South Bear School

Summer Arts Retreat, June 8-20

Register using the forms linked below. To register, you must make a deposit in order to hold your spot in the workshop.

Program Inspiration

The program is hosted in Driftless Northeast Iowa at the School in the beautiful month of June, where one can lay in the grass, wade in the creek, and camp in the pasture. Inspiration for the Arts Retreat comes from the early years of South Bear, where students and teachers came together to create and learn as a group across many artistic mediums. This idyllic woodland setting near Decorah provides space for exploration and

Course Options

Pottery, June 8-20, $400/week

Days begin with morning gathering, then demonstration and work time, a morning break where guests and students share lectures, poetry, stories, and more; after lunch break we finish out the day working again on the kickwheel. Our pottery program will run for two weeks. The teachings that inform this program have been passed down for six centuries from Master to Apprentice. Students will learn the basic practices and forms of pottery as taught from the lineage of Marguerite Wildenhain, and what it means to work with clay in a studio setting. We believe that the tools for maintaining the tradition while changing its direction are primarily demonstrations; the focus of each day is to learn the pottery forms through the demonstrations of the instructors. This course includes high quality instruction by 5 renowned midwest potters, many of whom are alumni from the school, and imparts the benefits of learning to throw on the kickwheel.

Weekend Mug-making Workshop, June 13-14, $135

Will Schwarz leads the ever-popular Mug-Making Workshop, where students get to learn a variety of form-building and handle making techniques. Take home your creation and make lasting memories in this immersive weekend class.

Plein-air Painting, June 11-19, $250

Join us for three days of guided plein air painting in the woods! Together we will slow down, observe and paint directly from the surrounding scenery. Do not worry about your level of experience. Guided collaging, sketching and color mixing exercises will provide us all with a reliable, systematic approach to painting what we experience outdoors– with plenty of room left for your own sense of style and dialect! Each participant will go home with a sketchbook, acrylic paints and a materials list that will enable them to continue developing their learned skills. Can you imagine a better place to be?

Spencer Hodge is a multidisciplinary artist and educator based in Winona, Minnesota. A graduate of Luther College, he has taught art in school classrooms for nearly ten years–working across painting, drawing, printmaking, sculpture, photography, animation and videography. Outside the classroom, he fosters his own art practice, operates a screenprinting/design shop and whimsically spends his time biking, hiking, and camping.

Printmaking, June 17-19 - $250

Join duluth-based artist and recent luther college graduate Clara Wodny as she leads a three-day printmaking workshop. Learn a variety of techniques and take home new skills to create beautiful prints. Students spend time observing nature and gathering inspiration for their work. Experience plenty of spacious free time to create and develope your personal artistic vocabulary.

Clara Wodny is a 2025 graduate of Luther College, where she fell in love with the Driftless while studying English and Visual Communications. Currently residing in Duluth, MN, she works in Aquatics Management at a YMCA and interns with LAMBDA Literary, a non-profit organization whose mission is to nurture and advocate for LGBTQIA+ writers. An almuni of South Bear School 25', Clara has experience in many different art forms including printmaking and pottery.

Scholarships

We understand that financial assistance may be necessary for some folks, and we have several partial scholarships available, as well as work-trade options for students who are somewhat experienced in studio pottery. To apply for a scholarship, please use the scholarship section of the registration form.

Accommodations

Many students choose to camp on the property, but some have stayed at Airbnb's or hotels in the town of Decorah just a short 5 minute drive from the property. An indoor shared kitchen, shower, and bathroom is available, as well as an outdoor shower.

What to Bring

If you plan to camp, please bring the necessary gear to do so. We offer primitive camping options in our woods with a portapotty available. There is always a chance for rain, so make sure you are prepared. Please bring clothing that you are okay with getting dirty; if you are working with clay it can stain clothes. Bring a sturdy pair of shoes for the kickwheel. Sandals can work, but thin open-toed shoes like flip-flops are not recommended. Please bring your own food and cooler; there will be shared fire rings available for cooking, but you may also use other methods of cooking like a camp stove. There is a gas station about 5 minutes away where you can get ice. Water will be available on site, as well as a few electric outlets to charge a phone in the Barn. Bring a swimsuit if you’d like to splash in the creek. If you have your own tools (clay tools, paintbrushes, etc) please bring them, but we will have enough to share for each workshop if you don’t have them. It is also a good idea to bring a sketchbook or notebook of your preference. Some camp chairs and small tables are always good to have as well.