Make Minnesota
Find your shop. Learn a craft. Build something real.
Find your shop. Learn a craft. Build something real.
Minneapolis
A nonprofit, volunteer-driven community of artists, engineers, and makers operating a 13,000 sq ft shared workshop with 11+ dedicated shops. One of the oldest and largest community makerspaces in Minnesota, founded 2009. Members have 24/7 access.
$85/month or $460/6 months; need-based discounts available; personal storage included
Minneapolis
A 24/7 member-access makerspace in NE Minneapolis focused on digital fabrication and manufacturing. Offers an ultra-precise liquid-cooled laser cutter, large-format CNC router, CNC mill, multiple high-resolution 3D printers, and a full woodworking shop.
Monthly membership required; see website for tiers
Minneapolis
A rental woodworking shop and community makerspace in the NE Minneapolis Arts District. Members pay monthly for unlimited access to professional-grade tools. Also offers classes in metalwork, woodwork, stained glass, knife-making, and more.
Monthly membership; classes available à la carte
Brainerd
A collaborative community makerspace in Brainerd offering tools, training, and classes to makers of all ages. Aimed at entrepreneurs, hobbyists, and learners who need affordable access to equipment and instruction.
$25/day drop-in (after orientation); monthly memberships available
White Bear Lake
A community makerspace in the White Bear Lake area offering classes and open shop time in woodworking, CNC, laser cutting, epoxy art, electronics, and more. Known for a welcoming atmosphere and strong class calendar.
Memberships and à la carte classes available
Duluth
Duluth's community makerspace, devoted to offering a sustainable multi-field cooperative workshop for local artists, inventors, experimenters, teachers, and learners. Houses woodworking, metalworking, 3D printers, CNC machines, and more.
Membership based; see website
Mankato
A community makerspace serving the Mankato/Greater MN region, providing maker-oriented tools and community workspace for hobbyists, students, and entrepreneurs.
Membership based
Dundas
A community makerspace in Dundas (near Northfield), serving the Cannon Valley area with shared tools and maker community resources.
Membership based
Saint Paul
A community-oriented makerspace in Saint Paul offering shared tools, workspace, and a welcoming environment for makers of all backgrounds.
Membership based
Minneapolis
A community makerspace and tutoring center in Minneapolis offering access to maker tools alongside educational support.
Membership and class-based access
Minneapolis
An innovative educational makerspace for children, adults, and families in Minneapolis. Known for ambitious projects (including a 25-foot "Death Star" build), teaching engineering, CAD, metalworking, woodworking, arts, and crafts through hands-on learning.
Class-based and membership options
McGregor
A folk school on an island on Big Sandy Lake, about 2.25 hours north of the Twin Cities and 1 hour west of Duluth. Offers summertime blacksmithing, pottery, and traditional craft workshops taught by invited instructors. Featured on Lakeland PBS.
Per-class pricing; summer season only
Minneapolis
A nonprofit arts organization housed in a historic South Minneapolis building, focused on art forms using heat, spark, or flame. Offers classes quarterly in blacksmithing, enameling, flameworking, jewelry making, metal casting, neon bending, sculptural welding, and more. Also hosts youth summer camps and a public art program.
Per-class fees; quarterly registration; income-based scholarships available
Minneapolis / Saint Paul
A 501(c)(3) nonprofit dedicated to keeping the metalworking arts alive in Minnesota. Offers classes ranging from entry level to advanced in and around the Twin Cities area. Also hosts meetings, a forum, and a shop for members.
Membership and class-based fees
Rochester
A historic mill and blacksmith shop offering year-round classes in blacksmithing and knife-making taught by guest instructors. Beginner students learn drawing out, upsetting, bending, and twisting. Knife-making classes cover heating, treating, grinding, and handle making. Damascus knife making also offered.
Per-class fees; see website for schedule
Duluth
A community blacksmithing group in Duluth offering forge access and instruction for those interested in traditional ironwork and bladesmithing.
Community-based; contact for current schedule
Avon
A working custom ironworks in central Minnesota offering blacksmithing classes during the winter months. One-on-one instruction where students forge a hand-made item to take home.
Per-class; winter season only; contact for schedule
Minnesota
Founded by master bladesmith Jason (featured on History Channel's Forged in Fire and Discovery Channel's Master of Arms), NorthStar Forge offers bladesmithing classes and custom knife making instruction.
