The Folk School

10/23/2026

We’ve been having such a wonderful time at Metal Fest, our collaboration with Calypso Farm with blacksmith, metal artist and educator Elizabeth Belz! Our classes have been absolutely amazing, from forging belt buckles to making decorative wirework to watching a blacksmithing demonstration with delicious pizza. Take a look at these creations!

Thank you to all our participants, to Elizabeth for her incredible work and to everyone who’s helped make these events possible!

Metal Fest is the first collaboration between Calypso Farm and The Folk School to welcome an artist-in-residence into the community to teach their craft. If you’d like to get involved, we’ve still got an instructor development workshop coming up on Sunday, October 25.

10/22/2026

Hey printmakers! The Folk School is excited to announce our annual print sale and we’re putting out a call for artist submissions. This is open to printmakers of all experience levels. You don’t need to have taken a class to participate!

Check out the post on our blog for more details on submission information. We hope to see all your lovely art!

10/21/2026

As we get into October, The Folk School is excited to give a sneak peek into some of our November course selections.

First up is Braid a Wool Basket! Over four Mondays in November (November 2, 9, 16 and 23), you can learn many of the skills required to braid a chair mat or rug, and make a functional and beautiful braided basket. While this class is beginner friendly, knowing how to use a sewing machine or needle and thread for short seams will be very useful.

In Half Moon Dried Flower Wreaths, you’ll create wreaths using an assortment of all Alaskan grown and harvested materials. You will learn how to shape and form a willow frame base, then using a selection of dried flowers, grasses, and pods. You'll also learn the steps involved in layering and arranging ingredients to your aesthetic. Learn, craft, and take home a locally grown centerpiece to be enjoyed for years to come!

Yarrow - An Intro to Alaska's Wild Medicinals is next up in our youth series! From 3-6 pm on November 14, we’ll discover one of Alaska’s most treasured medicinal plants. Students will learn to identify yarrow in the wild, explore its history in traditional herbalism, and discuss ethical harvesting practices that help protect natural plant populations. We’ll cover drying, storing, and preparing yarrow for herbal tea and infused oils while exploring its role in a home apothecary - a must have in every med kit. This class is for ages 11-17.

Weaving on a Rigid Heddle Loom will teach you how to select colors, fiber type and yarn weights, warp your loom, weave your project, and give it the finishing touches to create a wonderful keepsake! The class will meet four times: November 15 (12-4pm), November 18 (5:30-8pm, an open studio day), November 22 (12-13pm) and December 6 (12pm-2pm). There may also be an optional finishing day in early January- stay tuned for more details on that! We have several amazing projects to choose from.

We can’t wait for all of these incredible classes and encourage you to sign up before they fill up! All class listings are live at the link in our bio.

10/16/2026

Last week, Metal Fest started with a bang! Elizabeth Belz, metal artist, blacksmith and educator, led participants in a metal bookmark workshop at the Noel Wein Library. The drop-in event welcomed over 80 young participants and 21 accompanying adults! We loved seeing all their metal creations.

Thank you to all who participated and thank you to Elizabeth for facilitating such an incredible workshop! We are also so grateful to the library for letting us use their space and supporting this event.

Metal Fest is the first collaboration between Calypso Farm and The Folk School to welcome an artist-in-residence into the community to teach their craft. If you would like to get involved, we’ve still got some exciting events coming up, like a blacksmithing demo and instructor development workshop!

10/15/2026

***EDIT***
We realized belatedly that this class was scheduled for Election Day - we have moved it to Thursday, December 3. Thank you!

We are so excited to announce one of our first November classes, Printed Cards and Wrapping Paper taught by Sara Tabbert!

This class is on November 3 from 5:30-8:30pm. In this workshop, participants will make stamped cards and gift paper for loved ones using accessible tools and beginning printmaking techniques. Kids 12 and up are welcome with a co-learning adult in the class.

If you are interested in participating and making your own cards and wrapping paper, sign ups are live now!

10/14/2026

We’d like to thank our September instructors for leading amazing workshops last month!

First, thank you to instructor Janice Densham for two incredible classes on using Toyo Stoves this weekend. We learned so much for this coming winter!

Second, thank you to instructor Blaine Lunsford for an amazing class on indigo dyeing. We made some beautiful bandanas and we are so grateful that she shared her expertise!

Third, thank you to instructor Danielle St. Laurent for a phenomenal class on kombucha. We can’t wait to continue making delicious drinks!

Fourth, thank you to instructor Philip Marshall for an excellent class on making walking sticks. We loved this experience and look forward to using our finished products on many adventures!

Last (and certainly not least), thank you to instructor Sara Tabbert for a lovely class on monotype prints. It was so cool to use fall plants and create beautiful art!

We truly appreciate each instructor who led a class this month and every other month! If you’re interested in leading workshops at The Folk School, you can check out the link in our bio for information on how to propose a class.

10/14/2026

We've got two very exciting Metal Fest events coming up in collaboration with Calypso Farm!

This Thursday, metal artist, blacksmith and educator, Elizabeth Belz, is leading a blacksmithing demo at Calypso Farm. And there will also be wood-fired pizza and a bonfire!! Registration is required for this event, with demonstrations at 6 and 7:30. You don't want to miss it!

On October 25, Elizabeth will be leading an instructor development workshop at Calypso Farm from 10am-5:30pm. If you've ever been curious about how to share your skills, this is your chance to learn from one of the best! Participants should bring their own lunch. We hope to see you there!

You can register for both events here: https://calypsofarm.org/metal-fest-2026/

09/30/2026

Discover the creative possibilities of metalworking with blacksmith and metal artist Elizabeth Belz! Each session introduces a unique metalworking technique, giving students the opportunity to explore the material in a supportive and creative environment.

This is a 4-day class for homeschool families in the Fairbanks area! To register, visit our website. https://www.hisawyer.com/the-folk-school/schedules/activity-set/2010345

The Folk School in Fairbanks offers classes and programs all year for all ages in traditional crafts, woodworking, printmaking, Alaskan skills, and hands-on arts and sciences. The Folk School in Fairbanks offers classes and programs all year for all ages in traditional crafts, woodworking, printmaki...

09/30/2026

Thank you to instructor Willow Q Jones for leading excellent classes to welcome fall here at The Folk School. Willow taught community members how to make Appalachian hand brooms, half sweeps and full sweeps as well as carve spoons! We are very grateful and hope you’ll share with us what you made in her classes. Remember to tag us on social media if you post the finished product!