Several years ago, I was knitting on a Walt Disney World bus, from our resort to the park of the day. A younger man was intrigued with what I was doing and we struck up a conversation about this folk art school in the Appalachian Mountains of North Carolina. I had never heard of this school, but this young man and everyone I spoke to thereafter, made it sound like it was a crafters paradise. I looked the school up a few times, over the years, but the timing wasn’t right for one reason or another. But, later in 2023 something made me search for the school again. I had no idea what kind of class I wanted to look for, but felt this tug inside me to do something new and exciting. This month, I’m going to introduce you to the school, by way of photos and information we gathered. Next month, on my post scheduled 11/27, I will tell you about my spinning class and the wonderful experiences husband Brian, dog Porter, and I had while there.
If you’re looking for that “unknown something” that feeds your mind, body, and soul, and teaches you more than you ever thought possible…I encourage you to look up the John C. Campbell Folk Art School at https://folkschool.org. The website will give you all sorts of information about the school itself, the history of how it came to be, and basics information about the weekend, and weekly courses they offer. But, the magical nature of this special place, can only be experienced in person.
The class I chose was a 5 day spinning class, taught by Lesley Darling called “Get Spinning with Wool and Whatnots”. My class itself was $660 with a $75 guest fee and our Room (5 nights, Double Occupancy Queen w/in room bath) was $729 each. They have a lot of options that are less than that price, including an option to camp. This price includes 3 full meals/day. Now, when I say meals, we are talking about home cooked meals, with bountiful fresh fruit and vegetables, always a full salad bar, and options for vegan, gluten free, and nondairy. You will not go hungry – I can assure you that. There is a set schedule for mealtimes, and every meal offers eco carry out containers…especially for those who didn’t do mornings! For early risers coffee is ready at 6:30am in the common room. A couple mornings a week they offer Morning Song for anyone to partake in. It was a way to greet the day, with songs and friendship, not a religious ceremony. In the evenings there were musical performances, and folk dance demonstrations – we attended a fiddle performance, by a young couple, that was excellent. Most of the studio rooms were open in the evening for anyone wanting to get additional practice, make additional items, or complete projects.
Here are some photos of the vast campus area:
John C. Campbell Folk Art School (JCCFS) operates like a well oiled machine. They have everything scheduled, and you are given your entire week’s schedule at check in: which is at 3:00pm! I mention this to you, because I was so excited to arrive at the school, we got there at 11:30am. I bounced into the check in office and no one was there. 😱 I totally understand it now, as there were weekend classes on that weekend. Those students were still finishing up their weekend’s final events. The person I finally was able to speak with, kindly said check in isn’t until 3:00pm. He offered a couple suggestions of what we could do in the meantime, but we had Porter (my service dog) to consider. It was a beautiful spring day, so I said we would wait outside, and enjoy the sunshine. I mention this because JCCFS is in fairly remote area of the Appalachian Mountains of North Carolina. The nearest small town was Murphy, NC – where we just stayed the night, and saw everything they had to offer in the spin through town. If you decide to go, plan on sleeping in, and enjoy a very leisurely lunch.
Sitting outside in the sunshine was very enjoyable, because Porter is a Bernese Mountain Dog, and he draws people over to talk, all the time. We were actually sitting at the area shown in the photo above titled “Meeting areas.” Porter attracted several weekend students, moving past our table carrying projects they made, that were jaw dropping. For example, there was a 4 day basket making class offered as a “long weekend” course. Her basket, was a structured 2 pc backpack; complete with hand sewn leather hinges, closures, and back straps. Another classmate had a New England style “fisherman’s basket”. These are baskets I’ve seen, for more than $500 in catalogs…and these were much nicer; with thinner reeds. My mother took some basketry classes, and made some nice ones, but her reeds were not thin like theirs. We gushed over their craftsmanship, and each student beamed with pride. I started getting excited to begin my class.
At check in we were given our packet. Inside, with my class schedule was our house assignment and room number. We were given an hour to drop off our bags, and be back for a mandatory orientation at 5:15pm, prior to 6pm dinner and our first class session from 7-9pm.
The orientation told us the history of how John C Campbell, and his wife, Olive Dame Campbell did extensive research on the educational needs of adults in the deeply rural areas of Appalachia. Little was known about the people of this region and while John was asking questions (males) and reporting his findings, Olive was meeting with (women) recording oral stories, ballads and observing educational needs would serve the people of this area. John and Olive became aware a 19th century style of teaching in Denmark. This educational approach is the same today as it was then. You can read more of their history at
http://The Folk School’s Founding
Everyone that comes to JCCFS is expected to agree to a Code of Conduct that in essence, assures the following Acceptance Policy
The Folk School is an equal-opportunity institution and does not and shall not discriminate on the basis of race, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, disability, religious affiliation, nationality, or ethnic origin. We strive to create an environment in which everyone feels welcome, respected, and free to learn and create. We ask that all who come here do so with tolerance and community-building in mind.
Part 2 – Next Month (11/27), I will tell you about my Spinning Class.