North House Folk School’s Craft Exploration Camp offers a unique opportunity for kids and their grown-ups to try a traditional craft sampler.

In this five-day “summer camp,” adult/child pairs will engage with textiles, Anishinaabe-style beadwork, hand tool woodworking, blacksmithing, and outdoor exploration of the North Shore’s landscapes. Students will explore a bit of these crafts, all rooted in intergenerational learning and examining our connection with the natural world.

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Curiosity is inherent to craft, and North House Folk School’s Craft Exploration Camp offers a unique experience for adult learners wanting to try it all.

In this five-day “summer camp” experience, students will engage with wool textiles, Anishinaabe-style beadwork, hand tool woodworking, blacksmithing, and outdoor exploration of the North Shore’s landscapes. Students have the opportunity to taste a bit of these core crafts, all rooted in examining our connection with the natural world.

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Founded in 2009 by Steve Dilley, MFA, The Veterans Art Project (VETART) began as a single ceramics class at Grossmont College and has grown into a nationally recognized arts-based wellness and workforce development organization serving veterans, active-duty service members, spouses, dependents, and caregivers. Rooted in the belief that creative practice builds resilience, belonging, and purpose, VETART offers free, hands-on training in ceramics, glass casting, bronze casting, painting, drawing, and storytelling.

What began as a community-based studio program has evolved into a multi-partner ecosystem collaborating with museums, universities, Vet Centers, the VA, and community organizations across Southern California and beyond. Today, VETART is the only Department of War SkillBridge-approved arts training site in the nation, preparing transitioning service members for careers in the creative economy while strengthening social connection and emotional wellness.

Through deep arts engagement, exhibitions, and public programming, VETART transforms military experience into creative leadership—building community, restoring purpose, and advancing opportunity through the arts.

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Visit scenic Decorah, Iowa to learn to forge your own kitchen utensils out of copper and steel. Instructor Elizabeth Belz owns her own forge and is a knowledgable instructor.

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Visit scenic Decorah, Iowa to learn metalworking and forging of a Viking flint striker.  Instructor Tom Latané is a knowledgable and fascinating instructor.

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The National Basketry Organization is an inclusive community of makers and enthusiasts whose mission is to promote awareness, inspire creativity, and foster appreciation for the heritage and artistry of basketry.

Founded in 1999 and incorporated as a non-profit in 2000, NBO has nearly 700 members reflecting the diversity of basket-making in America and extending beyond our borders.

As a non-profit organization, NBO promotes fellowship, provides education and increases awareness of the breadth of basketry.

Included among NBOs members are basket-makers, educators, collectors, gallery owners, students, scholars, curators, craft and art schools as well as museums. The NBO community encompasses a continuum of makers, from those who celebrate basketry’s traditional roots to those stretching the boundaries of materials and processes in contemporary applications.

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Showcasing contemporary American artists who create folk art rooted in the Norwegian traditions of blacksmithing, knifemaking, rosemaling, weaving, and woodworking.

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The Artist-Blacksmith’s Association of North America (ABANA) is a community of blacksmiths, artisans, and enthusiasts dedicated to preserving and advancing blacksmithing as both a profession and a hobby.

We provide opportunities for individuals and local affiliate organizations to further their blacksmithing education, strengthen their skills, and hone their craft.

Showcasing the rich and vibrant work of modern smiths while providing historical context is central to our mission as we work to increase awareness of the art and craft amongst design professionals, architects, and the public through community events, exhibitions, publications, and other learning opportunities.

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Foothills Craft Guild is the oldest craft Guild in the state of Tennessee.  We are a 501(c)3 non-profit that works to support local craftspeople.

Formed in 1968, we now are over 200 members of JURIED Fine Craftartistans, however, our Guild’s charter has not changed. It was—and still is–dedicated to:

• Encouraging the development and appreciation craft artisanship of all types;
• Promoting high standards of skill and design in handicrafts;
• Conducting educational programs on handicrafts with all ages;
• Sponsoring FINE craft shows and demonstrations;
• Engaging in activities which contribute to the advancement, development, and appreciation of arts and handicrafts.

