Upcoming Events

Photography Retreat Weekend
Jul
16
to Jul 19

Photography Retreat Weekend

  • Pine Mountain Settlement School (map)
  • Google Calendar ICS
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Home School Retreat
Sep
8
to Sep 10

Home School Retreat

We often hear that homeschooling families would like to participate in the programming enjoyed by our residential schools - here is your chance! Homeschool Field Days offers the same immersive experiences - meals, lodging, and programming! Families will participate in educational workshops centered around environmental literacy, Appalachian arts, and sustainable agriculture.

Tuesday September 8, 2026
Time
5–8 Years
9–12 Years
13–18 Years
3:00 – 4:00 pm
Arrival and move into the dormitory
4:00 – 4:30 pm
Orientation
4:30 – 5:30 pm
Indigo Salt RubTristan
HabitrekingClare
Plants and PotionsSydney
5:30 – 6:00 pm
Break-time, prepare for dinner
6:00 – 7:00 pm
Dinner — Laurel House
7:00 – 8:00 pm
Bonfire and S’mores
Wednesday September 9, 2026
Time
5–8 Years
9–12 Years
13–18 Years
8:00 – 9:00 am
Breakfast — Laurel House
9:00 – 10:30 am
Split Rock HikeClare
Appalachian FoodwaysSydney
Block PrintingTristan
10:30 am – 12:00 pm
Appalachian FoodwaysSydney
Natural ImpressionsJacob
Stream EcologyClare
12:00 – 1:00 pm
Lunch — Laurel House
1:00 – 2:30 pm
Stream EcologyClare
Mountain DulcimerBen
Weaving & Natural DyesSydney & Tristan
2:30 – 4:00 pm
Painting with NatureBen
StreamsClare
Weaving & Natural DyesSydney & Tristan
4:00 – 5:30 pm
Instrument Petting Zoo / Play Party GamesBen
Plants and PotionsSydney
Guided HikeClare
5:30 – 6:00 pm
Break, prepare for dinner
6:00 – 7:00 pm
Dinner — Laurel House
7:00 – 8:00 pm
Folk Dance — Ben
Thursday September 10, 2026
Time
5–8 Years
9–12 Years
13–18 Years
8:00 – 9:00 am
Breakfast — Laurel House
9:00 – 10:00 am
Gift Shop
10:00 – 11:00 am
Appalachian Music History or Storytelling — Ben
11:00 am – 12:00 pm
Pack up and clean dorm — Sack lunch provided by PMSS
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Heritage in Hand: A Traditional Arts Week
Sep
14
to Sep 18

Heritage in Hand: A Traditional Arts Week

A week of Appalachian craft, taught by the people who still do it by hand — stained glass, blacksmithing, wild basketry, and natural dye, in small classes led by working artists and educators

Heritage in Hand 2026 — Pine Mountain Settlement School
DatesSept 14–18, 2026
DetailsAll meals are included in base price. Lodging price ranges from $20-$50 total for the entirety of your chosen workshop.
Check-inThe Day Before Instuction Begins, 4–6 PM. Dinner provided at 6

Week at a glance

Instructional days per workshop
Mon
Tue
Wed
Thu
Fri
Natural Dyes
Adv. Stained Glass
Beg. Stained Glass
Wild Basketry
Blacksmithing

Quilting with Natural Dyes from the Garden

Jessamine Michler — Natural Dyes
Thu – Fri Cap: 12

Join Jessamine Michler for a two-day workshop at Pine Mountain Settlement School. Together we'll harvest flowers from the garden to dye fabric, then sew pinwheel quilt blocks from what we've colored by hand.

Participants don't need to bring any materials — everything is provided.

About the instructor

Jessamine Michler is a textile artist, educator, and curator of sustainable art practices. Her work with plant-dyed textiles explores how growing and harvesting materials for contemporary art and craft provides a unique place-based color palette, while connecting us to landscape, agricultural heritage, and community.

