Classes

Category Filter Show All Arts and CraftsCampsDemoKitchenMusic & EventsPrivateThe Great OutdoorsWorkshop & GarageYard, Garden, & Urban Farming

Date	Event
October 19, 2019 9:00 am	Intro to Colored Pencil Draw a Rose with only 3 pencils Draw a beautiful yellow rose using only three pencils. This class is an introduction to colored pencil but all skill levels are welcome. Through a series of demonstrations and step-by-step instructions you’ll learn to “paint” in this medium – layering and blending colors to create depth and volumeContinue Reading	Sold Out
October 19, 2019 11:00 am	Demo: Silverware Jewelry Come down to the folk school for a free demo! Swing by to see how local jeweler, Miles Schoen, creates spoon jewelry. Visitors will have the opportunity to try their hand at making jewelry!	Register
October 19, 2019 1:00 pm	Hidden in Plain Sight Fall is a magical time in northern forests. The understory plants and trees are working hard to store the summer’s bounty below ground in preparation for the long winter sleep and in anticipation of the spring to come! Join Forest Ecologist, Cindy Hale, to take a walk in the woods and see for yourself someContinue Reading	Register
October 19, 2019 7:00 pm	Music: Sophie Turk & Charlotte Montgomery Come on down to the Dovetail Cafe for a free show with two great musicians: Sophie Turk and Charlotte Montgomery! Sophie Turk is a singer and songwriter who plays unembellished country-folk style lap steel guitar. She is originally from Duluth, and grew up on the North Shore. Sophie has worked with producer Brian Ring andContinue Reading	More Information
October 22, 2019 6:00 pm	Irish Jam Sessions Come on down to join in the fun! We’ll be playing Irish reels, jigs, hornpipes, strathspeys and more! This is a welcoming jam session: there will be experienced musicians, as well as room for learning musicians to be part of the circle.	More Information
October 22, 2019 6:00 pm	Basics of Digital Photography Are you excited about using your digital camera, but intimidated by the 400 page manual that came with it? This class will teach you the basics of digital photography, the camera settings that matter most, and tips on composition that improve the pictures that you take. This class will help you unlock the secrets ofContinue Reading	Sold Out
October 23, 2019 5:30 pm	Make Your Own Kefir If you think kombucha is tasty, and you enjoy the health benefits it brings, then you may want to try kefir soda! In this class, you will learn everything you need to know about brewing water kefir. We’ll cover ingredient selection, brewing, second fermentation, bottling, flavoring, and we’ll answer questions about all of the unknownsContinue Reading	Register
October 24, 2019 6:10 am	Yara Yoga at the Duluth Folk School Join us for yoga, and linger for a lovely breakfast at the Dovetail Cafe, which opens at 7am! This gentle and slower paced class is designed to reduce stress and tension held in the body. Each practice typically includes a somatic body scan, gentle breathing techniques, somatic exercises, a few mindful sun salutations, Hatha yogaContinue Reading
October 24, 2019 6:00 pm	Penny Rug Table Runner Cut circles from scraps of wool, use decorative stitches to layer them onto a background fabric, and you have a penny rug. The story holds the name comes from the coins that were used as the original templates for the circles. In this class, you will learn the types of fabrics that work best, learnContinue Reading	Register
October 25, 2019 5:30 pm	Chaga Mushroom: Minnesota's Medicinal Treasure Join herbalist Allie Austin for this in-depth class about all things Chaga! Did you know, growing on our birch trees is one of the most powerfully medicinal mushrooms in the world? Chaga has been highly studied and is proven to kill cancer cells, shrink tumors, increase the body’s ability to respond and adapt to stress,Continue Reading	Register
October 26, 2019 9:00 am	Quiltmaking for Beginners Do you want to learn how to properly make a quilt – from start to finish? In this series, Helen will teach you the basics of quiltmaking…from choosing fabrics, to using the proper tools, to precision piecing and pressing, to stitch-in-the-ditch machine quilting, and more. Lots of tips and tricks will be shared. By theContinue Reading	Sold Out
