Whether it’s here in Atlanta or all the way across the country, there are wonderful places to explore hands-on learning. Find out about some of them below!
Local Resources
Foxfire
What started as an effort to preserve Appalachian heritage in the 60s turned into a series of books we all know and love as well as an amazing heritage center in the North Georgia mountains.
Today, you can experience Foxfire firsthand by walking through the 8-acre outdoor museum and encountering buildings and artifacts representative of life in the mountains from the 1820s to the 1940s. Plus, they offer an amazing array of workshops from weaving and caning to soapmaking and more. Learn a new craft and discover a history and heritage unique to our mountain region.
Callanwolde Arts Center
The Callanwolde Fine Arts Center is a community arts conservatory and renowned venue located on a historic 12-acre campus in the heart of Atlanta. It is owned and operated by the Callanwolde Foundation, Inc., a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization with the mission of preserving, restoring, and developing the Callanwolde Estate to be the premiere public arts and cultural center.
Callanwolde has been offering wonderful hands-on skills and art workshops for years with beautiful facilities for pottery, weaving, and more tucked within the mansion and its garden buildings. Learn something new without leaving town in a gorgeous atmosphere.
MASS Collective
MASS Collective provides a cutting-edge, safe, and collaborative space for makers, projects, and concepts to evolve. Through their membership, apprenticeship, education, and production programs, MASS Collective empowers Atlanta’s makers and businesses with affordable access to the tools, knowledge, and training required to grow and thrive.
Spruill Arts Center
Spruill Center for the Arts fosters creativity and social connections through the arts by offering a diverse visual arts program to students of all ages and skill levels and enriching community through programs designed to inspire the artist in everyone.
The Spruill Center for the Arts offers day, evening, and weekend art courses for adults, teens, and children across all of their departments, including: Jewelry, Ceramics, Drawing, Painting, Sculpture, Decorative Arts, Photography and more.
Nearby Maker Spaces
Maker Spaces are a great way to get hands-on with the whole family, exploring arduinos to woodworking and everything in between. Discover some of the Maker Spaces in and around ATL:
Decatur Makers
Freeside Atlanta
Geekspace Gwinnett
Hapeville Maker Space
The Maker Station
Roswell Firelabs
Further Afield
John C. Campbell Folk School
John and Olive Campbell laid the groundwork for one of the oldest folk schools in North America (founded in 1925), searching for a way to feature the handiwork of the mountain people of Appalachian North Carolina. Their 860+ weekend and weeklong class offerings cover 48 subject areas. Food and lodging (twelve houses plus a campground) are available on campus, and community events include square dances, concerts, non-profit events, and auctions.
Best of all, it’s just a short, scenic drive away in Brasstown, NC. Get away from the hustle and bustle of the city and come home with a new skill and new friends.
Folk School Alliance Directory
The Folk School Alliance, a project of the Folk Education Association of America, is a volunteer effort to connect North American Folk Schools and to help Folk Schools promote their programs and missions.
They also maintain a directory of active folk schools throughout North America, so you can find a folk school near you or visit one on your travels!