| Studios |
Look for special things to happen in the studios at the Folk School. It's in a studio that you'll meet knowledgeable, artistic instructors and other friendly students. And it's there that you'll explore your creative self, discovering new talents and challenging yourself in a way that promotes your personal growth.
Our Resident Artists and Programming staff ensure the Folk School offers well-equipped and well-supplied studios, allowing you to explore a new artistic medium or learn that particular new skill you're interested in. So sit at the loom, stand at the forge, or bend over the jewelry bench. As you come to the Folk School to learn any number of things, you'll find studios with their doors wide open to you.
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Book & Paper Arts Studio
The Book & Paper Arts Studio opened in June of 2017. This spacious, well-lit building is now the home of all Book & Paper Arts, Calligraphy, Marbling, and Printmaking classes.
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| The new Clay Spencer Blacksmith Shop |
Clay Spencer Blacksmith Shop
Named in honor of Clay Spencer, renowned blacksmith, teacher, and supporter of the Folk School, this shop opened in 2010. Handcrafted by volunteers and students from the Timber Framers Guild of North America, it is not only an inspiring place within which to study, but it also provides a safer and more comfortable workspace than before. It even has an air-conditioned classroom/resource library in which to take a break!
A large instructor demo forge is the focal point of the shop, surrounded by 12 spacious forging stations. The studio features a generous supply of hand tools, power hammers, saws, shears, grinders, drills, welders, and other equipment and supplies for a full learning experience.
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| Francis Whitaker Blacksmith Shop |
Francis Whitaker Blacksmith Shop
Originally constructed as a milking barn in 1930, the Francis Whitaker Blacksmith Shop served as our primary shop for 30 years. It was named for the "Dean of American Blacksmithing", Francis Whitaker, who taught at the Folk School for 20 years. Since the completion of the Clay Spencer Blacksmith Shop, the Whitaker Shop is now connected to the new shop and is used for more aggressive activities such as welding and plasma cutting. The Whitaker Shop has benefited from new electrical wiring, roof improvements, and heating.
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| Inside the Clay Studio |
Clay Studio
Built by Cherokee County as a cooperative cannery that served the community for many years, the building was eventually donated to the school. It's a great space for our clay classes, whether we're teaching wheel, handbuilding or sculpture classes. Our drying room and bisque kilns are here and a few yards from the studio are our gas, wood, and electric kilns. A rustic front porch overlooking a small flower garden is a great place to take a quick break.
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| Making bread for the wood-fired oven |
Cooking Studio
This beautiful and well-equipped studio is a cook's dream. Conventional and convection oven, wood-fired brick oven, microwave, ranges, refrigerators, freezers, dishwashers, ooh, la, la. Smaller appliances like mixers, food processors, scales, pasta machines, yogurt makers, meat grinders and coffee makers help you with your culinary concoctions. Cookware and utensils of the most useful kind are at hand to make your cooking class experience an easy, fruitful one.
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| Making beads in the Enameling/Hot Glass Studio |
Enameling/Hot Glass Studio
The Enameling Studio (and the enameling program) is recognized by instructors and students as one of the best and most respected in the United States. This studio was dedicated as the "Masters Enameling Studio" in honor of Gus and Maggie Masters who started the enameling program in the 1970s. Located on the other end of the building from the Clay Studio, this space for enameling and hot glass is a well-supplied, light-filled work space. The good work tables, kilns, counters and sinks make this a comfortable studio.
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| Jewelry/Metalwork/Cold Glass Studio |
Jewelry/Metalwork/Cold Glass Studio
This rustic building, built of locally-grown pine in the early 1970s, is a quaint, functional studio. It's well-equipped for jewelry making, with saw frames, mandrels of all sorts, hammers, anvils, burnishers, rockers, pushers, scapers, vice grips, crucible, drill bits, engraver, dapping blocks, clamps, punches, awls, flat rolling mill, hydraulic press, drill press, bench grinder, belt sander and more. Other soldering equipment and general supplies make this the great jewelry learning center it is. Cold glass classes such as stained glass and kaleidoscope making are also held here, as are our metalworking classes.
