Internship & Worktrade

This page is “under construction”….a little bumpy!

Experience a Lifestyle of Sustainability

• This is a unique opportunity to live with others, co-creating a beautiful living model of a natural, local lifestyle.   
• Attend 1 or more months at Strawbale Studio outside Oxford, Michigan, USA.
• The Strawbale Studio is a place, and also a program with Internships, Work Trade, Classes & Outreach…seeking to joyfully weave into the Web of Life !  This is a uniquely rich experience. 
  
• This Page includes a description of the programs, location, teacher, fees,  a number of Resource Links, and more photos at the bottom.

UPCOMING OPPORTUNITIES:

OCTOBER 2026 WORKTRADE & SUSTAINABLE SKILLS PROGRAM!

Help out with the grounds, buildings & infrastructure at Strawbale Studio 25 hours a week in exchange for Room, Board (food) and traditional skills.

Enjoy this enriching environment, help make it beautiful, and take part in several traditional skill sessions per week such as spoon carving, cording, earth oven Pizza, wood-splitting, rocket stove cooking, and any classes that are happening during the month.

October 1 – 28, 2026.  Application forms and other links below. 

CONTACT Deanne 248 496 4088 message or text.  email ecoartdb@gmail.com at any point. 

JANUARY 2027 “WINTERNSHIP”
NATURAL BUILDING TRAINING Program Jan 5 – Feb. 5, 2027 

Activities during the month include the following Hands-on activities: which will be accompanied by Lecture Classes & Building Tours.

Classroom sessions

• • Design & Building Principles.
  • Foundations & Living Roofs

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Class & Hands-on:

• • Earth Plastering & Sculpting
  • Round Pole Framing basic techniques
  • Thatching 
  • Rocket Stove & Earth Oven

Daily Lifestyle 

• • Time indoors & out on beautiful wooded rural land
  • Enjoy the Buildings on site:
    • Strawbale Studio, Kids Cottage, Hobbit Sauna, and other small structures.
    • Living roofs, Thatched roofs.
    • Earth Oven, Rocket Stoves, Insulative Cooking. Fermenting.
  • Shared meals, optional bonfires & natural building video evenings.

 

 

 

 

 

Community connections:

• • Monthly Full Moon Potluck & bonfire, Permaculture Meetup (off-site),
  • Four Weekend Workshops that will include the public.
• BLOG from Previous Winternship

Energy Exchange:  Full Internship $1500 or $1250 1 month in advance.  Option: 5 hr/wk wortrade $1250 or $950 1 month in advance. Help with infrastructure,

• • All participants receive lodging, food, classes, hands-on training.
  • All participants participate in cooking & general house beauty & order (cleaning 🙂
  • All help prepare for & participate in any workshops offered during the month.
  • Worktraders devote 5 hrs/wk to supporting the infrastructure  (Interns can apply this time toward a natural building learning/project of their choice or free time)

LOCATION:  On beautiful rural wooded land  1 hour North of Detroit. Six miles outside a lovely small town, surrounded by farms, forests and meadows.  Within 6 miles of the Strawbale Studio there are some very nice outdoor opportunities:  Bald Mountain Recreation Center, The Seven Ponds Recreation Center and the Rails to Trails bike path system, connecting several small towns.  (There is a bike available to use).  Two swimming lakes and a series of connected lakes to explore by canoe.                          

INSTRUCTOR Main Instructor & Coordinator, Deanne Bednar, is the illustrator of the Hand-Sculpted House, The Cobbers Companion & the Natural Plaster Book, and has 20 years of experience in natural building. Background: Art & Sustainable Futures teacher at the middle school level + Masters in Social Ecology,  Loves to forage, and use materials directly from nature in an artful and practical way!

LEARNING / HELPING OPTIONS

• Intern = Focus on the Projects.  Cost per month $1500 or $1250  prepaid 1 month in advance.  After being accepted, a check or money order can be made to Deanne Bednar. PO Box 733, Oxford, MI 48371
  Individuals may be able to receive academic credit through their college programs. For example  Vivien Yousif received credit through American University, Anthropology Dept.
• 3/4 Pay Worktrade/Intern = 5 hours a week toward upkeep (office, grounds, gardens, based on participants skills & needs of Strawbale Studio).  The rest of the time, participate in the Internship & all classes.  $1250 or $950  Paid 1 month in advance

• Worktrade/ Wwoofer = 25 hours Work-trade per week toward prep for workshops and maintenance of gardens, grounds, office, in exchange for room & board, & 2 enrichment classes a week, and any workshops held for the public.
• Wwoofing / full worktrade is available April, June, Aug, Oct 2026
  • No wwoofing option during the Intern / Winternship months or Intensive 2 week Classes.
• You can come through the Wwoof.usa.org network if you want.   No money exchanged. 
  

