, family life, and beauty.

Cannon County Basket Tradition with Sue Williams

Sue Williams is recognized for the preservation of the Cannon County white oak basket making tradition, one of the most renowned basket making traditions in the United States. Sue’s commitment to education, advocacy, and teaching the tradition has secured a future for the this style beyond the original basket making families of Cannon County, Tennessee. We are delighted to have Sue teach the Cannon County white oak basket style regularly at the Folk School.

The Joy of Cooking & Quilting: An Interview with Penny Prichard

A chef by trade, Penny has been teaching Cooking at the Folk School since 2000. In 2008, she also started teaching Quilting, Sewing, and Needlework. Let’s get to know Penny a little more. Enjoy our interview!