About Us
South Bear School is a Fine Arts Folk School in rural Northeast Iowa, committed to passing on the skills and artistic values set down by the Bauhaus and previous artistic masters of that legacy.
Our Mission
South Bear School’s mission is to teach students the life skills of fine arts, appreciation of nature’s beauty and artistic value, and foster community connection, while also giving students the freedom to branch out and develop their personal artistic vocabulary. We believe finding functionality through art and beauty is conducive to a holistic, well rounded life.
Our Philosophy
We offer teachings about a lifestyle that is purposeful, functional, and simplistic. This is an opportunity to learn and grow within a community that holds space for its members to live, work, and create. Exploration and observation of the natural world is essential to our lives and to art. We encourage meditation, discussion of philosophy and world-view, and value being place-based and environmentally conscious. The way you live is an art unto itself. Say as much as you can with as few words as possible. Learning to express oneself directly is part of being a person who crafts their communications succinctly. We hope to do this in our artwork in a way that says volumes more than just a sentence or brush stroke. The main tools for maintaining the tradition while changing its direction are primarily demonstrations. One purpose is to tell the story through the art. Anything significant to you can be significant to the world. Even things considered insignificant or mundane can be art. Work hard to coexist peacefully within your communities, and be a force for creativity and change. You must learn the rules before you are able to break them.
Why South Bear?
South Bear stands apart for its commitment to tradition, its inspiring natural setting, and its vibrant community of artists and learners. Our lineage traces back to the Marguerite Wildenhain and the Bauhaus movement, and before that has a lineage of 500 years of the German Potters' Guild system. South Bear maintains a profound respect for craftsmanship and functional beauty.
Land Acknowledgement
We respectfully acknowledge that the land that South Bear School resides on has been home to the Ho-Chunk, Meskwaki, Sauk, and Ioway peoples. Their history and connection to this land spans centuries, and their traditions, cultures, and communities are still an integral part of this region. We honor these ancestral connections to the land and offer our respect to Indigenous peoples, past and present. We strive to work in solidarity with them as they continue to protect their heritage.