October 26, 2019 9:00 am	Make a Felted Scarf Just in time for the holidays, treat yourself and create a colorful felted scarf that will keep you warm, and lift up your spirits for the coming winter! The magical felting process of marrying wool fibers and silk fabric together happens  with soap and water and a rubberized drawer liner! Registration Includes Instruction and allContinue Reading	Register
October 26, 2019 7:00 pm	Music: Ross Thorn Come on down to the Dovetail Cafe for a free show! Ross Thorn is a folk musician making strides in the Twin Ports area. Before moving to Duluth in the early summer of 2018, he grew up singing karaoke in his grandma’s bar in northern Wisconsin and has been performing in public ever since. WithContinue Reading	More Information
October 29, 2019 6:00 pm	You Nailed It! Give your decor a one-of-a-kind upgrade, with a piece of dimensional string art that you create! Design and create your own wall decor using a yarn and nails! Pick a template or start from scratch. We will provide all of the materials and tools you will need. If you have a specific wooden backing orContinue Reading	Register
November 1, 2019 4:00 pm	Needle Felt a Set of Pumpkins Learn to use hand-dyed wool roving from the instructor’s farm’s sheep to make your own beautifully felted pumpkins! Needle felting is a fun and easy dry felting method that seems to work like magic. The instructor will unravel the magic and take you step-by-step through the process of safely using your tool to first createContinue Reading	Sold Out
November 1, 2019 7:00 pm	Music: Sugar on the Roof Come on down to the Dovetail Cafe for a free show! Sugar on the Roof plays rollicking old-time tunes for dancers all over Northern Minnesota, with an ample portion of two-steps, early bluegrass, and waltzes, and the occasional dash of trombone. We’ll keep you guessing, and dancing!	More Information
November 2, 2019 12:00 pm	Make Your Own Foraged Tea! Learn how to make tea from ingredients you can collect from foraging in nature, and from your garden. Raspberry leaf tea, mint, and lemon balm, marigold flowers, sumac, coneflower/echinacea, rose hips and more! Registration Includes You will go home with the knowledge of how to collect, dry and make individual tea bags. You’ll go homeContinue Reading	Register
November 2, 2019 7:00 pm	Music: Group Too Come on down to the Dovetail Cafe for a free show! It all started 55 years ago, when Bob Flatt started playing guitar. 19 years ago, he taught his wife to play bass guitar. The rest is history.	More Information
November 4, 2019 6:00 pm	Darn It! Learn to repair your favorite garments! Socks, sweaters, mittens – almost anything that is knitted, woven, or even crocheted can be darned back into usable condition. In this class, you will learn to darn, and then will have ample time to work on your piece of clothing with help from the instructor. The instructor willContinue Reading	Register
November 5, 2019 7:00 pm	Private Event
November 6, 2019 6:00 pm	Colorful Felt Bead Necklaces In the course of an hour and a half, we will learn the basics of wet feltmaking as well as a little history of felt. We’ll be working with colorful, dyed wool and getting our hands wet and soapy to create individual works of felt that we’ll shape into felted beads. Once the beads areContinue Reading	Register
November 7, 2019 11:00 am	Coffee Cupping Stop by for a free coffee cupping with Almanac Coffee! Swing down to the Duluth Folk School and Dovetail Cafe & Marketplace to sample and explore Almanac Coffee’s current line up of single origin coffees. Almanac’s owner, Russell Crawford, will demonstrate a structured cupping of several coffees, with the goal of helping visitors gain aContinue Reading	Register
November 7, 2019 4:00 pm	Winter Farmer's Market   Community Action Duluth’s Seeds of Success program is partnering with the Duluth Folk School to host the Lincoln Park Winter Farmer’s Market. Come down on the first and third Thursday of the month, from November through March!