Per-class; contact for current schedule
Saint Paul
The living history blacksmith shop at Historic Fort Snelling, operated by the Minnesota Historical Society. Offers demonstrations and occasional hands-on blacksmithing programs in a 19th-century fort setting.
General admission to Fort Snelling; program fees vary
Minneapolis
One of the foremost ceramic arts centers in the nation, offering classes for all ages and skill levels, gallery exhibitions, a shop, artist residency programs, and a ClayToGo community outreach program. A premier destination for both serious ceramic artists and curious beginners.
Per-class fees; studio memberships available; scholarships offered
Golden Valley
A community pottery studio in Golden Valley that has been serving potters of all levels for over 20 years. Offers beginner Clay Date experiences (1–2 hrs), multi-week beginning pottery courses, intermediate throwing courses, and studio memberships with open studio access, equipment, and full firing services.
Clay Date ~$45+; 8-week course; memberships available
Minneapolis
A warm, welcoming pottery studio in South Minneapolis near the VA Medical Center. Offers studio memberships, wheel throwing and handbuilding classes, kids classes, sip-n-spin events, clay dates, and specialty workshops. Known for patient, community-oriented instruction.
Per-class and membership pricing; private sessions available
Minneapolis
A community-focused pottery studio and gallery on Minnehaha Avenue. Hosts classes, workshops, residencies, and community gatherings. Prioritizes uplifting Black, brown, queer, disabled, and neurodivergent creatives. Offers 1-hour and 2-hour clay dates, handbuilding classes, wheel throwing, and a monthly First Friday event.
Clay dates from $85; class pricing varies
Minneapolis
A modern, welcoming pottery studio in the Twin Cities offering 24/7 studio access for members, flexible memberships, classes for beginners through advanced, and open studio time. Focused on building a supportive creative community.
Memberships and class-based pricing; 24/7 access for members
Saint Anthony
A ceramics studio, gallery, and production studio in Saint Anthony (NE metro area). Offers beginner-friendly wheel throwing and handbuilding classes with no minimum enrollment — classes run regardless of size. Multi-week courses and one-day workshops available; includes clay, tools, and glazes with no hidden fees.
Per-class fees; all materials included; $20 rescheduling fee after first reschedule
Bloomington
Formed when the Bloomington Art Center merged with the Bloomington Civic Theater in 2009, Artistry offers Clay for a Day workshops, children's classes, and open studio time. Runs Family Arts Day programs open to all ages. One of the Twin Cities' top community arts centers.
Per-class and membership pricing
Edina
One of the premier pottery facilities in the Twin Cities, operating since the late 1970s. Extensive facilities accommodate a wide range of techniques from beginner through advanced. Staffed by 20+ volunteers and professionals supporting community classes.
Per-class and City of Edina Parks & Rec pricing
Lakeville
Part of the Lakeville Area Arts Center, this community pottery studio offers 5–6 week adult pottery classes with open studio access, as well as youth classes and workshops in pottery, painting, photography, drawing, and jewelry.
Per-class Lakeville Parks & Rec pricing
Minnetonka
A comprehensive community arts center offering extensive ceramics programming including wheel throwing, handbuilding, raku, soda firing, and high-fire reduction. Also offers painting, drawing, and youth programs.
Per-class pricing
Minneapolis
A studio on University Avenue run by Kevin Caufield for over 40 years, combining passion for pottery with teaching. Offers classic wheel-throwing and handbuilding classes, plus a popular 2-hour Wine & Clay experience.
Per-class pricing; Wine and Clay frequently on Groupon
Eagan
Part of the City of Eagan Parks & Rec Department, the Eagan Art House offers community-based wheel throwing and ceramics classes open to Eagan and surrounding Metro residents. Serves all ages and skill levels; private classes for corporate and family groups available.
City of Eagan Parks & Rec pricing
Minneapolis
A world-class glass studio and education facility in Minneapolis, teaching thousands of Minnesotans the foundations of glassblowing, flameworking, stained glass, and glass fusing. Offers beginner through advanced coursework, quarterly class sessions, open studio hot shop rentals, visiting artist workshops, and demonstrations at the MN State Fair.
