Black Ash: Weaving A Most Useful Handbag Basket
October 1 - 6, 2023
April Stone · instagram.com/april.l.stone
Workshop at a glance
Working with black ash, learn the techniques and subtleties needed to bring it from raw material to a finished handbag basket.
Techniques
- Raw material procurement and processing
- Black Ash log pounding, splint splitting, scraping, and cutting
- Thoughtful basket design followed by basket lay-out
- Continuous vs one-round weaving
Materials
- Pre-harvested black ash
- Splint
- Simple tools such as scissors and knife
Outcomes
- Discovering appreciation and understanding of black ash
- Splint basketry and techniques
- Working with the materials
- Completing a basket to take home
Artist Bio
April L. Stone is a self-taught ash basket weaver and member of the Bad River Band of Lake Superior Ojibwe. The strength of this natural material moved her to learn all she could about the qualities and characteristics of the wood, what it could do, and how to weave with it. This has been her pursuit for almost 15 years. Stone appreciates how the finished basket, traditional teachings and healing all come together during the creative process of basket making. She received national recognition for her working knowledge of black ash basketry while being thought of as a patient, gentle educator.
Workshop Description
Black ash, also known as “Baapaagimaak” to the Ojibwe people around the shores of Lake Superior, has been used for making very strong baskets since pre-contact and is still used today as a basket material of choice in those geographical ranges. In this workshop students will develop a deeper understanding of what it takes to retrieve the raw material from a harvested tree. During class you will practice splitting, scraping, and cutting the material with simple tools. Having this knowledge will allow participants to prep the material to create a most useful basket for every day needs. Open to all skill levels.
COURSE FEE: $690 · materials list
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