November 8, 2019 6:00 pm	Birch Bark Stars During this class, you will learn how to weave a star ornament from strips of birch bark! You’ll learn about sustainable birch bark harvest, and gain a new appreciation for this local resource. Materials will be prepped for you, and you will also learn how to prep materials for yourself. You will learn several examplesContinue Reading	Sold Out
November 8, 2019 7:00 pm	Music: Adam Kiesling and Renee Vaughan Come on down to the folk school for a free show! New and Traditional Nordic Folk Music Adam and Renee play new and traditional Nordic folk music on nyckelharpa and guitar – high energy slängpolskas, danceable schottises and rheinlenders, and happy waltzes are favorites! Adam loves a wide variety of music, especially deep-rooted American old-timeContinue Reading	More Information
November 9, 2019 9:00 am	Timber Framed Sawhorse In this class, you will be introduced to timber framing techniques while you build a sturdy white pine sawhorse. This type of timber framing comes from the German tradition, where a full scale layout is drawn up, which serves to mark timbers for compound angles. The beauty is that all the measurements are very simpleContinue Reading	Register
November 9, 2019 7:00 pm	Music: Dance Attic Come on down to the Dovetail Cafe for a free show! Dance Attic was formed in late 2014 by Suzi Ludwig (accordion, vocals) and Jimi Cooper (guitar, ukulele, vocals). Their quirky and unique musical tastes eventually evolved past jamming on old favorites and they soon began writing songs of their own. After working up aContinue Reading	More Information
November 10, 2019 11:00 am	Demo - Pysanky Duluth Folk School instructor Theresa Hornstein will be demonstrating Ukrainian egg decorating (pysanky)! Swing by to watch this ancient craft being done right before your eyes! She’ll be teaching a class a couple weeks after her demo – follow this link to register! Ukrainian-Style Egg Decorating for Christmas	More Information
November 11, 2019 6:00 pm	Make Your Own Bitters Got the itch to become a true cocktail-ian? Then you’ve no doubt wondered how to make your own bitters! Those little dropper bottles filled with the essence of various uncommon roots, barks, and spices are like a time warp back to the good old days of drinking, and we’ve long been aware of the healingContinue Reading	Register
November 12, 2019 6:00 pm	Newspaper Weaving In this class, you will start with a stack of newspaper and a bamboo skewer, and end up with a beautiful newspaper bowl or basket! We’ll be folding, tearing, rolling, and weaving with newspaper. The fun thing about learning this skill is that the materials are very affordable, so even if you make a mistake,Continue Reading	Register
November 12, 2019 6:00 pm	Spoken Word Open Mic hosted by Sonofmel Come on down for our free monthly Spoken Word Open Mic! The spoken word, ever-meant to be heard, reminds us we’re largely made up of stories and poems, to hear and be heard. Join us each month for a special theme and take part in poetry and build-a-story games, while we gather to hear whatContinue Reading	More Information
November 13, 2019 5:30 pm	Make Your Own Body Scrub Have you ever tried making a body scrub from a recipe you found on Pinterest only to have your bathtub turn into a dangerous oil slick? Why does it do that? How can you stop that from happening? It’s all about the magic of emulsification!Join us to make a pampering sugar and salt scrub, whileContinue Reading	Register
November 14, 2019 6:00 pm	Chainsaw Sharpening Is a dull chain saw blade causing smoking and burning, and making it difficult for you to cut your way through logs? In this class, you’ll learn how to sharpen your chain saw blade, which will help you to cut more faster and efficiently, and that can help avoid messy chain saw accidents. In thisContinue Reading	Register
November 15, 2019 10:00 am	Community Felt Rug Making: Design Class Community Felt Rug Making: Design Class $25 – Register on the Duluth Art Institute Website: LINK This class is a continuation of 3 earlier days in October, and is when the design and hard work really begins to come together! We will be laying out the base layers, lightly felting them, and then adding ourContinue Reading	Register
November 15, 2019 7:00 pm	Music: Pushing Chain Pushing Chain is Boyd Blomberg on guitar and vocals and Adam Moe on fiddle and vocals. The duo recently celebrated 21 years of making music together, as well as the release of their newest album, Sorrows Always Swim. Playing approximately 200 shows every year, Boyd and Adam have been doing what they can to spreadContinue Reading	More Information
