News and Updates

An Important Announcement About Our 2021 Schedule

After careful consideration and with the utmost concern for the safety of staff, students, instructors, and community, we are revising our 2021 program schedule. Instead of resuming our regularly scheduled classes on January 3, we have decided to begin on May 2. With the current and expected continuation of the national surge of COVID-19 cases and oncoming cooler weather, we believe this is the best decision for everyone's health and safety.

Online Learning

Thank You for the Wonderful Lessonface Experience

We send a big “thank you” to the students, instructors, and staff who helped to make our Lessonface classes a big success. So far, over 300 students enjoyed our online course offerings in 10 different media including cooking, fiber arts, glass beadmaking, music and dance, nature studies, painting, paper arts, photography, storytelling, woodturning and writing.

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.

Appalachian Traditions

Appalachian Traditions Discussion Series

Appalachian Traditions is our free webinar discussion series with instructors from our master-artist-led series on traditional Appalachian craft. These hour-long conversations provide a space for instructors in traditional craft to share their personal stories and discuss their creative process.

Support the Folk School

Keep the Folk School Healthy

“He told me the Folk School was the ‘Real Deal’.” Sally Payne has been coming to the Folk School since 2011, just after the grandson of Fred O. Scroggs—a Brasstown merchant who rallied residents and lobbied Olive and Marguerite to choose our hamlet as the school site in 1925—said these words to her. Justin Scroggs is a long-time colleague and friend of Sally...

CRAFT SHOP FEATURE

The Importance of Carrying on Tradition: Interview with Gina Myers, 3rd Generation Cherokee Potter

Gina “Swimmer” Myers sat down with Tammy Elwell recently for a conversation about her craft. Gina comes from a long line of established Cherokee potters, the granddaughter of renowned Cherokee potter Amanda “Sequoyah” Swimmer. Her craft has been inspired by the strong women in her life and her commitment to the stewardship of traditional Cherokee crafts.

RECENT STORIES

Radical, Righteous, Women at the Folk School

In honor of Women’s History Month, I had short chat with Mary Doornbos, former Craft Shop Manager at the Folk School. The month of March was declared Women’s History Month in an effort to commemorate and encourage the study, observance, and celebration of women in America.

Little/Middle Folk School: June 20-26

Every summer the Folk School opens its doors to young folks ages 7-17 for Little/Middle Folk...

The Importance of Being a Student: An Interview with Jeff Hornung

Jumpstarted by a Folk School woodturning class nine years ago, Jeff Hornung began his own woodturning business after recovering from post-concussion syndrome. Now, he is a Folk School instructor, juried artist, national and international demonstrator, author, and Artist-in-Residence at the Craft Alliance School of Art + Design in St. Louis, Missouri.

Elizabeth Belz Reflects on Creative Catalyst Fellowship

Blacksmith and Metalworker Elizabeth Belz recently finished her Creative Catalyst Fellowship at...

Appalachian Traditions Discussion with Ann Miller Woodford

We are excited to present artist, author, and speaker Ann Miller Woodford on March 19 from 4–5 p.m. for our Appalachian Traditions Discussion on Zoom. Learn more!

Meet Hoyt Brown, Second Generation Brasstown Carver & Woodturner

A variety of woodcarved animals by Hoyt Brown. Many of these carved figures are available in the...

Remembering David Brose

David A. Brose passed away peacefully at home in Geisky Creek, N.C., on Friday, January 22, 2021, at age 69. He served as folklorist at John C. Campbell Folk School in 1991-2019 and was a special part of our community. Read more…

Interview with Barbara Joiner, Resident Artist in Jewelry & Metals

Barbara joined Tammy Elwell in the Craft Shop for an afternoon of questions where she shared some wonderful insights into her journey as a maker, artist, and teacher. Barbara is a renowned jewelry artist and our Resident Artist in theJewelry and Metal Studio. Enjoy the interview!

Recreating a 1933 Doris Ulmann Photograph with Lesley Darling

Last fall, I and eight other craftspeople joined John C Campbell for the second session of the Traditional Craft Mentorship program. During this four-week program, we lived, ate, and crafted on campus (socially distanced of course). While we wait patiently for the Folk School to open in person later this year, I thought I’d share a story about just one adventure that befell us in October.

New Multi-Studio Classes

Our new Multi-Studio classes invite students to explore two or more subjects during a weeklong Folk School class. In 2021, we’re offering four new Multi-Studio classes, each featuring two different studio experiences in one week! Learn more.

