The Quiet Backbone of American Craft

June 22, 2025

I feel like I have been consistently surrounded (luckily) in my career, meeting folks who reference places like Haystack Mountain School of Crafts and the North Bennet Street School.

But I never knew the full scope of our country's incredible craft education landscape until later in life. This piece from Untapped Magazine connects all the dots, showing the institutions training the makers I admire. It's the comprehensive look at craft schools I wish I'd had years ago. Hope you enjoy and support our great makers.

Why Craft Schools Matter - Untapped Magazine - What is a craft school? And who is a craft school for? The answers to these questions are as myriad and dynamic as definitions of craft itself. Link: https://untappedjournal.com/stories/why-craft-schools-matter

American Craft & Folk Schools - this is the top 20 I compiled for your viewing pleasure.

Haystack Mountain School of Crafts – https://www.haystack-mtn.org

North Bennet Street School – https://www.nbss.edu

Peters Valley School of Craft – https://www.petersvalley.org

Penland School of Craft – https://www.penland.org

John C. Campbell Folk School – https://www.folkschool.org

Snow Farm: The New England Craft Program – https://www.snowfarm.org

Arrowmont School of Arts & Crafts – https://www.arrowmont.org

Adirondack Folk School – https://www.adirondackfolkschool.org

Baltimore Clayworks – https://www.baltimoreclayworks.org

Northern Clay Center – https://www.northernclaycenter.org

Odyssey Center for Ceramic Arts - https://www.odysseyceramicarts.com