MFG* Apprenticeships
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An educational—entrepreneurial hybrid in the high desert.



 Tuition-free training of local hands-on learners in trades that help build out spaces they want to occupy as adults in the Morongo Basin. By working with our hands, we work together to build a better future for ourselves. MFG fosters meaningful skills and meaningful relationships.

     


























*MFG, short for Mojave Fabrication Guild, grew from designer Veronika Koltuniak’s advanced study of sociology, specifically her academic re-consideration of the 2016 documentary, The Bad Kids, profiling the at-risk students of Black Rock Continuation High School. Within this context, MFG offers an act of community reclamation, rooted not in perceived morality, but rather potential, positivity and opportunity.

MFGWorkshop@gmail.com
Sample Curriculum Crosley Case Study – 2 Credits
Upholster, detail and EV outfit a 1947 Crosley
Target skills: Upholstery, electrical, EV retrofit, design principles
Eight weeks, 32 Hours

Lamp Lab – 2 Credits
Wood base fabrication, wiring practicum and found-material lampshade workshop.
Target skills: Woodworking (on a lathe), electrical wiring, critical thinking, design.
Eight weeks, 32 hours

Upcycling In Situ – 2 Credits
Revive the well-loved barstools used in the MFG Workshop through reupholstery, refinishing, etc.
Target skills: Upholstery, furniture repair/refinishing.
Eight weeks, 32 hours

Sofa Sessions – 2 Credits
Reimagine Scandinavian sofa sets through upholstery; learn basics of frame repair, padding, fabric considerations, trimming, etc.
Target skills: Upholstery, design principles.
Eight weeks, 32 hours

Material Matters – 1 Credit
Historical survey of found object furniture and lighting movements, from Duchamp to DeSede; trace how designers and artists have drawn inspiration from common objects as gestures of sustainability.
Target skills: Critical and historical thinking, sustainability in action: refuse as raw materials.
Four weeks, 16 hours