REACH at the Forge: Piloting Blacksmithing Classes for the Future

In December of 2020, Lynda Metcalfe and Elizabeth Belz came together to teach two 2-hour long blacksmithing classes in the Clay Spencer shop to 7 staff and residents from the Cherokee and Clay County Women’s shelter, REACH.
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A Celebration of New Year’s Eve Traditions at the Folk School

The New Year’s Eve Community Room Dance Floor in 2017
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May–December 2021 Catalog is Now Available

We are overjoyed to announce the Folk School’s reopening on May 2. We invite you to recharge your creativity and broaden your horizons this year. Our new May–December 2021 Folk School Catalog is now mailing all classes are now open for enrollment.

Scholarship Applications for 2021 Classes Are Now Available

Each year, the Folk School awards a limited number of scholarships to those who would otherwise be unable to attend due to financial limitations. Scholarships provide partial or full financial support for tuition, housing and meals. We accept applications throughout the year on our SlideRoom application site. Learn More…

Winter/Spring 2021 Online Classes

Learn with us online! The Folk School is excited to partner with Lessonface, an online learning organization founded by previous Folk School Work/Study student Claire Cunningham. We’re offering 30 classes between February and April 2021 in music, cooking, painting, nature studies, writing, paper arts, knitting, spinning, quilting, and more.

Singing Behind the Keyboard

At Lessonface, we are thrilled that the John C. Campbell Folk School will be offering its magical and life-changing classes to remote students via our online platform beginning in February. It is our sincere hope that through this programming we can deliver a true Folk School experience, an experience which is very near and dear to me personally.
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New Year, New Hope: A Letter by Folk School Director Jerry Jackson

2021 brings renewed hope for getting people back together again. Considering these past months of uncertainty and isolation, we need each other now more than ever—working, learning, and creating together in the vital place that is John C. Campbell Folk School.

Thanks for the Dance, Bob Dalsemer

After almost thirty years in Brasstown, Bob Dalsemer has moved to a lovely new home in a residential community in Black Mountain, North Carolina where he joins a number of musical friends. But rest assured, he took a piece of Brasstown with him: a wonderfully whimsical quilt. This quilt was created and blessed by lots of his friends who pieced and sewed a little bit of their hearts and memories into a beautiful expression of thanks for helping us understand that music and dance are a natural part of a full life.

Margaret Dugger’s Perspective on Mentorship

My experience at the Folk School left my heart renewed. The mentorship program was a unique opportunity, and in a year of cancellations, it was a breath of fresh air. I applied to it because I wanted the luxury of being a student: studying history, taking an in-depth look at a few topics, and being able to weave for a month with other weavers. I am at a stage in my career where it feels best to apply to everything I am qualified for and to run with any opportunities given. I ended up falling in love with the Appalachian mountains again and learning so much about what I thought I already knew.

Holiday in the Mountains Week: 2020 Virtual Events

We invite you to celebrate this magical time of year with us virtually! Join Bob Grove for a virtual reading of A Christmas Carol. We also have a wreath making workshop led by Nanette Davidson and a holiday baking workshop with Nanette Davidson & Barbara Swell. All events are free and virtual.

Pumpkin Cake with Chocolate Chips

Pumpkin season means farmers’ markets and local growers have pumpkins galore in the mountains. They’re technically a squash and extremely healthful. But combine pumpkin with chocolate chips in this delicious cake and you’ve got a match made in heaven.

At a Glance: Traditional Craft Mentorships

As our Traditional Craft Mentorships come to a close, we want to express how grateful we are to the instructors, mentees, and staff that made this new programming possible. These mentorships were created as an opportunity for early-to-mid-career artists to spend a month this fall learning from master artisans. Through this, we hoped to inspire the next generation of traditional craft artisans, keeping the practices of basketry, music and dance, weaving, blacksmithing, chairmaking, and fiber arts alive.

Making Colorful Corn Shuck Dolls with Anne Freels

With Your Help, the Folk School Will Persevere!

Ann Crenshaw has been coming to the Folk School since 2004. “I miss it. The first thing I do when I get to the Folk School is go into the Community Room in Keith House and take a deep breath. It smells like excitement and home and memories.”
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Current Catalog

Embrace your creative potential, and join us for a life-changing Folk School experience. Our new May–December 2021 eCatalog is now available.

Online Craft Shop

Our online Craft Shop is now live! Support our vision, mission, and values by purchasing handcrafted items. Our online selection of items will continue to grow, so check back regularly for new items, interviews and more.

What Folks Are Saying

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