Winter greetings, crafters!
At the folk school, we are getting ready and excited for Ely Winter Festival to happen! We are hosting many different classes in person and virtually, indoors and outdoors. Not only is our space a host for the Ely Art Walk, we will be sending art made by our ceramics and stained glass students to other windows around town.
Right now, I am taking advantage of as much time outdoors in the sun as possible. I’ve skied to see the pictographs on North Hegman, and have snow-shoed across Shagwa Lake. I try to bring this mentality of soaking up as much of a good thing into other areas of my life. For example, in the last couple of years, I’ve worked to extend the wear of my clothes. I mend pieces with holes and dye over stained articles. This led me to the practice of natural dyeing, an ancient practice using the summer’s bounty to color clothes. In my natural dye process, I’m able to use food scraps like onion skins, old spices, and avocado pits and skins among other things to dye clothes. I’m excited to be offering a chance in February for people to join in my process of turning waste into something beautiful, whether it’s clothes you might give away or avocado pits you might compost. Dyeing with avocados gives the clothes a beautiful blush color, and I’m learning from my research that unused dye can be fed to certain plants. Start preparing for summer wears and plantings with me!
Whatever you choose to do during winterfest, consider checking out the Ely Folk School’s offerings for the festival. You can either cozy up indoors with a craft or play outside in the snow. We look forward to welcoming you into our space and spending time creating warm feelings together as the days continue remaining around zero degrees.
Stay warm,
Nora Rickey, Assistant Program Coordinator
P.S. If you are an avocado eater, consider washing and freezing your pits, and then donating them to the folk school! I will take pits right up until my class on February 3rd.
The Ely Winter Festival is a 10-day celebration of winter, life outdoors, and the people who live here. Events have changed over the years, but the passion people have for this event has never faded.
When asked what aspects of the festival bring the community together, Linda Ganister replied, “The reason I volunteer for the EWF is precisely because I think it builds community. Many many Ely area residents are showing their art to the rest of us during the Ely Art Walk. The scout base is running a winter camping demo in the park. Teams from Ely and from as far away as Argentina are creating works of art in the park – for US! The Dorothy Molter Museum is hosting their fun annual dinner and normally also offers fun activities for kids. NLAA normally offers a craft show, again, with local vendors and vendors from further away. The Kickoff in the park showcases all kinds of Ely groups – ski team, scout troops, etc. It is really fun to see the list of classes Ely Folk School offers for us, and by us. I am also a huge fan of the mostly outdoor aspects of our festival. We don’t need to spend the entire winter inside complaining about it. There’s art. There are places to snowshoe to. There’s the ArtWalk. Skiing.”
You can read more and learn about some of the local artists on our latest blog.
February Class List
Sustainable Living with Andy Hill
February 2 at 6:00 pm – FREE
Makers Morning
February 3 at 9:30 am – FREE
Natural Dyes: Avocado Pits with Nora Rickey
February 3 at 6:00 pm *Sliding Scale Price Structure
Create Paper Collages with Cecilia Rolando
February 4 at 1:00 pm – $35
Snow Snakes Demonstration with Rick Anderson
February 4 at 3:00 pm – FREE
Diamond Willow Carving From Tree to Trekking Stick with Ken Baasi
February 5 at 9:00 am – $66
Personalizing Traditional Cornish Pasties with Lacey Squier
February 5 at 9:00 am *Sliding Scale Course Fee
Advanced Diamond Willow Carving: Tree to Trekking Stick with Ken Baasi
February 5 at 1:00 pm – $66
Make a Beaver Hat with Bert Hyde and Mark Olson
February 6 at 9:00 am – $200
Create a Herringbone Bracelet with Kay Vandervort
February 6 at 1:30 pm – $39
Mystery Tracks Game Night Challenge with Steve Engel
February 6 at 4:00 pm – FREE
Makers Morning
February 10 at 9:30 am – FREE
Funky Jewelry with Cecilia Rolando
February 10 at 10:00 am – $49
Craft a Gemstone Necklace with Kay Vandervort
February 10 at 1:30 pm – $39
Linoleum Print Patches with Nora Rickey
February 10 at 5:00 pm *Sliding Scale Class Fee
Date Night Pottery for Singles with Nina Wray
February 11 at 6:00 pm – $55
Nature Writing for Women: Our Intimate Bond with Animals: Live Online with DyAnne Korda
February 12 at 10:00 am – $25
Intro to Chip Carving with Bart Dunning
February 12 at 12:30 pm – $80
Canoe Trip Tapestry Weaving: Level 1 Skills Builder: Live Online with Laura Berlage
Saturdays February 12 – March 5 at 2:00 pm – $187
Date Night Pottery for Couples with Nina Wray
February 12 at 5:00 pm – $110
Stained Glass Studio with Betty Firth
Mondays February 14, 21, 28 at 2:00 pm – $148
Makers Morning
February 17 at 9:30 am – FREE
Makers Morning
February 24 at 9:30 am – FREE
March Class List
Happy Hour in Rio: Coxinhas & Caipirinhas: Live Online with Lacey Squier
March 10 at 6:30 pm & March 11 at 5:00 pm *Sliding Scale Tuition
Writing With Your Child, For Your Child with John Kopp
Thursdays, March 10, 17, 24, 31, April 7 & 14 at 6:30 pm – $80
Irish Tatted Lace with Nora Rickey
March 17 at 4:00 pm – $51
Stained Glass Studio with Betty Firth
Mondays, March 21, 28 & April 4 at 2:00 pm – $148
Needle Felt a Hummingbird: Live Online with Laura Berlage
March 24 at 1:00 pm – $76
The Maasepän Puukko with Paige May
March 26 & 27 at 9:00 am – $300
| Buy a gift certificate for friends and family to take a class at Ely Folk School |
| The Ely Folk School is made possible by: Arrowhead Regional Arts Council, Donald G. Gardner Humanities Trust, Lake Country Power, Minnesota State Arts Board, Clean Water Land & Legacy Amendment, and Rotary International. |