November 16, 2019 9:00 am	Punch Needle Rug Hooking Punch Needle Rug Hooking:  Birds of the Northwoods Do you love natural fibers and wild birds?  If so, this class might be a perfect combination for you!  Jump into the world of punch needle rug hooking with a selection of designs from the instructor (cardinal, chickadee, loon, owl, or hummingbird) to create a colorful andContinue Reading	Register
November 16, 2019 10:00 am	Community Felted Rug Making Come join master feltmaker Mary Reichert, as she leads the community on a large-scale project, creating a felted rug! The art of felt rug making has a long history of bringing people together and this event is inspired from the felt rug making traditions of Kyrgyzstan.  The rug will begin about 8′ by 10′ withContinue Reading	Register
November 19, 2019 6:00 pm	Folksing! Would you like to sing secular folk music in a group setting? Join us for Folksing at the Folk School! Folksing is a monthly, open-to-all, community group singing event with a leader and songbooks. You don’t have to read music – you just have to want to sing! The spirit of Folksing is “we” notContinue Reading	More Information
November 19, 2019 6:00 pm	Build Your Own Cornhole Game Have you ever wanted to make your own cornhole game to play with family and friends? In this two session class, you will build a cornhole game board and beanbags. Along the way, you’ll learn how to use basic functions of a circular saw, saber saw, drill, and sewing machine! On the first night, we’llContinue Reading	Register
November 22, 2019 7:00 pm	Watercolor & Wine Learn basic watercolor techniques over a glass of wine! First, you’ll get hands-on practice with watercolor fundamentals and brush technique, including some neat tricks. Second, you’ll get a fresh start to practice your new skills on watercolor postcards—a gift to take home. Materials included. No previous knowledge (or artistic skills!) required! Registration Includes Instruction, aContinue Reading	Sold Out
November 23, 2019 11:00 am	Demo: Pottery with Sarah Johnson Sarah Johnson, one of the Dovetail Cafe’s wonderful employees,  will be demonstrating the basics of throwing on the wheel and different advanced techniques to alter and shape pots. Sarah will also be displaying the stages a pot goes through, from clay to final product. Stop in to get your hands dirty!	Register
November 25, 2019 6:00 pm	Ukrainian-Style Egg Decorating for Christmas While Ukrainian eggs (pysanky) are traditionally associated with Easter, the art form lends itself well to Christmas as well. During this class, you will learn to use a kistka (tiny funnel on a stick) to draw with melted wax on egg shells then dye the eggs to create unique Christmas ornaments. Registration Includes We willContinue Reading	Register
November 29, 2019 5:30 pm	Canoe Paddle Making Black Friday is typically a day for people to go shopping. Here are the folk school, we’re putting our paddle in the sand, and saying NO to a day of shopping! Instead, we’re giving people an opportunity to create something beautiful! The warmth and beauty of a hand-made canoe paddle is hard to beat, andContinue Reading	Register
December 1, 2019 1:00 pm	Handcrafted Ornaments & Holiday Stockings Using fabric paint on cloth we will cut stencils and design unique stockings and/or ornaments for the holiday season! Registration Includes Instruction and all materials. You will go home with a holiday stocking and/or ornaments. You should bring… To protect your clothes, you may want to bring an apron or paint clothes. Skill Level NoContinue Reading	Register
December 3, 2019 6:00 pm	Best Slippers Ever! You will learn to trace and measure your own feet to sew the best fitting slippers you have ever worn! During class, you’ll learn to hand-sew a pair of custom-fit slippers. We will provide wool felt for the soles, but the uppers can be anything you like, or you can choose from the selection we’llContinue Reading	Sold Out
December 3, 2019 6:00 pm	Music: Slow Jam Bring your guitar, your ukulele, your fiddle, or your didgeridoo, and join us for a free Slow Jam, led by local musician, Kyle Ollah! Q. What’s a slow jam? A. At a slow jam, all acoustic instruments (e.g., banjo, mandolin, bass, etc.) are welcome. The typical format is that we sit in a circle andContinue Reading	More Information
