Help Us Build Little Quilcene Folk School!

After a year of imagining, planning and research we are eager to bring the Little Quilcene Folk School into existence and begin offering some programming this summer! Doing this on the timeline we desire requires resources, and we are looking to raise $45k for a “Startup Fund” to get this project off the ground.

These funds will go towards:

-Rent/occupancy costs for a workshop space

-Tools/materials

-Marketing/outreach

-Insurance

-Further research & development

-Business plan

-Organization model

-501(c)3 Application

-Administrative costs/duties

Our goal is to develop an organizational structure and business model that is sustainable. This startup fund will provide us the resources to thoroughly test and support the development of a business plan tailored to the unique character of this community. If you can support this effort right now a financial contribution of any amount would be greatly appreciated!

We also welcome donations of other resources. If you are interested in volunteering some time and skills or tools and materials to this effort please reach out!

About Us

Little Quilcene Folk School is a craft, arts and community resource center. We are excited to host classes, skill-shares, and resources that inspire and develop community connection and resilience as well as personal growth. Some offerings of the folk school might include:

-Sewing/mending

-Fiber arts

-Greenwood carving/slojd

-Tool sharpening/maintenance

-Tool library

-Leather craft

-Fine woodworking

-Natural building

-Fruit tree grafting and pruning

-Small engine repair

-Printmaking

-Plant walks

-Food preservation

…and so much more!

We are looking to develop relationships with local orgs, groups, and individuals to create something that is representative, inspiring, and accessible to all members of the community. If you would like to contribute thoughts or inspiration to this collaborative endeavor please reach out and consider taking our survey !

--Cai & Ryan

Our Vision

Little Quilcene Folk School’s vision is to provide a place to learn and gather that is for and by our community. A place where learners of all skill levels and life experience are welcomed to share and practice skills and craft using local resources while integrated with the ecology and history of our corner of the Olympic Peninsula—the ancestral lands of the S'klallam, Skokomish and Chimacum peoples.

Inspired by the legacy of folk institutions and slöjd traditions of Scandinavia, and the very specific social and ecological conditions that define the current era, our intent is to celebrate and enrich culture starting in our watershed. Through the encouragement of individual and collective growth, supporting community cross-pollination and collaboration, increasing access to resources for creative and practical projects, and developing skills and awareness that help us live in better relationship with the world around us, we move toward becoming people of place.

A bit about the Folk School tradition

In the United States, there are over 100 folks schools in operation across the country, each with their own identity and connection to place. Folk schools are places where culture and communities evolve by empowering individuals through the learning and practice of craft and practical skills. They are in essence a product of place: in relationship with the land, responsive to the histories and the ongoing needs and interests of where they are based.

You can learn more about folk schools here: Folk Education Association of America