Visiting North House Folk School

Visit the north shore of Lake Superior to connect with a craft community like none other.

I’ve learned over the years that the world can be a lonely place. The digital platforms that were supposed to bring us closer together have only contributed to a life that feels increasingly isolated. What a paradox it was then, that traveling to the physically isolated North House Folk School helped me to find a community that is as strong and welcoming as ever.

North House Folk School is located in Grand Marais, Minnesota, which is 260 miles north of the Twin Cities, and about 40 miles shy of the Canadian border. The school is located on the south end of town — a cluster of buildings nestled down by the harbor, with a view of Lake Superior. The most prominent one is the bright yellow welcome center, seen in the main image.

The center is brand new this year, and it’s a great example of what makes the folk school stand out. Among the many courses and mediums available to learn is traditional timber framing. So instead of hiring a building crew, instructors Tom Healy and Peter Henrikson guided a group of volunteers to turn white pine timber into a full building. That community ethos is the core lesson I ended up taking away with my time there.

Plan a Visit: Learn about Wood Week 2026 and register for classes.
Additional Reading: Logan visits the Eureka Springs School of the Arts

Background

North House Folk School was born out of an idea that cooperative learning could revive traditional craft that was slowly being lost to time. Founded in 1997, the school published its first catalog of 23 courses before it even had a home to teach them in. As luck would have it, a pair of old forest service buildings were available to lease, and the school was born. It’s grown dramatically over the years, and now consists of seven buildings — some owned, and some on long-term lease from the city.

The woodworking building.

The variety of courses has grown as well, to 350 classes annually, taught to 3000 students from around the world. In addition to woodworking and timber framing, there’s boat building, leather work, and cooking courses, just to name a few.

1 Featured Guest Instructor Lara Domeneghetti demonstrates historic carving techniques and tools.

Live and Learn

I visited North House Folk School during their annual Wood Week, held in March. While woodworking courses are available throughout the year, Wood Week is an opportunity to bring a wide variety of woodworkers under a single roof. Many of the students had attended classes previously, and welcomed instructors and each other as they filtered in for the first morning session. Somewhat surprisingly to me, several came up to me and introduced themselves out of the blue, welcoming me as part of the group.

2 Fred Livesay teaches how to use tune and use hand planes. Each student brings their own planes, and Fred tailors his teaching to each student’s needs.

There was a particular interaction I found memorable that happened when Featured Guest Instructor Lara Domeneghetti was presenting. She spoke about her research on the 12th-century Tylldal Chair, which still exists today. In addition to discussing the tools and techniques used to give the chair its dramatic ornamentation, Lara also did a brief demonstration. “That’s Kolrosing,” I hear one audience member excitedly whisper to another, a look of joy on her face.

3 Alex Yerks, a carver, leads his class in constructing a Kuksa, a traditional drinking vessel.

That audience member was none other than renowned Kolroser and fellow guest instructor Liesl Chatman. Kolrosing is a near-extinct Scandinavian engraving technique. As soon as the demonstration wrapped up, Liesl went over to introduce herself. In front of my eyes I saw an immediate connection made — a bond over a passion for wood carving, and a deep respect for the knowledge they both had.

4 Instructor Peter Henrikson demonstrates the technique for hewing wooden beams with traditional tools.

On Friday night, North House opened their doors to the community for bring-toppings-to-share pizza. Director Greg Wright warmly welcomed everyone in, and the building filled up with woodworkers, locals, and even families with children. Pizzas were made and connections were forged. Young woodworkers mingled with old, discussing carving tools. Instructors caught up with community members they hadn’t seen in a while. As I walked to my car afterwards, reflecting on the past few days, I kept thinking that I couldn’t wait for my next chance to come back.   

5 Students lay out carvings in the woodworking building, one of the two original structures used by the school.