Mountain Institute for Lifelong Learning at Warren Wilson College is a vessel for community building, exploration, adventure, place-based learning, and the ignition of new passion for lifelong learners. These are non-credit bearing experiences, ranging in length from one to three weeks, that bring learners to our campus in Asheville, NC or send them on global explorations with Warren Wilson faculty. These courses highlight the unique magic of Warren Wilson College, which has been a hub of experiential learning since its founding as the Asheville Farm School in 1894.

Adults of all ages are encouraged to apply (18+). The majority of courses will take place on Warren Wilson’s campus, and others will be Worldwide Courses that depart from Asheville but travel to various corners of the globe.

One-Legged Stool Weekend

We will explore the definition of a chair and balance. The course will cover shaping wood and mortise and tenon joinery by using a drill press, routers, tapering jig, tentoning jig on a table saw and a square chisel mortiser. We will also cover sanding and finishing. By the end of the class you will have a stool that you will enjoy for a very long time.

Weekend Course

Level: Beginner +

Cost: $260 (+$50 materials fee)

Going Hammer & Tongs! Weekend

In this fast paced workshop, we will modify one of Earth’s most elemental resources into objects of utility essential to the blacksmith’s craft: the cross peen hammer and bolt jaw tongs. Students will be guided through basic concepts of toolmaking and old school mechanical engineering that leverage the thermal properties of steel and the practical advantage of power hammers and presses as production tools.

Week-long Course

Level: Beginner+

Cost: $650 (+$100 materials fee)

Needle Felting Weekend: Flat Felted Designs on Fabrics

Create beautiful designs in wool with just a few simple tools! No water or soap or scrubbing needed: this is the easiest form of felting, and you can start and stop whenever you like, making it a great craft for busy people.

Weekend Course

Level: Beginner +

Cost: $260 (+ $20 materials fee)

Art and Education at Black Mountain College Weekend

Black Mountain College is best known as the famous interdisciplinary art school that attracted internationally-renowned (and in many cases, exiled) artists, musicians, poets, and inventors to the rural mountains of North Carolina. But what were the ideas and ideals that gave rise to Black Mountain College's unique spirit of collaboration, experimentation, and community? In this course, we will explore the history and the philosophy behind BMC's distinctively experiential and experimental model of liberal arts education.

Weekend Course

Level: Beginner +

Cost: $260 (+ $25 materials fee)

Beginner Mushroom Growing Weekend

In this course, we’ll learn how to start mushroom cultures using wild tissue samples, spore prints, and liquid culture, learn about grain and sawdust spawn and innoculating shiitake spawn onto oak logs.

Weekend Course

Level: Beginner-Advanced Beginner

Cost: $260 (+ $15 materials fee)

Plant Cordage and Tulip Poplar Bark Bucket Weekend

Design and craft your own basket from tulip poplar bark and plant cordage. We will discuss selection and harvesting of appropriate bark and cordage materials with a focus on the Southern Appalachians.

Weekend Course

Level: Beginner +

Cost: $260 (+ $35 materials fee)

Living Sculpture: Foraging, Sculpting, and Creating with Driftwood and Succulents Weekend

Driftwood and succulents will provide the base for our creations. We will forage for lichen, nuts, seed heads and more to complete our sculptures. The final product can be used as a table centerpiece or a fairy house for bookshelf.

Weekend Course

Level: Beginner - Intermediate

Course Cost: $260 (+ $35 materials fee)

Having a Will - Creating Peace of Mind Weekend

We all know we need to figure out what happens to our property and legacy when we're gone. But, we often postpone because we don't know where to start. Anyone who has gone through it knows that there is more to having a will than just showing up in the lawyer's office or going online and filling out a form. In this program, we'll walk through the decisions that you need to make and collect the information necessary for getting it all done. 

Weekend Course

Level: All

Course Cost: $260 ( + $85 materials fee)