Across the nation, facilities known as folk schools are hosting educational programming to keep hands-on skills like blacksmithing, weaving, and woodcarving alive. Over 100 folk schools exist in America,
typically in smaller Midwest towns and rural areas. Washtenaw County residents only need go as far as the
Michigan Folk School in Superior Township's
Staebler Farm County Park to experience the importance of old traditions in the rapidly changing modern world.
"This is definitely a movement that's happening," says Michigan Folk School co-founder Jason Gold. "And it's not just happening in the United States and Europe, but globally." Gold, a former long standing board member with the
Folk Education Association of America, adds, "we have seen a lot of waves of the folk school movement in the past 20-some odd years."
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Doug CoombeA beehive at the Michigan Folk School.
Folk schools tend to emerge during periods of societal change as a response to technological, economic, or social disruptions. The original folk school movement started in Denmark during the Industrial Revolution. During this period, people sought to "get back to the land" and preserve traditional skills threatened by technological advancements. The movement was characterized by a renewed interest in craftsmanship, self-sufficiency, and learning practical, hands-on skills.
Gold co-founded the Michigan Folk School with his wife Julia in 2012. Their mission: to create a community engaged in authentic, hands-on experiences through the teaching and sharing of traditional folk arts, crafts, music, and skills in an inspiring natural setting, and to promote the preservation of forest and farmland.
"At the time, more people felt that technology is taking our jobs and our knowledge. It was very similar to what happened all of those years ago when the folk school movement started," Gold explains. "The fear of losing knowledge, of giving up our control of our creativity to computers, really kind of came around full circle."
Steady growth
The Michigan Folk School has grown steadily since its creation. It started with five teachers; today it has 68. The school will offer approximately 600 classes for its 2025-2026 season, appealing to a wide range of ages and skill sets. Classes range from hide tanning and wild crafting to wet felting, blacksmithing, and axe throwing. Future plans include expanding home study classes, focusing on topics like chicken processing, raising chickens, permaculture farming, fruit trees, and food preservation.
"Most people are pretty surprised that a folk school is part of the parks department. That's very unique to us," says Ginny Leikam, the Washtenaw County Parks and Recreation Commission's (WCPARC) superintendent of planning and the Natural Areas Preservation Program.
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Doug CoombeGinny Leikam at the Michigan Folk School.
The Michigan Folk School and the WCPARC have had a special partnership since the Golds first met Leikam in 2016. With administrative support from Washtenaw Community College, the Golds had been offering courses at various locations, such as churches. They needed a campus, and Leikam felt the school could honor the site's cultural heritage and help activate the park. The partnership eventually grew into a merger, with the folk school becoming part of the parks system in 2023. The school was acquired for no money. Gold says the school was "a gift to the people of Washtenaw County and the future."
"The folk school has really developed into some unique programming not just for Washtenaw County residents, but also beyond," Leikam says. "Jason brings a lot of passion, and the community there is beautiful. People come to take classes from all over the place."
Building community by sharing skills
For Gold, community is at the heart of the Folk School's mission. He's witnessed people coming together across generations, backgrounds, and perspectives. He recalls a powerful example during the politically charged 2016 presidential election. A couple came to a class wearing Hilary Clinton campaign shirts. There were only two empty seats left in the hands-on knife-sharpening class – directly across from a couple wearing Donald Trump shirts.
"I remember thinking, 'Oh my, you have got to be kidding me.' But they ended up learning and laughing with each other," Gold says. "Two and a half hours later I was being asked to take a group picture of them. And over the years I've seen those same four people in three different classes."
Ann Arbor resident Christine Gibson has taken several different classes, both solo and with her children. She shares that learning to carve a wooden spoon has been life-changing. She's taken classes several times to try to make a spoon fit for use, and will continue her efforts.
"The folk school is my happy place. It's made me a better mother," she says. "I rarely put myself in situations where I'm not already good at something, but these classes reminded me of the frustration that children go through when learning new skills."
Her 20-year-old son Owen, who has autism, says, "I can definitely see that. The school gives her time to decompress, and it's a fun place where our family has bonded through our experiences."
He adds that he and his siblings once joined their mom for a class in which they each designed their own wooden chairs. The chairs are now in Christine Gibson's home. Someday, when Owen Gibson has kids of his own, he'd like to share the story of how they were made.
"Whenever one of us had a challenge in our classes, we'd talk about it and then help each other," he says. "When I see the chairs I think about creating family memories and why it's important to never give up when you're learning something new."
His mother shares similar sentiments and says that she's looking forward to taking another spoon carving class.
"I call what I've made so far my 'proto-caveman spoons' because they're more weapons than spoons," she says. "My husband and I always joke that if and when society eventually collapses, we might have no actual survival skills, but we're not going to be without eating utensils."
Michael Kaufman-Schofield, a basket weaver who has been teaching at the school for about two years, emphasizes that the school helps people reconnect to nature and to the world at large.
"I'm often able to go outside with students because the school has such beautiful acreage," she says. "We look at plants around the grounds that could also be in your own backyard that you can weave with. Then we're able to work harvested materials into students' baskets."
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Doug CoombeThe blacksmithing studio at the Michigan Folk School.
Kaufman-Schofield says the power of understanding the entire process of creating something – from raw material to finished product – should not be underestimated.
"So many of us are at a time when we are trying to re-establish that we're part of nature, we're part of this world," she says. "I think the folk school is such a beautiful way to just slow down and do that."
Gold is confident that interest in folk schools will continue to grow. He points to several new folk schools opening up in Michigan,
most recently in Traverse City this February.
"When the world feels uncertain, people want to get back to connection with themselves and develop skills for self-sufficiency," he says. "During challenging times, people seek security and a sense of empowerment. Folk schools help create this."
Jaishree Drepaul is a writer and editor based in Ann Arbor. She can be reached at jaishreeedit@gmail.com.
Photos by Doug Coombe.