RESOURCES

• INTERNSHIP OUTLINE of ACTIVITIES
• INTERNSHIP – STEPS FOR APPLYING
• Brief APPLICATION FORM
• WAIVER FORM 
• EXPECTATIONS for living and working together.  READ OVER – see if it is a fit!
• DETAILS on Worktrade & Wwoofing
• WELCOME LETTER ~ What to bring, etc.
• WHAT PAST INTERNS HAVE TO SAY
• LOGISTICS – how to get here by car, bus, train or plane
• ARCHIVES  of Projects & Worktrade
• PHOTOS & DESCRIPTION of past years’ activities ! 
• Example month: Outline of July 2019 Internship
• VIDEOS about Strawbale Studio     
• PHOTOS BELOW!  🙂

CONTACT: Call, text or email Deanne 248 496 4088 ecoartdb@gmail.com to indicate interest or ask questions.
You can fill out the brief application (BELOW) before or after talking to Deanne.

NOTE:  THE REST OF THIS PAGE IS UNDER CONSTRUCTION.  SCROLL DOWN TO SEE INFO from 2026 and lots of LOVELY PHOTOS!

2026 WINTERNSHIP  Jan 7 – Feb 7       “Best. Experience. Ever.”  Doug Reith

Experience a wide range of natural building skills while living & learning on-site. The Strawbale Studio is on beautiful wooded rural land 1 hr north of Detroit. Fire-side Lectures include Site, Design, Foundations. Weekend Workshops with the Intern & the public will cover these Hands-on Activities:  Earth Plaster, Round Pole Framing, Thatching, Rocket Stove & Earth Oven.  You can register as an full Intern, or partial Worktrader.  (Note the date was shifted forward 2 days from the original posting)
2026 Winternship Training Program OUTLINE. 
2023 Winternship BLOG
2022 Winternship BLOG during Covid.  Small and lovely.

INTERNSHIPS.  NATURAL BUILDING TRAINING PROGRAM
May 3 – 30,  2026.  July 1 – 28 2026,  September 1-28, 2026   + 2027 Winternship   Jan 5 – Feb 5, 2027

Activities during the month include the following Hands-on activities: which will be accompanied by shade-tree Lecture Classes & Tours of the structures /Projects :

• Earth Plastering & Sculpting
  
• Round Pole Framing basic techniques
• Thatching  & Living Roofs
• Foundations, earthen floors, oil finishes on benches + floors, site hydrology n & Materials Class. use of local materials
• Possible creative landscaping and permaculture projects
• There will likely be one or more workshops for the public which Intern and Worktraders will help with and participate in.
• Daily Lifestyle includes foraging, spoon-carving, fermenting, composting, solar oven, outdoor rocket cooker, earth oven, shiitake mushroom production & more.  Buildings on site are the Strawbale Studio, Kids Cottage, Hobbit Sauna, Spiral Chamber and several pretty awesome woodsheds.  Living roofs, Thatched roofs.
• Community connections:  Typically we have Monthly Full Moon Potluck & bonfire, Permaculture Meetup (off-site), 1 or 2 workshops or tours per month for the public. We have local farmers, and get our eggs and some of our produce from them.
• BLOG of previous Internship Activities during May 2022.
• Energy Exchange:  Full Internship $1250/950* + 2 positions available for “1/2 Pay Worktrade” option $625 / $475*  * Paid 1 month in advance. and
  • All participants receive lodging, food, classes, hands-on training.  All participants participate in cooking & general house beauty & order (cleaning 🙂 All help prepare for & participate in any workshops offered during the month. Worktraders devote 10 hrs/wk to supporting the infrastructure (see below).  Interns can apply this time toward a natural building learning/project of their choice or free time.
  • Worktrade activities for 1/2 Pay (10 hours of help) or 3/4 pay (5 hours of help)  WorkTraders  at Strawbale Studio include options such things as Workshop Prep: supplies, Grounds:  firewood, repair, lawn.  Office: data, editing, publicity.  Garden: planting, mulching, watering & harvesting.

WORKTRADE & SUSTAINABLE SKILLS Program 
April 6-28, 2026,   June 1-28, 2026,   August 2 -28, 2026, Oct 1-28, 2026.

Enjoy an enriching 4 weeks of living on-site at Strawbale Studio on lovely wooded rural land with natural buildings while contributing to the the grounds & program. Help out 30 hours a week (garden, grounds, maintenance/repairs, office, some natural building-related work) in exchange for room, board & 2 sustainable skill-building classes per week + any classes that are offered  to the public that month. These skills will include such things as Spoon Carving, Mushroom log inoculation, Living Roof, Rocket Stove Cooker build, Cording & Lashing. tool sharpening, Earth Oven Pizza and Foraging, wood splitting & more!  There will be some variation between months based on progress.  Cost:” / Exchange is30worktrade hrs/week.  Wwoofers / Worktrader month.  No money exchanged. Room, Board (food) and some sustainable skills provided in exchange for 30 hours of help (see above).  Cooking / cleaning is shared. 

* GREEN EXCHANGE (Money 🙂  Check, or postal money order to PO Box 733, Oxford, MI 48370.

CONTACT: Call, text or email Deanne 248 496 4088 ecoartdb@gmail.com to indicate interest or ask questions.  You can fill out the brief application (BELOW) before or after talking to Deanne.