Per-class fees; scholarships available; hot shop rental for enrolled students discounted
Minneapolis
A 10-person glassblowing studio in Minneapolis offering intro and intermediate classes for adults 21+. Intro classes teach wine glass, pendant, or marble making. Intermediate classes build on beginner skills. Group discounts available.
$70–$90 per intro class; 21+ only; max 7 per class
Golden Valley
Twin Cities' home for glass art materials, studio space, and instruction located in Golden Valley. Offers glassblowing and lampworking classes for beginners and experienced artists. Can host groups up to 30 for team-building or celebration events.
Per-class fees; group bookings available
Minneapolis
Offers lampwork glassblowing intro classes teaching students to melt and shape glass rods into beads, pendants, and small sculptures using a torch. Additional dates available through surrounding Community Education districts.
Per-class fees; community ed options available
Stillwater
A unique arts studio in the Stillwater/St. Paul/Minneapolis area offering classes in fused glass and metal clay. Fused glass involves layering glass pieces and kiln-firing; metal clay allows rolling, shaping, and texturing powder metal into jewelry and art. Private party bookings for groups of 8+.
Per-class; private party pricing available; BYOB
Minneapolis
Hosts classes and workshops in kiln work, stained glass, glass bead making, and other glass arts techniques for all skill levels in the Minneapolis area.
Per-class pricing
Minneapolis
Formerly Women's Woodshop (founded 2017), Fireweed fosters community and individual growth through woodworking classes, fabrication, volunteering, and celebration. Centers an inclusive, exploration-oriented approach, empowering women and non-binary makers. Works with 50+ contract instructors, teaching 150+ classes/year to 1,000+ students. Offers sliding scale and no-questions-asked scholarships.
Per-class; sliding scale pricing; scholarships available
Edina
A community woodshop in Edina for men and women committed to the craft of woodworking. Members have access to a well-equipped shop and a lively community always willing to share advice and support.
Membership based
Twin Cities Metro
A guild serving woodworkers throughout the Twin Cities and greater Minnesota. Maintains a class directory, hosts events, publishes resources, and runs a Tuition Grant Program for instructors and students. Partners with TC Maker, Fireweed, and other regional woodshops.
Membership; classes via partner organizations
Minneapolis
America's only national center for fiber art, incorporated in 1994. A dynamic hub for weaving, quilting, knitting, sewing, dyeing, felting, needlework, lace making, basketry, beading, soft sculpture, and multi-media fiber work. Houses a professional-grade dye lab, natural dye garden, artisan shop, gallery exhibitions, and classes for all ages. Free and open to the public 6 days a week. Located on Green Line light rail.
Per-class fees; free public gallery; scholarships available; on Green Line at Prospect Park stop
Minneapolis
Describes itself as "the largest, most comprehensive center of its kind in the world," offering 200+ workshops, 10 gallery exhibitions, and 5 artist fellowships annually. Disciplines include letterpress printing, screen printing, bookbinding, papermaking, marbling, box making, and book sculpture. Houses Vandercook presses, a paper beater, and a full bookbinding lab. Studio Labs offer open-access work sessions.
Per-workshop fees; MCBA members get 10% discount; scholarships and Pay-It-Forward pricing
Minneapolis
Minnesota's only 24/7 community analog photography darkroom. A complete darkroom facility with wet and dry darkrooms supporting B&W film development, traditional silver-gelatin printing (35mm through 8×10), color film development (C-41), cyanotype, platinum/palladium, wet plate collodion, and film scanning. Offers workshops for all experience levels. Access members can use the darkroom around the clock.
Access memberships + per-workshop fees; intro workshops include 1-month free access
Minneapolis
A creative DIY workshop meets full-service bar in Minneapolis's Warehouse District. Choose from 25+ hands-on craft projects — concrete coasters, macramé wall hangings, leather card wallets, jewelry, woodworking, wine bottle tumblers, and more — while sipping craft cocktails. Perfect for date nights, bachelorette parties, and group events. Locations also in Austin and Denver.
Project pricing $20–$60+; walk-in and reservations; 21+ during bar hours
Minneapolis
A DIY craft studio offering trendy maker classes in polymer clay magnets, resin jewelry, stacker rings, candle making, and more. Classes inspired by social media craft trends.
Per-class pricing
Minneapolis
A beloved Minneapolis Nordic marketplace offering traditional Scandinavian folk craft classes including rosemaling (Norwegian decorative painting), singlade balls, braided bracelets, pincushions, and more. A Twin Cities cultural institution.
