Most readers of this blog will be familiar with A Workshop of Our Own (WOO), the Baltimore teaching and workspace established in 2017 by furniture maker Sarah Marriage with funding from the prestigious John D. Mineck Furniture Fellowship.
Along with other schools and ventures of all kinds that rely on in-person gatherings, WOO has faced serious challenges due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Sarah, WOO board members and other allies have come up with a response to keep the classes and camaraderie coming: a broadened reach of offerings online with “From WOO to You.” In the coming months, WOO will host a range of classes that are not only packed with information about tools and materials, and easy-to-follow instruction in skills, but taught by local and national instructors who are a lot of fun. There are basics such as “Understanding Wood” and classes to improve your precision and efficiency including “JIGS: Tools to Make Things Easy.” Inspired by Sarah’s recent experiments with carving in a different medium – pumpkins – there will also be seasonal offerings, such as “Fancy Pumpkin Carving.” (And if you think that fancy pumpkin carving sounds like fluff, think again. Sarah’s technique and designs are mind-blowing in their ingenuity – not that that should come as a surprise to anyone who knows her.)
At $29 a pop for non-members of WOO and $25 for members, the classes are far more affordable than many online classes. One (or more) of the classes would also make an excellent gift for any woman and/or gender non-conforming woodworker/aspiring woodworker. (For those unfamiliar with WOO, it is a non-profit safe space for training underrepresented genders; enrollment is limited to women and gender non-conforming folks over the age of 18.) Each class is taught live but viewable for 30 days afterward.
Visit https://aworkshopofourown.com/workshops to see the full list of courses.
— Nancy Hiller, author of “Making Things Work” and “Kitchen Think” (and of the delightful and informative online profiles we call “Little Acorns”).
Thank you for sharing this site…I have been toying with the idea of learning to weld…and lo & behold they are offering a virtual workshop for that…just signed up!
Rad
“WOO is a non-profit safe space for training underrepresented genders in our field. As such, enrollment is limited to women and gender non-conforming folks over the age of 18.” Fair enough – but a good thing to tell people up front. Thanks
My apologies – it did say this in the posting. My bad. Thanks
I feel a little overwhelmed learning there’s a place with a mandate like WOO. For years before my medical transition, I wished for a safe space to learn some woodworking. Instead, I stuck to books and the internet. Even now, though comfortable in my gender presentation, it would be so affirming to meet another trans woodworker. Thank you for this surprising, informative post.