axercise + spoon blanks
August 7, 9am - 4pm
Using an axe can be intimidating and awkward! Get confident with an axe using body ergonomics and gravity. Adapted from Beth Moen’s morning axe routine, this class focuses on aligning your body into safe and efficient positioning to make axing easier for longer periods of time.
Tuition: $135 per participant
Materials Fee: $40 to be paid to instructor, includes branches and logs for practice and two spoon blanks
Optional Tools to Bring: Participants may bring their own carving axe if they have one.
Age / Ability Level: Open to all levels, 18+. We will be talking about how to use gravity and lighten grip for endurance. Grips strength is not a requirement but something to consider since we will be using the axe all day. This class is not recommended if you have a shoulder or elbow injury. Youth 14+ are welcome with a parent.
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In the morning we will practice with waste wood and then the afternoon will be spent making spoon blanks. Each student will make 1-2 blanks and have wood to take home.
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We will be talking about how to use gravity and lighten grip for longer endurance. Grip strength is not a requirement, but something to consider since we will be using grip all day. Axing is not recommended if you have a shoulder or elbow injury.
CENTER FOR PEOPLE AND CRAFT is committed to building a diverse, inclusive learning community where people of all backgrounds feel welcome and able to participate. As we launch our first workshop series, we are dedicating space in each class for reduced-tuition scholarships to support anyone facing financial barriers. As we build a more robust scholarship program, we hope this initial launch will remove barriers and expand access to hands-on learning for all.
Anyone with financial need is encouraged to apply for a half-tuition scholarship. To be considered, please submit a brief online application. Please note that CENTER FOR PEOPLE AND CRAFT is operating with limited financial resources and an entirely volunteer staff. Therefore, we cannot guarantee a spot for every applicant. Each class has one scholarship slot available. Applicants who are not selected in this current round are welcome to reapply. Apply here
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Description text goes herPC is able to provide refunds up to two weeks before the start date of the class for which the registration was submitted, though we do retain a $20 fee for return payment processing. If you need to cancel your class within the two week window, a refund is not guaranteed, but will be considered based on several factors.
If CPC needs to cancel a class due to low enrollment, teacher illness, or other factors, you will receive a full refund. Read our full set of policies.
meet your instructorS
Jess Hirsch holds an MFA in Sculpture from the University of Minnesota and is the founder of Fireweed Community Woodshop in Minneapolis—an inclusive woodworking space centered on empowering women and nonbinary makers through slöjd. She apprenticed under Jim Sannerud through a Minnesota State Arts Board grant and regularly teaches greenwood working, spoon carving, and other craft.
From Nordic foods to traditional craft, from frilufstliv (“open air life”) to Nordic holiday traditions, Anna Lindall loves to explore and share her Swedish and Icelandic ancestry. Anna is a serial craft dabbler and the founder of the Center for People and Craft. Anna studied slöjd (handcraft) instruction in Sweden as a 2022 Folk Art Fellow through the American Scandinavian Foundation, and was a resident teaching artist at Great River Montessori in 2025.