Per-class fees
Minneapolis
Open-enrollment continuing education at MCAD — no degree required. Offers classes for all skill levels in oil painting, screen printing, metalworking, ceramics, drawing, graphic design, jewelry, and more. Also offers youth, teen, and summer camp programming.
Per-class CE pricing; some youth programs
Saint Paul
An award-winning Saint Paul nonprofit that hosts community art classes while promoting sustainability through their ArtScraps program — capturing thousands of pounds of manufacturing scraps and overstock materials for art use. Provides accessible art education and eco-conscious maker resources.
Per-class and program-based fees
Minnetonka
See also Ceramics listing. Multi-discipline community arts center with painting, drawing, ceramics, youth classes, and more.
Duluth
A free, public-access makerspace inside the Tweed Museum of Art at the University of Minnesota Duluth. Open to K–12 teachers and general public on a first-come, first-served basis during museum hours. Ideal for art activities and community making.
Free; open during Tweed Museum hours
Grand Marais
Founded in 1997 on the shore of Lake Superior, North House is one of the leading folk schools in the nation, attracting 3,000+ students to 350+ courses per year across 18 themes. Inspired by Scandinavian folk schools, the campus teaches traditional crafts in a cooperative, student-centered environment. Average class length is 3 days, making it a perfect short getaway. Also operates the schooner Hjørdis for Lake Superior sailing.
Per-course tuition; lodging/meals separate (campground next door); early-bird discounts
Grand Marais
Minnesota's oldest continuously operating art colony, founded in 1947. Offers year-round workshops and classes from May–September, led by practicing studio artists and college faculty. Disciplines include ceramics, drawing, literary arts, painting, printmaking, and sculpture. Also hosts 200+ classes/year, artist residencies, youth summer art camps (in partnership with North House Folk School), and community events. Has dedicated studios for glass, clay, and printmaking.
Per-class tuition; scholarships available; 75% refund if cancelled 45+ days before start
Duluth
Founded in 2016, the Duluth Folk School operates a storefront in Duluth's Lincoln Park Craft District, which includes a café and performance space. Offers classes in traditional crafts alongside practical life skills — bike maintenance, beekeeping, knitting, canning, drying rack making, bread baking, and writing. Also hosts free concerts, yoga, and artisan markets. Flanked by OMC Smokehouse and Bent Paddle Brewing.
Per-class fees; many free community events
Ely
A relatively new folk school (opened circa 2015) in Ely, Minnesota, near the Boundary Waters Canoe Area. Offers courses in traditional and outdoor crafts including blacksmithing, winter photography, animal tracking, and canoe country skills. Also hosts weekly community gatherings for crafting and socializing.
Per-class fees
Rochester
An annual community festival celebrating the DIY spirit and creativity in Rochester, MN. Organized as a Mini Maker Faire affiliated with the national Maker Faire movement. Features robots, LEGO, soldering, sewing, electronics, and all manner of creative making. The 2024 event was held November 16, 2024.
General admission; annual event (typically fall)
Minnesota
Offers beginner-friendly and advanced blacksmithing classes with one-on-one instruction from Jef VanMadrone. Students forge a hand-made item to take home in each session.
Per-class; contact for schedule
Minneapolis
A queer and accessible clay studio on Minnehaha Avenue offering wheel throwing, pottery basics, and whimsical themed Clay Camps (fairy houses, clay food, etc.). Also hosts Pottery Pop Ins — drop-in 1-hour clay play sessions. Lots of kid- and teen-friendly programming.
Per-class; Pop Ins available as drop-in
Minneapolis
An adult clay workshop and throwing studio treating creativity as a form of self-care. Offers both free-flow and guided sessions, including themed making experiences like 'girl dinner' plates, matcha bowls, and more.
Per-class pricing
Minneapolis
A community makerspace and tutoring center in Minneapolis combining maker access with educational support programming.
Membership and per-class options
Minneapolis
A community arts and cultural space in Minneapolis offering art classes and creative workshops with a focus on cultural community.
Per-class and event-based
Minneapolis
Open to non-degree students through MCAD Continuing Education, the printshop offers instruction in screenprinting, relief printing (linocut, woodblock), papermaking, and bookbinding. Students develop a creative voice through traditional and contemporary printmaking processes.
CE per-class fees