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Paper weaving is a quick and fun way to play with color, image, and pattern—without a loom!

Even if you’ve never seen a weaving draft and don’t know warp from weft, you’ll be weaving by the end of the workshop. A paper-woven surface is also great for adding collage and mixed media to, so come explore the possibilities!

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The Vermont Crafts Council is an advocate for the high-quality craftsmanship that can be found throughout the Green Mountain State. Vermont has emerged as one of the epicenters of the crafts revival in America and it has a long tradition of producing fine craft.

Founded in 1990, the Vermont Crafts Council is a statewide membership non-profit organization. It’s most public – facing projects are two statewide Open Studio Weekends that together show the work of over 180 studio artists.

Vermont Open Studio Weekend is a self guided tour that is free and open to the public. To aid the public in planning their tours, we produce a 24 page tour booklet, and a website with local “loops” showing locations and directions to studios that can be visited in an afternoon, a day, or over the weekend.

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802 ARTs House is a 501c3 charitable organization. Our goals are organized exclusively for charitable and educational purposes in support of the arts tradition:

• Developing and coordinating promotion and marketing opportunities for visual arts in Vermont;
• Promoting resources by which Vermont artisans and their regional colleagues may stay abreast of current art offerings, research, techniques, and materials related to their art;
• Disseminating information to the public relative to current issues and practices in the art world;
• Provide artists opportunities to grow within their art medium through scholarships, workshops, and classes;
• Create opportunities for artists to share and sell their work within the larger community of Vermont and its regional neighbors;
• Working cooperatively with other visual arts organizations within the State of Vermont to promote excellence within the visual arts fields;
• Serving as an information resource to visual artists and the public throughout Vermont.

802ArtsHouse is a community of artists cultivating a high level of artistry and creativity through collaboration, promotion and advocacy for the arts.

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Founded in 1935 during the height of the Great Depression by a group of artists and craftspeople banding together for mutual support. We centered our relationship to natural materials striving to create a more just and equitable society, where art and craft are valued and accessible to all. Our founders were dedicated to preserving age-old craft traditions in the making of beautiful objects of daily use, for ordinary people, and the personal and societal health that comes from doing so.

LexArt strives to infuse the arts into every aspect of civic life. We focus on inclusiveness and accessibility and find the most effective mechanism for providing opportunities for arts engagement is through our community partnerships and shared programming. We host a healthy studio instruction program, offering 130 classes and workshops each year in a broad range of disciplines. We operate publicly accessible maker-spaces in ceramics, metalsmithing, painting, weaving & woodworking and have multiple classrooms for other makers groups. We host numerous artisan fairs/markets throughout the year, promoting locally handcrafted goods. We have a monthly rotating gallery exhibition program, highlighting regional work at the intersection of fine art and craft. We seek to present and amplify the voices and experiences of those that contrast with our own and create a fertile and sympathetic space for people to come together, share, learn, and celebrate our common humanity.

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Take advantage of this opportunity to tour the Burbank studio of master blacksmith Tony Swatton, who in the past 30 years, has forged pieces for over 300 feature films, including Pirates of the Caribbean, Batman, The Last Samurai, and Buffy the Vampire Slayer.

Tony will guide visitors through his showroom area of famed props and then demonstrate his specialties in his metalworking facility.

The tour will begin with a demonstration by special guest silversmith, Randy Stromsoe.

$20 fee for tour

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Join us on Tuesday, February 24, from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. in the Aztec Student Union Theater for a special keynote presentation from Carol Sauvion, creator of the Peabody Award-winning PBS series Craft in America.  The documentary series celebrates American craft and the artists who bring it to life.  For over 40 years she has been the director of Freehand, her Los Angeles gallery specializing in functional craft.

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