Finnish American Folk School
The Finnish American Folk School (FAFS) was founded in 2017 to promote Finnish folk arts and traditional skills and ensure that they thrive for generations to come. The Folk School is based in the Skyline Commons building and the Finnish American Heritage Center in Hancock, Michigan. We welcome workshop requests or proposals. Scholarships or assistantships are available. Please contact FAFS director Clare Zuraw with all questions, suggestions, or scholarship requests: clare.zuraw@finlandiafoundation.org or 906-370-3722.
Upcoming Programs 2025
If you feel sick or have been exposed to COVID-19 before a class or other event, please stay at home and contact us to arrange a refund. If the FAFS must cancel an event, registrants will be notified, and refunds will be issued. Thank you for helping us to continue offering programs as safely as possible.
January 2025
February 2025
Ongoing
11 sessions: Tuesdays & Thursdays, January 7, 9, 14, 16, 21, 23, 28, 30, February 4, 6, 11
1-3pm
Location: Finnish American Folk School Ceramics Studio
Skyline Commons 102 @ 200 Michigan St. Hancock
Instructor: Lindsey Heiden
Class fee: $240
CLICK HERE TO REGISTER
Registration closes January 6 or when sold out.
Have you ever wanted to learn how to spin clay on a pottery wheel? This class is designed for intro level students to learn the basics of wheel throwing & glazing. Students will learn how to wedge, center, form, trim, and glaze a range of functional pottery shapes including cups, mugs, bowls, plates, and vases. At the last class the kiln will be unloaded and students can share their finished work with each other. This class is open to students ages 18 and up.
Fridays – January 10 | February 7 | March 7 | May 9
6-8pm
Instructor: Lindsey Heiden
Skyline Commons Room 103
$40 per couple for one date night
REGISTER HERE FOR JANUARY 10
REGISTER HERE FOR FEBRUARY 7
REGISTER HERE FOR MARCH 7
REGISTER HERE FOR MAY 9
Questions? Email clare.zuraw@finlandiafoundation.org or call 906-370-3722
For those who want to go out on a Friday night and have some fun this night is for you. A twist on what a date night can be. Bring a date and work on a pottery wheel together to make a mug, cup or bowl. Your date can be anyone, a spouse, partner, friend, family. Folks will be able to pick out a glaze color and the work will be glazed and fired for them. Though you certainly can just come for the fun and not the finished piece. For the couples that think wheel throwing is not for them, hand building is an option. Date night clothes are not recommended – everyone should wear clothes that they do not mind getting a little dirty. Though couples will be working with clay maybe for the first time, this night is about having fun and not necessarily learning or becoming proficient in working with clay. There will be some guidance from the instructor.
8 sessions: Sundays January 12, 19, 26, February 2, 9, 16, 23, March 2, 2025
12:00-1:30pm Eastern Time ON ZOOM
Instructors: Becky Luoma & Laura Kurkinen
150.00 € (~ $153 USD)
CLICK HERE TO REGISTER
Registration is open until January 6th, 2025 or until sold out
Language Clubhouse and Finnish American Folk School in joint partnership are offering a Basics of Finnish online course for adults.
Welcome to our Beginner Finnish Course! This course unit includes 8 lessons spread over 8 weeks. Online classes are conducted via Zoom, with each session lasting 1.5 hours. Throughout the course, you will find language exercises on our platform to reinforce the lesson content, along with weekly homework assignments to submit. The teacher will provide personalized feedback every week to students who complete their assignments. Once you register, you will receive credentials to log in to the website and access your course materials and Zoom meeting link.
By the end of the course, students will be able to:
- Handle daily situations and ask relevant questions.
- Understand basic expressions from slow, clear speech.
- Introduce themselves briefly and share personal information, even if speech is slow and pronunciation is not perfect.
- Display knowledge of numbers, the alphabet, the verb “to be,” and personal pronouns in their basic forms.
- Gain insight into Finnish culture and society.
- Topics covered: alphabet, self introductions, days of the week, numbers, colors, food words, partitive, genitive (I), adhesive (I have) Verb types 1-5 (practice verb types 1-3), weather, seasons, family, adjectives, working life vocabulary and much more!
8 sessions: Sundays January 12, 19, 26, February 2, 9, 16, 23, March 2, 2025
1:30-3:00pm Eastern Time ON ZOOM
Instructors: Becky Luoma & Laura Kurkinen
150.00 € (~ $153 USD)
CLICK HERE TO REGISTER
Registration is open until January 6th, 2025 or until sold out
Pre-requisite: Completed Beginners course Basics of Finnish with the Language Clubhouse or from a different organization. Or can demonstrate skills in Finnish.
Language Clubhouse and Finnish American Folk School in joint partnership are offering a Basics of Finnish online course for adults.
Finnish for beginners A2 level
Join our course to practice various everyday communication scenarios. Explore topics such as free time, hobbies, nature, travel, health, education, work, and holidays. Enhance your skills in speaking about personal experiences and discussing these topics in various tenses during our sessions.
You’ll get:
- Online live classes with your teacher: total 1,5hrs per week
- Online group classes and a teacher to maximize your communication skills, speaking and listening
- Online live class lessons via Zoom application
- Online course page with all the course content at your fingertips 24/7
- Plus a private WhatsApp group to keep in touch with classmates and your teacher
The course unit consists of 8 lessons (online classes) and the duration is 8 weeks. During the course, you will find language exercises on our platform to practice the lesson content, as well as weekly homework assignments to submit. The teacher will provide personal feedback weekly to students who complete the homework assignments. Once you register you will get credentials to login to the website and access your course materials and zoom meeting links.
