Announcing our 2025 Traditional Craft Mentorship Program! These learning-intensive, two-week residencies give emerging artists the opportunity to learn from master artisans and connect with their peers in a joyful, community-driven environment. Small groups of mentees will participate in focused, two-week sessions that enhance their interests, knowledge, and skills in traditional Appalachian craft, music, or dance. Areas of study for 2025 include Book Arts, Clay, and Jewelry. All mentorships will take place from July 13-26, 2025. Mentorships are tuition-free and selected applicants are awarded room and board at no cost and a stipend of $450 to help with travel and materials.

Applications for our 2025 Mentorship program will open on January 15, 2025.

Book Arts Mentorship (July 13-26, 2025)

Career Training for Professional Hand Bookbinding & Repair
with Dea Sasso & Judith Beers and special visits from Deborah Rossi & Mary Carol

Mentees will receive training in hand bookbinding and book/paper repair. These vocational skills are specific and highly in demand by people wanting their precious books repaired. Students will concentrate on the two most popular book structures, signature and single sheet binding techniques, so that they will be able to transition to earning income quickly from bookbinding. You will learn hard and soft case bindings, paper cleaning, hot gold stamping, and proper use of tools and equipment.  Other topics to be discussed include instruction in business planning and opportunities for advanced training.  This class is for people with some bookmaking experience who have an interest in book repairs. Students must have done a combination of the following: made books, taken a class in bookmaking (does not have to have been at the Folk School), hand sewn book bindings and/or made cases for books.  Students will be taught by four professional binders who have all been in business 20 to 35 years. 

Clay Mentorship (July 13-26, 2025)

Wild Clay: Process & Place
with Takuro & Hitomi Shibata

Wild clay has been an integral part of pottery traditions worldwide for millennia, with each region developing unique techniques based on its local resources. In this mentorship, delve into the fascinating potential of wild clay as a versatile material for clay bodies, slip decoration, and glazes. Explore the rich historical pottery practices of Japanese culture, alongside the distinctive wild clays of North Carolina. This workshop offers a unique opportunity to work with locally sourced materials, transforming wild clay into stunning pottery. Designed for intermediate to advanced students, this course requires basic wheel-throwing and hand-building skills.  

Jewelry Mentorship (July 13-26, 2025)

The Art of Bead Stringing: From Artist to Entrepreneur
with Elaine Robnett-Moore

Refresh beaded jewelry: Learn how to critique, refresh, and upscale your existing jewelry as well as your own creations.  Finding a mentor: Understanding the purpose and value of mentors in developing your craft and a craft business and creating a plan to identify the right mentors for you.