December 3, 2019 7:00 pm	Music: Old Time Music Jam Session Come on down for a free jam session at the folk school! Play along, or just sit back and listen to old chestnuts and local favorites, played by the usual suspects in a warm and friendly atmosphere. Everyone is welcome to play along, listen, and on occasion, dance! Sponsored by “A Time to Dance”	More Information
December 4, 2019 6:00 pm	Birch Bark Stars During this class, you will learn how to weave a star ornament from strips of birch bark! You’ll learn about sustainable birch bark harvest, and gain a new appreciation for this local resource. Materials will be prepped for you, and you will also learn how to prep materials for yourself. You will learn several examplesContinue Reading	Sold Out
December 5, 2019 11:00 am	Coffee Cupping Stop by for a free coffee cupping with Almanac Coffee! Swing down to the Duluth Folk School and Dovetail Cafe & Marketplace to sample and explore Almanac Coffee’s current line up of single origin coffees. Almanac’s owner, Russell Crawford, will demonstrate a structured cupping of several coffees, with the goal of helping visitors gain aContinue Reading	Register
December 6, 2019 6:00 pm	Art Opening Details pending – stay tuned!	More Information
December 7, 2019 9:00 am	The Maasepän Puukko In this class you will make your own puukko, the traditional Finnish general purpose belt knife. Beginning with putting the handle on the blade, you’ll learn about several common handle designs, and take creative license to shape yours as you desire. After the knife is complete, you will learn how to make the traditional “scandi”Continue Reading	Register
December 7, 2019 11:00 am	Demo: Wreath Making with Fairhaven Farms John and Emily Beaton, from Fairhaven Farms, will be here to demonstrate how they create holiday wreaths. Stop by to see how these beautiful symbols of the holiday are made! Wreaths will be available for sale at the Dovetail Cafe & Marketplace.	Register
December 7, 2019 7:00 pm	Music: Matt Ray Come on down to the Dovetail Cafe for a free show! Called “The Poet of the Northland” by KAXE 91.7FM, Matt Ray’s music is a pleasant blend of original songs as well as a unique selection of traditional music, where each performance is filled with rich and vivid storytelling, humor, and foot stompin’ roots music.Continue Reading	More Information
December 10, 2019 6:00 pm	Spoken Word Open Mic hosted by Sonofmel Come on down for our free monthly Spoken Word Open Mic! The spoken word, ever-meant to be heard, reminds us we’re largely made up of stories and poems, to hear and be heard. Join us each month for a special theme and take part in poetry and build-a-story games, while we gather to hear whatContinue Reading	More Information
December 10, 2019 6:00 pm	Birch Bark Stars During this class, you will learn how to weave a star ornament from strips of birch bark! You’ll learn about sustainable birch bark harvest, and gain a new appreciation for this local resource. Materials will be prepped for you, and you will also learn how to prep materials for yourself. You will learn several examplesContinue Reading	Sold Out
December 12, 2019 6:00 pm	Sharpen Up! In this class, we’ll be learning the basics of getting a good edge on a tool. Whether it be a knife, a chisel, or a pair of scissors, this is your chance to no longer feel embarrassed about all those dull knives in your kitchen! Stones and some sample blades will be provided, but youContinue Reading	Register
December 13, 2019 4:00 pm	Needle Felt Santa! Learn to use hand-dyed wool roving from the instructor’s farm’s sheep to make your own adorable Santa ornament! Needle felting is a fun and easy dry felting method that seems to work like magic. The instructor will unravel the magic and take you step-by-step through the process of safely using your tool to first createContinue Reading	Register
December 15, 2019 1:00 pm	Handcrafted Ornaments & Holiday Stockings Using fabric paint on cloth we will cut stencils and design unique stockings and/or ornaments for the holiday season! Registration Includes Instruction and all materials. You will go home with a holiday stocking and/or ornaments. You should bring… To protect your clothes, you may want to bring an apron or paint clothes. Skill Level NoContinue Reading	Register
December 17, 2019 6:00 pm	Folksing! Would you like to sing secular folk music in a group setting? Join us for Folksing at the Folk School! Folksing is a monthly, open-to-all, community group singing event with a leader and songbooks. You don’t have to read music – you just have to want to sing! The spirit of Folksing is “we” notContinue Reading	More Information
