Written by Anna Sharratt, Resident Teaching Artist at GRS
“Making cordage is so peaceful.” “I loved learning wood carving and how to make my own butter spreader.” “This class was my favorite and I want to take it again!” These are the words of three different students who have learned traditional Scandinavian handcraft techniques this year with me in my role as resident teaching artist at GRS.
Trading in their pencils and Chromebooks for woodcarving knives, sewing needles, and drawknives, Adolescent students expressed their creativity while learning new skills. CAS offerings combined traditional Scandinavian handcraft techniques and cultural influences from around the globe:
One CAS combined design, wood carving, hand printing, sewing and cordage to make unique drawstring bags with patterns inspired by global folk art examples and nature.
In “Make Your Own Backstrap Loom”, students carved wooden loom parts, and then learned to set up and weave on this simple loom style that has its origins in traditional communities around the globe.
Another CAS offering focused on cordage and weaving, utilizing yarn, fabric, and paper to explore various ways of making cord, rope, and containers–while a final offering focused solely on green wood carving, utilizing freshly harvested willow, linden, and birch to make wooden utensils like spreaders and spatulas–as well as human figures and even ladybugs!
A lucky group of students joined me to pilot a longer offering, a new Creative Expression class called Nordic Arts. Intentionally crossing disciplines and drawing from cross-cultural influences, this class included printing, sewing, cordage, green wood carving, and weaving to make flags that expressed each student’s identity, baskets, and wooden utensils.
Lovely spring weather frequently allowed us to move the workshop outdoors, and the trimester culminated in a Swedish “fika” or snack–flatbread cooked over a campfire and a chance to use the wooden implements we’d carved in class. The longer format proved to be highly beneficial, allowing time to develop a strong group culture that promoted personal expression and agency, emphasis on process over product, experimentation and iteration, and peer mentorship.
I will continue teaching in the fall of 2025 with offerings for Adolescents and maybe even some elementary students!
Anna Sharratt is a GRS parent (of rising 7th and 9th graders) and a longtime experiential educator. These programs were made possible by a “Scandinavian Folk Arts and Cultural Traditions” project grant from the American Scandinavian Foundation, which continues throughout 2025. The accompanying images were taken of the Nordic Arts Creative Expression class by Rebecca Slater of By Rebecca Studios. You can learn more about Anna’s work at TwinCitiesMakers.com.