@cultivatingcolors

Approximate itinerary

Thursday
9 AM – 12 PMHarvest flowers in the garden and prepare dye pots (Draper)
1 – 3 PMDye the fabric and hang it to dry overnight (Draper)
Friday
9 AM – 12 PMSew quilt blocks (Sewing Room, Draper)
1 – 3 PMFinish quilt blocks (Sewing Room, Draper)

Advanced Stained Glass

Margo Marquette — Copper Foil Overlay
Thu – Fri Cap: 8

An intensive two-day dive into the copper foil overlay technique, from a test piece and simple ornament through to a finished panel — cutting, grinding, foiling, wiring, and soldering under close instruction.

About the instructor

Margo Marquette has been creating stained glass panels for the past 15 years in Nicholasville, KY. She holds a BS in Industrial Arts from Berea College and an MEd in Technology Education from Ball State University. Her primary medium is stained glass with openwork copper foil overlay — early work drew on traditional folk songs and fairy tales, while her recent panels portray her own stories, often interweaving fossils, shells, and agates. Through her work, Margo seeks to evoke emotion, spark curiosity, and transport viewers into a world of imagination.

margodmarquettestainedglass.com @marquette_stained_glass Facebook

Approximate itinerary

Thursday
9 AM – 12 PMIntro to copper foil overlay: scrap test, then ornament piece — open-overlay best practices (Draper Classroom)
1 – 3 PMSoldering and wire practice on test & ornament piece (Draper Classroom)
3 – 6 PMBegin the larger piece (Draper Classroom)
7 – 9 PMOptional work time / free time
Friday
9 AM – 12 PMPrep final project (Draper Classroom)
1 – 3 PMFinish project — early departure available for those traveling (Draper Classroom)
3 – 6 PMFinal solder and clean-up

Beginner Stained Glass

Tristan Bray
Tue – Wed Cap: 8

Learn the fundamentals of stained glass from the ground up: reading a pattern, cutting and grinding glass, foiling your cut pieces, and soldering them into a finished piece. Choose one of three simple patterns to build your skills around.

All materials are provided, included in the cost of the workshop.

About the instructor

Tristan Bray is the Appalachian Craft and Culture Coordinator at Pine Mountain Settlement School. She holds a Bachelor's degree in Biology with a minor in Appalachian Studies, and has studied drawing, stained glass, and woodworking at Arrowmont School of Arts and Crafts. Tristan has taught every age group, from elementary students to adults, and currently teaches traditional and new-age Appalachian crafts including corn shuck crafts, block printing, weaving, and stained glass.

Approximate itinerary

Tuesday
9 AM – 12 PMIntroduction to stained glass — how to use a pattern
1 – 3 PMCut and grind glass
3 – 6 PMFinish grinding, clean and foil glass
7 – 9 PMOptional work time if behind
Wednesday
9 AM – 12 PMStart soldering glass
1 – 3 PMContinue soldering glass
3 – 6 PMExtra time if needed

Wild Basketry

Jeff Gottlieb
Tue – Fri Cap: 12

Learn to make five to six baskets in five different styles, built mostly from wild-collected invasive plants. Along the way, we'll explore plant identification and biology and talk through invasive species ecology — you'll leave with a working knowledge of basket construction you can keep using at home.

About the instructor

Jeffrey Gottlieb, MS in Biology, has worked as a naturalist, outdoor educator, and primitive skills instructor for more than 40 years, and as a permaculturist and homesteader for 13. He works with school groups, nature centers, museums, scout troops, colleges, and summer camps; builds full-sized wigwams and longhouses; and replicates primitive tools and artifacts for display. His special interests include fiber arts, flintknapping, basketry, edible and utilitarian plants, and nature awareness. He travels widely across the Eastern U.S. teaching at rendezvous, gatherings, and historic fairs, and has written a how-to manual on building wigwams, an instructor's manual titled Teaching Primitive Skills to Children, and a book on natural fibers and ropemaking called Fibers of Life.

theprimitivenaturalist.com argskids@optonline.net

Approximate itinerary

Tuesday – Friday
9 AM – 4 PMFull instructional days

Blacksmithing

Jonathan Hansel
Tue – Wed Cap: 6 Beginner friendly

A two-day workshop covering core blacksmithing technique on propane forges. Participants walk away with one or more finished pieces. Some prior knowledge is appreciated but not required.

