Arbutus Folk School
FOUNDER’S FUND
The Arbutus Folk School Founder’s Fund was launched in 2022 to honor Stacey Waterman-Hoey and her vision for the school at its founding in 2013.
This Fund is an opportunity to secure the future of Arbutus Folk School, looking beyond daily operational needs towards our long-term stability and growth.
Your generous gift to the Founder’s Fund will help us achieve our most important financial goals as we approach our second decade: rebuilding our reserves; investing in strong, skilled leadership; and establishing an endowment to sustain our work for decades to come.
The Founder’s Fund is an opportunity to make a special gift of any size, beyond your usual annual or monthly giving to the school. It is also an excellent destination for IRA distributions, appreciated assets, and planned giving such as a bequest, because your investment will be stewarded for the greatest possible impact for years to come.
Arbutus Folk School is a 501c3 organization, and all gifts to the school are tax-deductible to the extent allowable by law. You can contribute to the Founder’s Fund today by donating here or, to avoid processing fees, by mailing a check to 120 State Ave NE #298, Olympia, WA, 98501 and indicating “Founder’s Fund” in the memo. We look forward to talking more with you – please reach out anytime at 360-350-0187 or hillary@arbutusfolkschool.org.
RAISED
2023 GOAL
When you support Arbutus Folk School through the Founder’s Fund, you are supporting hands-on arts and cultural experiences for our community that uplift, connect, and empower.
In 2021, we offered 150 classes & workshops that engaged over 600 students in woodworking, ceramics, weaving, blacksmithing, stone carving, and more. Overwhelmingly, we heard this message from students in our classes: thank you.
When community members walk through our doors, they are entering a place where they can express their creativity, connect with others, and gain confidence in new skills. In spite of countless challenges due to Covid, we continue to expand our positive impact through the arts.
Donors to the Founder’s Fund make this work possible for years to come:
Our new scholarship program for youth with financial need to attend our classes at no cost has served twenty teens so far, with most choosing to take blacksmithing and wheelthrowing classes. Several have shared they are planning to continue with their new artistic practice. Read more
In Spanish-language ceramics classes with artist Samuel Becerra, students sculpted bird-shaped flutes from terra cotta clay, then painted the flutes after they were fired in the kiln and learned how to play them. With the disruption of the pandemic, these workshops have been the first local arts experience offered for Spanish-speaking community members in several years. Read more
Our craft group dedicated to and led by community members who are Black, Indigenous, and people of color is a time for networking, creative expression, and artistic growth. Participants have expressed they are thankful for this special time and space, the first of its kind in the Olympia community. Read more
Our workshops and classes on local folk & traditional arts bring students together with master artists and culture bearers of our region to try Ukrainian egg-dyeing, hear Quinault legends, and more. Read more
We offer employment opportunities for local artists and makers to teach with us, and we also support our local creative community through professional development opportunities and community-building.
Arbutus Folk School is proud to host the Olympia Woodworkers Guild, which includes over sixty local members. The Guild has hosted monthly educational meetings on Zoom with topics such as Yu’pik mask carving and building a Windsor chair, and how to succeed in joinery and finishing. Members have also shared their time and unique skills to collaborate on community service projects. Read more
Our Arbutus artists-in-residence support operations in the ceramics studio and woodshop while pursuing new goals through their residencies as emerging artists. Read more
Your gift to the Founder’s Fund not only sustains this work, but expands and strengthens our mission for years to come. Thank you.
“Meeting new friends, learned something new, having lots of fun!” -Student
“I was so excited to try a new craft. This was fun, easy, and re-createable at home! I can’t wait to come back for more classes.” -Student
Many thanks to our Founder’s Fund Donors! We are so grateful for your support.
“Enjoyed the instructor and crafting with my daughter!” -Student
“I enjoyed to do something new!” -Student