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| Fiddle class in the Music Studio |
Music Studio
Comprising the second floor of Davidson Hall, our Music Studio is a musician's delight. It's a light-filled room overlooking a deck with long beautiful views. The spacious studio, with room enough for everyone to gather in a large circle, also has several private practice rooms. A fireplace is a special treat in this welcoming space.
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| The new Painting Studio |
Painting Studio
One of our newest studios, it's here that painting, drawing, calligraphy, and mixed media classes are held. Spacious and light-filled, this is a terrific addition to the Folk School. Well stocked with equipment and supplies, a demonstration area, sinks, a library, and a spacious covered patio with scenic views just waiting to be rendered, you'll never want to leave this studio.
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| Orchard House, home of the Photography and Writing Studio |
Harvest Room -
Photography and Writing
Located in Orchard House, which overlooks an orchard in the front yard and a rolling pasture leading to the creek in the back, this building was originally built in the 1950s as a residence for a board member. The newly remodeled Photography & Writing Studio offers students a quiet classroom space equipped with high-speed internet, and Macintosh and PC computers. In addition to the Harvest Room, Orchard House includes student housing and its quaint living room is sometimes used for our Storytelling classes.
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| Making quilts |
Quilting Studio
Part of the Pitman Fiber Arts Building, the quilting studio is an expansive, well-lit space with plenty of tables, chairs, sewing machines, and wall boards. Quilters easily design and create masterpieces from colorful fabrics in this ample space. When a quilting class is not in session, this studio is used for other classes, such as doll making or surface design.
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| Making brooms in Rock Room |
Rock Room
Adjacent to the wood studios is a many-windowed room that's recently become the main station for our Basket, Broom and Chair Seat classes. With lots of open space to spread out, a stove for cooking dyes, and a big work sink, this a great studio. The name Rock Room comes from its rock-covered exterior walls that fit right in with its natural surrounding.
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| There are lots of looms in the Weaving Studio! |
Weaving Studio
The Weaving Studio has a spacious, well-lit home in part of the Pitman Fiber Arts Building. Numerous looms, warping boards, a yarn closet, a well-stocked supply closet, washing machine and dryer and a reading library provide the perfect environment most weavers never want to leave. Occasionally, other types of classes will be assigned to this space when there's no weaving class, especially ones that benefit from the large expanse of tables and workspace in the front of the studio.
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| A spinning class in the Wet Room |
Wet Room
Located in Davidson Hall, this studio is for those classes that love to get messy. It's particularly good for classes whose students like to dye things, as it has big drains in the concrete floor we can just hose down (hence the name). There are banks of counters with ranges for dye pots. Spinning classes are often held here too since it provides such a nice, spacious area.
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| Woodcarving class |
Woodcarving Studio
This cozy, rustic, wood building is near the old saw mill, and with its red tin roof and covered porch, sure makes a pretty picture. Inside, carvers follow their bliss as they carve everything from lifelike birds to walking sticks.
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| Students in a chair class work on shaving horses on the porch of the Woodworking Studio. |
Woodworking Studio
Built in 1945, this beautiful old stone building houses our Woodworking program. The building features a large room full of saws, drills, planers, routers, sanding belts, finishing tables and many other helpful tools and supplies. The woodworking program, already an extensive one, will continue to expand and improve with the recent transfer of our woodturning classes to their own dedicated studio.
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| The Willard Baxter Woodturning Studio opened in January 2007. |
Willard Baxter Woodturning Studio
Opened in January 2007, the woodturning studio is a woodturner's dream come true. The 2,500-square-foot space features a tiered-seating demonstration area with video monitor, and separate wood preparation, turning, and finishing areas. With mostly new equipment and tools provide the icing on the cake.
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| The Folk School's organic garden has raspberries, heirloom vegetables and flowers, and is home to lots of honeybees! |
The Great Outdoors
One of our favorite studios is the Folk School's gorgeous 300-acre campus. Students from our gardening and nature studies classes are often spotted in the happy study of flora and fauna (and rocks and ponds).
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