Guest guest Posted October 15, 1999 Report Share Posted October 15, 1999 John C. Campbell Folk School Brasstown, North Carolina *************************** Hare Krsna dasi Recently Harakanta prabhu sent me a catalogue from the Campbell Folk School in North Carolina. In light of our recent discussions on the importance of producing flax in Northern climates, I was interested to note that on Feb 25-27, 2000, the school will be offering a class called: *Flax: From Seed to Linen* by Dale Liles. “We will use the actual tools involved: flax break, scutching board & knife, and hackles. Class material is designed to be of interest to historical re-enactors and docents for historical sites, as well as those interested in the many uses of this plant besides its thread-making qualities. Other bast fibers will be discussed and spun as time permits.” But, beyond that, I was quite surprised what an extensive range of courses they offer (450 classes) and that they have been in existence since 1920. This raises several points for consideration: 1. This school could well be one of the models (like Tillers International ox power school) we might want to investigate for developing our own Varnasrama Colleges. 2. The Campbell Folk School is based on the Skandinavian Folk school model - so European devotees could visit those schools as models. 3. The vast range of courses (450) and the length of time they have been in existence (70 years!) shows how much the public can be attracted by this type of training, and how successful it can be if craftspersons of top skill can be engaged to present courses. This seems to be an exact confirmation of Prabhupada’s plans to spread Krsna consciousness by developing varnasrama self-sufficiency colleges (14 March 1974, 14 Feb 1977). It also supports his statement in Mauritius 1975 to the effect that “They will be attracted by your training power.” Below is a list of the subject areas (there may be as many as 24 courses within 1 subject area) and some contact information, for those of you who do not have web access. Naturally, it would be nice to visit the school - but even for those of us who cannot visit, this give a clue of some subjects which could be taught at a varnasrama college. One idea is to offer courses on self-sufficiency which will be of interest to the general public. When they visit for a week or so to take the courses, we have the opportunity to teach them about Krsna consciousness. Below is the information. your servant, Hare Krsna dasi [i am also sending a blind copy of this post to topical.discussions.] *************************** http://www.folkschool.com/ On our 372 acre farm-campus in the mountains of western North Carolina we offer more than 450 week long and weekend classes for adults year round covering a wide variety of traditional and contemporary crafts, folk music, folk dance, photography, nature studies, cooking, gardening, writing, and storytelling. For more information phone us weekdays from 8:00 am until 5:00 pm eastern time at 1-800-FOLK-SCH (1-800-365-5724) or 837-2775 for local callers. Our fax number is 828-837-8637. Our postal address is One Folk School Road, Brasstown, NC 28902. We're sorry that at this time our e-mail capability is limited to catalog requests only. About The Folk School The Folk School was founded in 1925, a collaboration between two progressive educators and an Appalachian community. Olive Dame Campbell, Marguerite Butler and the people of Brasstown created a unique institution that seeks to bring people toward two kinds of development: inner growth as creative, thoughtful individuals, and social development as tolerant, caring members of a community. Throughout its history, the Folk School has worked toward these goals through performing arts, agriculture and crafts rooted in the traditions of Southern Appalachia and other cultures of the world. Lifestyles and relationships to tradition have changed since 1925. Rural life, no longer isolated, is part of a global life that is increasingly interdependent. The individual expression and social interaction that are encouraged through music, crafts, gardening and dance are still meaningful to people today, regardless of where they live. Materials, tools and motivations for these traditional arts have changed, but the satisfactions of developing skills in a noncompetitive, supportive environment are useful correctives to the hard-driven, often dehumanizing regimentation of much of today's world. Modeled on the Danish "folkehøjskole,"instruction at our Folk School is non-competitive: there are no credits, no grades, no degrees, no pitting of one individual against another. The method of teaching is what the Danes called "The Living Word." Discussion and conversation, rather than reading and writing, are emphasized, and most instruction is "hands-on." The Folk School Experience is a unique combination of rich history, beautiful mountain surroundings, and the experience of living and learning together. Information about the history and development of the Danish Folk Schools may be found (in English!) on the web pages of the Royal Danish Ministry of Foreign Affairs. A Unique History John C. Campbell, born in Indiana and reared in Wisconsin, studied education and theology in New England. Like many other idealistic young people of his generation, he felt a calling to humanitarian work. At the turn of the century, the Southern Appalachian region was viewed as a fertile field for educational and social missions. With his new bride, Olive Dame of Massachusetts, he undertook a fact-finding survey of social conditions in the mountains in 1908-1909. The Campbells outfitted a wagon as a travelling home and studied mountain life from Georgia to West Virginia. While John interviewed farmers about their agricultural practices, Olive collected the ancient ballads and studied the handicrafts of the mountain people. Both were hopeful that the quality of life could be improved by education. The "folkehøjskole" (folk school) had long been a force in the rural life of Denmark. These "schools for life" had helped transform the Danish countryside into a vibrant, creative force in national life. The Campbells talked of such a school in the rural South as an alternative to education that drew intelligent young people away from their family farms to the cities. After John died in 1919, Olive Campbell and her friend Marguerite Butler studied folk schools in Denmark, Sweden, and other countries. They returned to the U.S. full of purposeful energy and a determination to start such a school in Appalachia. But they realized, more than many reformers of the day, that they could not impose their ideas on the mountain people, but would need to develop a genuine collaboration with the people. Several locations were under consideration for the experimental school. On an exploratory trip to Brasstown, Miss Butler explained the idea to Fred O. Scroggs, the local storekeeper, and said she would be back in a few weeks to see if any interest had been shown. When she returned, it was to a meeting of over 200 people at the local church. The people of Cherokee and Clay Counties pledged labor, building materials and other support, and the Scroggs family gave 75 acres of land. In 1925, the Folk School began its work. A Beautiful Place Now designated an "Historical District" by the National Register of Historic Places, the Folk School's twenty-seven buildings are the scene of many services to the community, a variety of special events, and an internationally-known instructional program. The 372-acre campus has fully-equipped craft studios, a saw mill, meeting rooms, a covered outdoor dance pavilion, a nature trail, a craft shop, a vegetable garden, rustic lodgings, and The Community Room, which has one of the best dance floors in America. The School is located more than 1600 feet above sea level, in the rolling farmland of a mountain valley. Some of the School's buildings were designed by a Belgian architect in a Romantic European style, while others are more typical of Appalachian farm houses. The Craft Shop, open daily, sells the work of over 200 mountain craftspeople, including the famous Brasstown Carvers. Basketry Bead Work Blacksmithing Book Arts Broom Making Calligraphy Chair seats Clay Cooking Crochet Dance Dolls Drawing Dyeing Embroidery Enameling Felting Gardening Geneaology Glass Jewelry Kaleidoscopes Knitting Lace Marbling Metalwork Music Nature Studies Painting Paper art Photography Printmaking Quilting Recreation Rugs Spinning Soapmaking Stonecarving Storytelling Thread art Tinsmithing Weaving Woodcarving Woodturning Woodworking Writing *********************************************** Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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