empowering women & non-binary makers through the art of woodcraft
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About Fireweed Community Woodshop
Pendant by instructor Sheilla Actis | MISSION The mission of Fireweed Community Woodshop is to empower women and non-binary folks through the art of woodcraft. Woodworking is an incredible skill that is both practical and creative. The act of woodworking builds confidence and strengthens the imagination. Fireweed Community Woodshop’s 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. |  Carving by instructor Oudia Vincent |
SPACE
Fireweed Community Woodshop provides a workshop where women and non-binary folks can learn at their own pace with supportive female and non-binary staff. We all have different learning styles and entry points into craft. Some students need time to understand the process without help. Others want guidance through each step. Fireweed Community Woodshop is sensitive to the needs of each student and want to know what your learning style is so that we can support you accordingly. We encourage a space where women and non-binary folks feel free to ask questions and share their personal experience or inexperience for that matter. Vulnerability is an asset to learning.
INSTRUCTORS
By putting women and non-binary folks in leadership roles, Fireweed Community Woodshop puts women and non-binary folks in the role of expert. Our goal is to create role models for young women and non-binary folks and girls to observe female and trans woodworkers. Our instructors come from both the art or craft world, but all have a shared experience of being a female or trans learner in the world of wood. By living within the current gender dynamics of woodcraft, our instructors have a unique sensitivity to helping women and non-binary folks get over the hurdle of entering the world of wood working.
GOODS
All of the goods for sale at Fireweed Community Woodshop are made by women or non-binary makers. Women and non-binary folks are still making 80 cents for white women, 63 cents for Black women, and 54 cents for Latinx women to the dollar compared to men. This is one shop where you know you are supporting women and non-binary folks and don’t have to double check that the maker is female or non-binary.