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Our 2021 Annual Report is now available...

“Magical.” That’s how Jo Haas describes the first time she visited our beloved Folk School. Five years ago, Jo was looking for an immersive experience that would really help her unplug from her busy life as CEO of the non-profit Kentucky Science Center.

Luz and John think it’s important to financially support our non-profit school that provides such value to them, so they include the Folk School in both their annual giving and estate plans. “This is a significant place that’s different than most of the rest of the world, so we want to support it,” John said. “If we don’t support it as individuals, then we can’t encourage other people and grantors to support it.”  

Whatever your abode, castle or cottage, you most likely have a broom in your home or hanging on your hearth. From besoms and cobweb brooms to more modern flat brooms and whimsical sculptural objects, brooms are important cultural symbols used for decoration and ritual, as well as functional tools. At the Folk School, we have both week-long and weekend classes for you to explore the rich heritage of broom making with renowned artisans.

Having grown up just 12 miles down the road from Brasstown, many of Tommye Scanlin’s earliest Folk School memories date back to her youth. In the mid-1960s, she and her boyfriend would often catch a glimpse of campus on their way to the drive-in movie theater in Peachtree. Since those drive-in, drive by days, Tommye’s Folk School story has come full circle…

When Janet Davis recently volunteered for Weavers’ Work Week, it was just her second visit to campus since her beloved husband, Jim, passed away in November 2017.

Corie Pressley has lived in tiny Brasstown, North Carolina, all her 21 young years. She commuted to college for two years but this scenic Appalachian community is where she’s grown up, developed, and matured. You might think her life experiences have been limited in this small town. But that’s where you’d be wrong.

Did you get a chance to listen to the interview about the Folk School with Pattie Bagley, Mark Hendry and Jack Smoot on The Avenue Lounge Show on WREK Radio 91.1 FM, Atlanta, GA? If you missed the live show modern technology has preserved the interview for all to enjoy, at any time, here on Soundcloud. Learn about some Folk School history and also about Pattie, Mark, and Jack’s personal stories and experiences.

I realized soon after joining the Folk School this summer that this was a unique place brimming with stories. Stories about what happens here, stories about learning a new skill or technique. Stories about how a week at the Folk School has transformed lives, created rich new relationships and empowered students and instructors to make new discoveries about themselves and others.

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“What do you like best about the Folk School?” I asked an eight-year-old friend.
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It started in 1999. Four long-time friends decided to take a class together at the Folk School. Based on the time they had off, and their similar interests, they chose a jewelry class taught by our Resident Artist in jewelry, Barbara Joiner. They probably didn’t suspect that their week long class would turn into a 12 year (and running) tradition that reunites a special, tight-knit group of friends, while giving them the opportunity to hone their jewelry and metalsmithing skills. The original group of four expanded throughout the years, and now about 8 people are considered “regulars” each year in Barbara’s class. Students come from Georgia, Mississippi, Ohio, and beyond to take advantage of Barbara’s expertise to work independently on their own projects. (This year’s class was called “Unfinished Business.”)
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