South Bear School

South Bear School is a Fine Arts Folk School in rural Northeast Iowa, committed to passing on the skills and artistic values set down by the Bauhaus and previous artistic masters of that legacy.

Throughout the year, South Bear hosts arts, nature, and cultural events such as music fests, makers markets, studio tours and film showings.

The school’s mission is to teach students the life skills of fine arts, appreciation of nature’s beauty and artistic value, and foster community connection, while also giving students the freedom to branch out and develop their personal artistic vocabulary.

South Bear stands apart for its commitment to tradition, its inspiring natural setting, and its vibrant community of artists and learners. Our lineage traces back to Marguerite Wildenhain and the Bauhaus movement, and before that a lineage of 500 years of the German Potters’ Guild system.

South Bear maintains a profound respect for craftsmanship and functional beauty.