North House Folk School

is located in Grand Marais at Hwy 61 and 5th, right where the old gunflint trail meets the main highway. They offer a LOT of classes year around!

North House was founded in 1997 by a small handful of inspired locals passionate about traditional craft and cooperative learning. When we published the first catalog of 23 courses (including Inuit kayak building, Scandinavian bowl carving, and canoe paddle making), North House didn’t yet have a home — or even a classroom. However, two old forest service buildings on the harbor serendipitously became available, and North House settled in and began building a campus.

The mission of the North House Folk School is:
to enrich lives and build community
by teaching traditional northern crafts
in a student-centered learning environment
that inspires the hands, the heart and the mind.

Five basic tenets guide all programs and classes at the folk school:

  1. Create a rich, positive environment that inspires lifelong learning in a non-competitive environment.
  2. Promote and preserve the knowledge, skills, crafts and stories of the past and present.
  3. Help students recognize and develop their creativity, talents and interests in a student-centered environment that affirms individual differences.
  4. Foster the concept of inter-generational learning.
  5. Provide creative and meaningful opportunities for individuals, families and groups.

Folk schools emphasize learning for the sake of learning. There are no exams, no credits, and no term papers. As much as our courses teach a particular skill (timberframing, basketmaking), they also encourage lifelong learning.
The learning that is emphasized is inspired by the Scandinavian “folkehøjskole” where learning is valued for its own sake. The focus is on traditional methods and technologies and their application in a variety of areas.

North House Folk School is a 501-c-3 educational nonprofit, and depends on the generous support of donors at many levels.