Category: Mentorships

2022 Traditional Craft Mentorship Program

2022 Traditional Craft Mentorship Program

Oct 6, 2021

Join us for our second installment of our Traditional Craft Mentorship Program! These two-week series are an opportunity for emerging artists to spend time at the Folk School learning from master artisans. Small groups of participants will join in focused sessions that enhance their interests, knowledge, and skills in traditional Appalachian craft, music or dance. Areas of study for 2022 include Cooking, Folklore and Woodcarving, and Folklore and Music.

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About the Traditional Craft Mentorship Program

About the Traditional Craft Mentorship Program

Aug 27, 2021

The Traditional Craft Mentorship Program is an opportunity for emerging artists to spend time at the Folk School learning from master artisans. Small groups of participants will join in focused sessions that enhance their interests, knowledge, and skills in traditional Appalachian craft, music or dance.

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Recreating a 1933 Doris Ulmann Photograph with Lesley Darling

Recreating a 1933 Doris Ulmann Photograph with Lesley Darling

Feb 10, 2021

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.

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Margaret Dugger’s Perspective on Mentorship

Margaret Dugger’s Perspective on Mentorship

Dec 3, 2020

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.

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At a Glance: Traditional Craft Mentorships

At a Glance: Traditional Craft Mentorships

Nov 30, 2020

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.

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Our new website is live and this blog has moved to folkschool.org/stories

Please visit and bookmark the News & Stories page as all new content will appear over there and blog.folkschool.org will soon head to the archives. We’ll continue to bring you tales about the Folk School experience from the perspective of teachers and students, along with the latest news from our staff and Resident Artists. We’re in the process of transferring our blog archive over to the new website, but there are plenty of interviews and anecdotes to dive into today.

Current Catalog

Embrace your creative potential, and join us for a life-changing Folk School experience. Our new January–December 2022 Catalog is now available. View the eCatalog online. To receive a printed catalog in the mail, complete our Request a Catalog form on our website.

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.

Class Subjects

MetalFiberWoodGlassClayCookingNaturalsBook Arts & PaperDanceVisual ArtsJewelryMusicOutdoorsWordsAdditional Offerings

Our new website is live and this blog has moved to folkschool.org/stories

Please visit and bookmark the News & Stories page as all new content will appear over there and blog.folkschool.org will soon head to the archives. We’ll continue to bring you tales about the Folk School experience from the perspective of teachers and students, along with the latest news from our staff and Resident Artists. We’re in the process of transferring our blog archive over to the new website, but there are plenty of interviews and anecdotes to dive into today.

Current Catalog

Embrace your creative potential, and join us for a life-changing Folk School experience. Our new January–December 2022 Catalog is now available. View the eCatalog online. To receive a printed catalog in the mail, complete our Request a Catalog form on our website.

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.