Thursday, January 9, 2025
6-8pm
Location: Finnish American Heritage Center
Instructor: Kay Seppala
Class fee: $20 advanced registration required
CLICK HERE TO REGISTER
Registration closes January 7 or when sold out
If you can count to 5 you can play the 5-string kantele! Join Kay Seppala for an introduction to playing the kantele, a plucked string instrument (lap harp) that is the national instrument of Finland. In addition to learning the basics of playing, this workshop will introduce students to kantele lore. Instruments will be provided. Open to anyone ages 12 and up, no experience necessary. Children must be accompanied by a participating parent or guardian.
Thursday, January 16, 2025
6-8pm
Location: Finnish American Heritage Center
Instructor: Clare Zuraw
Class fee: $20 advanced registration required
CLICK HERE TO REGISTER
Registration closes January 9 or when sold out
This workshop is an introduction to the jouhikko, a Finnish bowed lyre known for its droning horsehair strings. In addition to learning the basics of playing, participants will learn about some of the instrument’s history and the ways it is being revived in contemporary folk music. Instruments will be provided. Open to anyone ages 12 and up, no experience necessary. Children must be accompanied by a participating parent or guardian.
3 sessions: Tuesdays January 14, 21, 28, 2025
5-8pm
Location: Finnish American Folk School Fiber Studio
Skyline Commons 105 @ 200 Michigan St. Hancock
Instructor: Phyllis Fredendall
Class fee: $100
SOLD OUT
Would you like to join the waiting list? Please email clare.zuraw@finlandiafoundation.org
This class is designed for total beginners interested in learning to weave. Students will learn to independently dress a table loom and prepare fabric to weave your own rag placemat or table runner. Yarn for the warp and all equipment will be provided. Students should bring garments or fabric yardage to be used as rag weft. No experience necessary. Open to students ages 18 and up. This class is a prerequisite for any beginner weavers interested in registering for the Rag Rug Weaving class beginning in February.
Saturday, January 18, 2025
10am-1pm
Location: Finnish American Folk School Woodshop
Skyline Commons 102 @ 200 Michigan St. Hancock
Instructor: Alice Margerum
Class fee: $35 advanced registration required
CLICK HERE TO REGISTER
Registration closes January 11 or when sold out
Make a birch bark sheath to fit your knife. Do you have a puukko or a small woodcarving knife that needs a sheath? At this workshop you can learn to make a simple woven birch bark sheath to fit it. The word for sheath in Finnish is tuppi. Historically, there are at least three different ways that the Finnish made birch bark sheaths. The woven birch bark sheaths which will be made in this workshop are based on museum examples made during the 19th century in Southern Finland (Päijät-Häme and Uusimaa regions).
Each student will be supplied with enough birch bark to make one sheath for one knife. This workshop is especially suited to puukko, Sloyd knives, and small woodcarving knives. To make sure the sheaths fit, students should bring their sheath-less knives with them. Due to the size of the birch bark available, the blade portion of the knife should be no longer than 4 inches in length. If you have a longer knife, or different sort of tool for which you would like to make a sheath, please contact us, so that we can discuss it in advance.
No experience necessary. Open to students ages 18 and up.
Tuesdays February 4, 11, 18, 25, 2025
5-8pm
Location: Finnish American Folk School Fiber Studio
Skyline Commons 105 @ 200 Michigan St. Hancock
Instructor: Phyllis Fredendall
Class fee: $150
CLICK HERE TO REGISTER
Registration closes January 31 or when sold out
This class is an introduction to rag rug weaving for learning and experienced weavers. If you have never woven before, you must first enroll in our Beginning Rag Weaving workshop to learn the basics before taking this class. If you already know how to wind a warp and dress your loom independently then you are welcome to register for this class. Instructor Phyllis Fredendall will present a variety of rag rug weaving examples including 3 shuttle rugs, block structures, and rose path. Students will learn to prepare fabric for rag weaving and other techniques including the use of a temple during weaving. Yarn for the warp and all equipment will be provided. Students should bring garments or fabric yardage to be used as rag weft. No experience necessary. Open to students ages 18 and up.
Next meetings: Mondays October 21, November 18, December 16
5:15-6:15pm EDT
Finnish American Heritage Center
No cost to participate
RSVP required by email: copper.country.singalong@gmail.com
Oren Tikkanen and Alice Margerum have a vision for re-seeding old songs in the community, one singalong at a time. Join them to learn or re-learn songs and sing as a community. The group will begin by singing songs in Finnish (with English translations when available). Each meeting the group will focus on a new song, eventually building a shared repertoire we can sing together. The organizers will share song lyrics and audio with participants digitally before each gathering. No formal music or language training is necessary to participate. Please do not bring instruments for this gathering as we will be focused on learning words and melodies from recordings and each other. Initially this group is open to singers ages 13 and up. Questions? Email copper.country.singalong@gmail.com or call the FAFS at 906-370-3722
Tuesdays 12pm-1pm
Skyline Commons (formerly Jutila Center)
Fiber Studio Room 105
Call 906-370-3722 or email clare.zuraw@finlandiafoundation.org for more information
Do you like to knit? Need feedback on your yarn choices? Want to learn new knitting tips and tricks socially from other knitters while on your lunch break? Join Finnish American Folk School director Clare Zuraw for a weekly knitting circle in our fiber studio. This is not a workshop! We’ll knit together, and Clare will be available for some light feedback during the hour, but there’s no lesson plan. Registration isn’t required – just show up with your knitting, a lunch, and maybe a friend. There’s no fee to participate, though if you find this to be an enriching experience donations the Folk School are always appreciated.
The Finnish American Folk School is a proud member of the Folk Education Association of America.