About the instructor

Jonathan Hansel is a self-taught blacksmith from Big Laurel, Kentucky, who first picked up the craft to make his own tools.

Approximate itinerary

Tuesday
9 AM – 12 PMIntroduction, safety, start on first project
1 – 6 PMWork time
Wednesday
9 AM – 12 PMWork time
1 – 3 PMFinish projects
3 – 6 PMExtra time if needed
Heritage in Hand

Pine Mountain Settlement School · September 14–18, 2026

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Monday Night Arts Jam
Sep
14

Monday Night Arts Jam

Monday Night Arts Jam

Looking for a creative way to spend your Monday evenings? Join us for Monday Night Arts Jam, a free after-school program where young people can explore visual art, learn traditional Appalachian music, share a meal, and build community.

Participants ages 8-18 will enjoy hands-on art classes, a free dinner, and beginner-friendly music instruction in a welcoming environment. Whether you've never picked up an instrument or you're ready to build your skills, everyone is welcome.

Mondays | September 14 - December 7

4:30 to 7:00 p.m.

Schedule

  • 4:30 to 5:30 p.m. - Art Class

  • 5:30 to 6:00 p.m. - Dinner

  • 6:00 to 7:00 p.m. - Music Class

Students can learn:

  • Banjo

  • Guitar

  • Fiddle

  • Ukulele

All instruments, art supplies, and dinner are provided at no cost.

Monday Night Arts Jam is made possible through a partnership between Pine Mountain Settlement School, the Kentucky Arts Council, and Junior Appalachian Musicians (JAM).

Space is limited, so register today to reserve your spot!

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The Gloaming
Sep
24
to Sep 25

The Gloaming

Now accepting artists!

Apply below!

Call for Art: The Gloaming - A Light and Art Trail at Pine Mountain Settlement School

We invite artists, makers, and creative practitioners to submit proposals for The Gloaming, a temporary light and art trail at the historic grounds of Pine Mountain Settlement School, a designated National Historic Site in the heart of the Appalachian Mountains. “The gloaming” describes the transformation of dusk and twilight. This exhibition will unfold along an outdoor trail, activating the landscape with site-responsive works that engage light, shadow, and atmosphere.

We are seeking works that respond to the land and its sensory dimensions at twilight. Projects that are immersive, and attuned to place are the highlights of what we are looking for. Installations will be experienced on foot as visitors move through the trail during dusk hours. We are especially welcome to proposals in, but not limited to:

light-based installation, sculpture, performance-based work, land art, and interdisciplinary practices. Selected artists will have the opportunity to exhibit work in a rare, historically significant Appalachian landscape with layered cultural and ecological narratives. 

Guidelines:

  • Works must be suitable for outdoor installation and low-light conditions.

  • Installations should be safe and durable for the exhibition period.

  • Artists should consider environmental impact and accessibility in their proposals.

  • We are seeking thoughtful, resonant works that do not simply occupy space, but listen to it.

We look forward to your vision for The Gloaming.

The event dates for The Gloaming are the 25th (Friday) and 26th (Saturday) of September, expect to bring your artwork on the day of 24th (Thursday) and assist with install of your piece. You are expected to stay for the day of assemble and disassemble. Housing and lodging are provided from the 24th to the 26th. 

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Appalachian Ecology Camp
Jun
7
to Jun 13

Appalachian Ecology Camp

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