after many years of wanting to take a class or at least visit, we finally ventured up to the john c. campbell folk school near murphy, NC. the occasion that drew us there was their annual fall festival, now it it’s 37th year.
the folk school was a place for fellowship and the incubation of ideas, and had the added plus of being nestled amidst a beautiful landscape. the school ambles over fields and through wooded clearings, and is composed of multiple buildings dedicated to each craft: woodworking, fiber, etcetera. the folk school is oftened mentioned in the same breath as black mountain near asheville, NC. while black mountain no longer exists, many people flock here to the folk school to learn or hone their craft. there is a mystique to the places- a new generation is questing to pursue old traditions.
this banner from the 1978 festival reminded me of our tree of life.
a huge barn housed the live music and a juried part of the festival.
wandering over to the artisan area, this old smokehouse was covered in virginia creeper, just begining to turn its fall color. our first glimpse of the changing leaves.
a carved bowl in progress
more carving. these were incomplete, but i love them this way.
on the side of one of the buildings there was this great altar of sorts called ‘mousetown’. it looked like years of offerings had been left untouched.
this tent /lean-to was great. note the beautiful truck.
impromptu playing…
the red clay of this chinked cabin was insanely thick and true.
love the contrast of the horse-pulled wagon and modern cars
the school’s motto is “i sing behind the plough (plow)”. a good way to think.
I forgot to add that I met my sweet heart there in a music class. It’s also a romantic kind of place.
I live about a mile from the folk school. It’s a magical place that both keeps me tethered to the earth & lets me fly. Glad you enjoyed it.
I’ve always wanted to go there since I was little. Friends of the family take a sojourn down there for two weeks once a year, and the skills, memories and finished products they’ve returned with are just amazing. It’s wonderful to see a school like this surviving on today.