Support Wet Room

The Wet Room in Davidson Hall hosts our spinning, knitting, felting, dyeing, and surface design enthusiasts. With counters equipped with ranges for dye pots, students can explore the full spectrum of colors that came come from natural dye plants, some of which can be found in the Donna and Cory Brown Memorial Dye Garden.

The endowed Donna and Cory Brown Dye Garden is filled with dye plants that create color for additional studios and programs on campus. This garden honors the memory of Folk School natural dye and surface design instructor Donna Brown and her son Cory Brown. The purpose of the dye garden is to bring people together, and it has become a space where students and instructors can gather resources for their class, learn about natural dye plants, and share seeds with community members interested in starting their own gardens.

With your support, the Folk School can ensure that our spinning, dyeing, felting, and knitting programs thrive and continue to provide opportunities for the hundreds of students who pass through our program each year.

Donations of any amount are greatly appreciated; donations of $1,000 or more can be restricted to studio facilities and equipment needs, which are determined annually by staff.

Support the Wet Room

Support the Donna and Cory Brown Dye Garden

A person stands in a wooded area, holding a banjo.

Creative Program Advisor in Spinning, Knitting, Dyeing & Surface Design

Martha Owen

Martha began her adventure in spinning at this very school in 1978. Since then, her extended family has included sheep (mostly Corriedale/ Merino, Romney, Shetland and a little Blue-faced Leicester for fun) and French Angora rabbits. A banjo player known to tell a story or two, Martha’s interest in sheep and wool, music and dance, have carried her quite literally and joyfully around the world. Her children say she is a wool nerd, but her sheep say she is outstanding in her field! Martha became a member of the Southern Highland Craft Guild in 1988, and was co-owner of the Yarn Circle in Murphy, NC, a store catering to fiber enthusiasts. She has been teaching spinning, natural dyeing and knitting design since 1984.