January 4, 2020 9:00 am	Make a Felted Scarf Now that the holidays are over, treat yourself and create a colorful felted scarf that will keep you warm, and lift up your spirits for the winter! The magical felting process of marrying wool fibers and silk fabric together happens  with soap and water and a rubberized drawer liner! Registration Includes Instruction and all materials.Continue Reading	Register
January 11, 2020 9:30 am	Felted Slippers There is nothing warmer, or more fun to wear in the winter, than a pair of felted slippers that were made just for your feet! We’ll start with Norwegian wool for the base material, and then we’ll add interesting and fun designs by adding wool shapes, yarn and other materials. By the end, we’ll shapeContinue Reading	Register
January 13, 2020 6:00 pm	Building an Appalachian Egg Basket In this class, you will spend almost two months building an Appalachian Egg Basket! Together we will make hoops, weave rosettes to anchor the frame, and then add ribs to build out the frame. We need to spend so much time incrementally weaving the baskets closed to allow sufficient time for the willow weavers toContinue Reading	Register
January 25, 2020 10:00 am	Swedish Folk Painting: Fantastical Kurbits Join art professor Alison Aune in a Swedish folk art workshop. Alison will lead participants in creating Dalecarlia Kurbit Dalmålning, also known as kurbits painting or Dala painting, which flourished in Sweden in the 18th and 19th centuries. The kurbit was a fantastical gourd plant commonly used in folk paintings in Dalarna Sweden, as aContinue Reading	Register
January 28, 2020 6:00 pm	Seat Caning In this class, you will learn to weave cane onto a footstool using the seven step hand caning method. All materials are included in the price of registration, including stool, cane, and other materials required to complete your stool. At each class, you will receive instruction to build on the previous class, and materials forContinue Reading	Register
January 31, 2020 4:00 pm	Needle Felt a Cheery Chickadee Learn to use hand-dyed wool roving from the instructor’s farm’s sheep to make your own adorable chickadee ornament! Needle felting is a fun and easy dry felting method that seems to work like magic. The instructor will unravel the magic and take you step-by-step through the process of safely using your tool to first createContinue Reading	Sold Out
February 1, 2020 9:00 am	Make a Felted Scarf Treat yourself, and create a colorful felted scarf that will keep you warm, and lift up your spirits throughout the winter! The magical felting process of marrying wool fibers and silk fabric together happens  with soap and water and a rubberized drawer liner! Registration Includes Instruction and all materials.  You will be provided with a silkContinue Reading	Register
February 2, 2020 1:00 pm	Sweaters to Mittens! Do you have old woolen sweaters or coats taking up space in your drawers and closets? Maybe you just can’t part with them, or they have accidentally been shrunken? This class is your solution to giving that clothing new life in the form of attractive, functional, warm mittens! During this class, our goal is toContinue Reading	Register
March 6, 2020 4:00 pm	Needle Felt a Lovable Lamb Learn to use hand-dyed wool roving from the instructor’s farm’s sheep to make your own beautifully felted pumpkins! Needle felting is a fun and easy dry felting method that seems to work like magic. The instructor will unravel the magic and take you step-by-step through the process of safely using your tool to first createContinue Reading	Register
March 19, 2020 6:00 pm	Sharpen Up! In this class, we’ll be learning the basics of getting a good edge on a tool. Whether it be a knife, a chisel, or a pair of scissors, this is your chance to no longer feel embarrassed about all those dull knives in your kitchen! Stones and some sample blades will be provided, but youContinue Reading	Register
March 28, 2020 1:00 pm	Sweaters to Mittens! Do you have old woolen sweaters or coats taking up space in your drawers and closets? Maybe you just can’t part with them, or they have accidentally been shrunken? This class is your solution to giving that clothing new life in the form of attractive, functional, warm mittens! During this class, our goal is toContinue Reading	Register