During my Ambassador Instagram Takeover, I dedicated my posts to discussing my personal experience with mentorship in the woodworking space and encouraging anyone with a set of skills to offer mentorship to others eager to learn. I recapped my journey over the last 12 years and the people who have been kind enough to show me varying forms of mentorship. First, it took the form of teaching me tools and building techniques, later it encouraged me to explore my own designs, and most recently mentorship took the form of friends and peers helping me find the confidence and vehicles to build my own business. All of the mentors I’ve had along the way have made it possible for me to be a furniture maker.

In response to my posts, some folks asked where they could go to learn so I wanted to take this chance to share some schools and organizations where people can learn woodworking. Just to be clear, there are countless amazing schools and classes throughout the world so be sure to search around your area for community workshops and schools. There is also a directory here on the FWW website. These are just a few places I have personally worked with, taught or had residencies at, or admired from afar:

Center for Furniture Craftsmanship (Rockport, Maine)

• CFC offers an array of classes and workshops taught by some wildly talented instructors. Their 9-month intensive has produced some of the most talented woodworkers I know. They have a 3-month program as well as 1- and 2-week workshops, and a gallery on campus always showcasing great works in wood.

Florida School of Woodwork (Tampa, Fla.)

• The Florida School of Woodwork teaches everything from beginner to advanced classes. They bring in incredible furniture makers to teach projects and techniques they specialize in. They often offer scholarships and, rumor has it, there are adorable shop dogs and a break each afternoon for tea.

Wendell Castle Workshop (N.Y.)

• This school is the new kid on the block but it is located in the former studio of one of the most legendary woodworkers of our time, Wendell Castle. 2024 is their first year offering classes and the lineup and workshop look great for folks to come learn in this iconic space.

The Wood School at Pine Croft (Berea, Ky.)

• I may be biased because the director of this school was my collaborative partner for many years, but Pine Croft is dreamy. The weeklong classes cover a wide range of projects and skills. They bring in instructors to teach their specialties and the shop is so lovely. It’s associated with Berea College so you can check out the incredible work being done by the Student Craft departments over there too!

The Chairmaker’s Toolbox

• CMT is an organization that hosts chairmaking classes at schools and shops around the country. They work to “empower historically excluded makers through the art of woodcraft by creating opportunities in the fields of chairmaking and green woodworking.” They offer scholarships for classes as well as work with highly skilled BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, and People of Color), female, and gender non-conforming toolmakers to produce thoughtfully designed classic tools to offer for sale.

A Workshop of Our Own (Baltimore, Md.)

• WOO is a nonprofit woodshop that aims to “create a professional woodworking environment which cultivates and promotes the careers of women and gender non-conforming craftspeople in our field.” WOO offers in-person and virtual classes that cover a range of woodworking skills along with fun adjacent topics like broom-making and fancy pumpkin carving.

Fireweed Woodshop (Minneapolis, Minn.)

• Fireweed is a community woodshop whose “goal is to introduce women and non-binary folks to tools and techniques through classes, while providing equipment, workspace, and community to help women and non-binary flourish within the craft.” I am a big fan of their virtual programs and chair calendar and hope to get out to visit the shop some day!