Find Your Hidden Talent at John C. Campbell Folk School

Brasstown, North Carolina (I-Newswire) November 17, 2011 - Learn a new skill in a picturesque, communal, encouraging atmosphere. And yes, there is something for everyone.

You probably have an activity you’ve always wanted to try out, or you have one you haven’t thought much about, but given the opportunity to explore and let go of your inner inhibitions, you will find something that will excite and engage you.

John C. Campbell Folk Art School in Brasstown, North Carolina, has that magic touch, and it offers adults weekend and weeklong classes. Folks from all around the country attend classes in painting, weaving, jewelry making, dance, cooking, nature studies, blacksmithing, and wood carving to name a few.

Attendees arrive on the first day of class to warm cookies and drinks from the welcome committee. After picking up your welcome information packet, you walk or drive to your room in one of the many houses that make up the 300-acre folk school campus. Depending on your package, you may or may not have a roommate but everyone has a couple of housemates. Some of the residences are warm and charming, like the round Hubble House, with a small cozy library and an outdoor patio looking out into the mountains. Shared rooms with full baths are reminiscent of college dormitories, and if you leave all attitudes at home, you will have a fabulous time.

Before dinner, everyone gathers in the dance room to get an orientation about the school and procedures; yes there are procedures and every student adheres to the rules. For example, students can only enter the dining hall only after the bell is rung. You sit down, at your table, only after the grace is said. Be prepared to put on a couple of extra pounds for the dinning staff does an excellent job of putting out scrumptious food for each meal.

Immediately after dinner, students disburse to various classes to begin the first intensive session. Most classes begin producing results immediately, regardless of if it’s an intensive weekend class or not.

Many of the instructions are working professionals, and they encourage and engage their students to produce what they might not have envisioned at the beginning of class. By the end of the first evening, students have learned a basic array of techniques to facilitate the skill they signed up for. By the end of their stay, most students have a few show and tell items that they individually produced.

During the session “downtime”, between 9pm and 7:45am, you can take a walk and enjoy nature at its very best, participate in a school activity like a dance or movie night, or you could simply retreat into the peace and quiet of your room. During the day, students are encouraged to drop in on other studios to briefly see other classes in session.

In the morning before breakfast, enjoy music, songs, and a little bit of folk history in the community room from talented local musicians.

By the end of the stay, students come away with an array of techniques to facilitate the skill they signed up for. All classes proudly display student projects in a two hour exhibition. A frequently visited exhibition table is that of the baking class, which generously has a motto: “No cookie left behind”.

The school also offers a craft shop with an impressive array of traditional and contemporary Brasstown carvings, jewelry, and pottery amongst other things.

John C. Campbell Folk School is open year-round. Upcoming theme classes include December 26, 2011-January 1, 2012 for Winter Dance Week and March 18-24, 2012 for Scandinavian Heritage Week.

For more information, visit http://www.folkschool.org, or call 828-837-2775.

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