Scholarships

This scholarship honors a great friend and supporter of the school who also contributed to its Weaving program for many years as a beloved instructor. It covers the cost of tuition, housing, and meals to attend a weeklong or weekend weaving class.

Thanks to the Guild, residents of Virginia in need of financial assistance to participate in a clay class may apply for one of these two scholarships covering tuition, housing, and meals.

This scholarship memorializes a friend of the school who made numerous contributions to its Blacksmithing program for many years as a talented instructor. It covers the cost of tuition, housing, and meals to attend a weeklong or weekend blacksmithing class.

This scholarship honors Dan Nickels, who learned blacksmithing at the Folk School and as a result, made it his lifelong passion and career. Dan taught at his forge and traveled the world to share his skills, preserve the craft, and create beautiful, functional art. His forge motto was “where the impossible is commonplace.” This scholarship covers tuition, housing and meals for any weeklong or weekend blacksmithing class.

This scholarship was created by long-time Folk School friends David and Carol Smucker. It provides craft education opportunities for students ages 18-34, especially those looking to build skills in their profession. It covers tuition, housing and meals for a weeklong or weekend class.

Provided by his many friends in memory of dance musician David Kaynor, this scholarship is dedicated to his passion for dance music and for life. It covers tuition for the school’s annual Dance Musicians Week for someone who would otherwise be unable to attend.

This scholarship celebrates the life of David Rakoff who was a student, a dear friend of the Folk School, and a member of its board of directors. In a New York Times article, David wrote about the school, “The week I spent there is as close as it gets to my idea of paradise.” The scholarship covers the cost of tuition, housing, and meals for a weekend or weeklong class.

Tuition, housing, and meals scholarship for a weekend class for Black, Indigenous, and artists of color.

This scholarship covers the cost of tuition, housing, and meals to attend a weeklong or weekend class for someone who would otherwise be unable to attend.

Upon taking a weekend enameling class at the Folk School, Beth Bugdaycay, Creative Director and Co-Founder of Foundrae, and Laura Freedman, Founder of Broken English, were moved to donate 10 tuition scholarships for week-long enameling classes to promote this craft to others who may otherwise be unable to attend.

Created by Francis Whitaker, the master blacksmith who founded our blacksmithing program, this scholarship provides intermediate and advanced students with tuition, housing and meals for any weeklong or weekend blacksmithing class.

This scholarship donated by Jean Fliess honors Helen Gibson, a talented Brasstown Carver and long-time Folk School Resident Artist. The scholarship covers the cost of tuition, housing, and meals to attend a weeklong or weekend woodcarving class.

These woodcarving scholarships honor the memory of Jim Davis, who was a long-time supporter of the Folk School and a passionate woodcarver. They covers the cost of tuition, housing and meals to attend a weekend or weeklong woodcarving class.

This woodworking scholarship honors the memory of Jim Davis, who was a long-time supporter of the Folk School and a passionate woodworker. It covers the cost of tuition, housing, and meals to attend a week-long woodworking class.

This scholarship was donated by family and friends in loving memory of Joshua Shane Snyder and covers the cost of tuition, housing, and meals to attend a weeklong or weekend class for someone who would otherwise be unable to attend.

This scholarship covers the cost of tuition, housing, and meals to attend a weekend woodturning class.

Kathryn Byrd generously provided for the Folk School’s future in her will and, in her memory, this scholarship provides people who would otherwise be unable to attend the opportunity to experience all that she loved about the school. It covers the cost of tuition, housing, and meals to attend a week or weekend class.

This weaving scholarship honors the memory of the late Margaret C. Toth, an avid weaver who first learned to weave at the Folk School. It covers the cost of tuition, housing, and meals for a weekend or weeklong class.

This scholarship honors talented basket artist Mary Doornbos, recognizing her long-standing connection with the Folk School as its Craft Shop Manager, an instructor, student, and donor. This scholarship for a weekend basketry or brooms class covers tuition, housing and meals for a student in need of financial assistance in order to attend.

In support of the craft of blacksmithing and to provide educational opportunities to others, the Barrons have donated two scholarships covering the cost of tuition, housing, and meals during a weeklong or weekend blacksmithing class.

This scholarship benefits professional interpretive naturalists and environmental educators working at local/community nature centers in the US. It covers tuition, housing, and meals for any weeklong class.

Robert Trout, a talented metalsmith and long-time Folk School instructor, created this scholarship to give others the opportunity to learn metalsmithing at the Folk School. Following his death in 2020, his family and other loved ones contributed in his memory to bring the scholarship fund to fruition. This scholarship covers the cost of tuition, housing, and meals to attend a weeklong or weekend blacksmithing, coppersmithing, or tinsmithing class.

Created by master woodturner and generous friend of the Folk School, Rude Osolnik, this scholarship is available to residents of Kentucky and/or students, faculty, staff, and alumni of Berea College. It covers the cost of tuition, housing, and meals for any weeklong or weekend class.

This scholarship covers the cost of tuition, housing, and meals to attend a weeklong metals class for someone who would otherwise be unable to attend.