Sweetgrass Basket Weaving

Name: Sweetgrass Basket Weaving
Start: 2021-07-25
End: 2021-07-30
Location: Arrowmont

July 25 - 30, 2021

Lynette D. Youson · facebook.com/sweetgrasscreationsbylynette

Workshop at a glance

Learn to coil sweetgrass by hand from a 5th generation Sweetgrass Basket Weaver who was taught the Art Form over 50 years ago and would love to share it with you.

Techniques

Basket weaving
Coiling
Use of various natural materials

Materials

Sweetgrass, pine needles, bul-rush, and palmetto palm
Basketry tools

Outcomes

Working with naturally grown materials
Historical perspectives in basketry
Creating a basket

Artist Bio

Lynette D. Youson is a fifth generation sweetgrass basket weaver from the low country of South Carolina and a sweetgrass after-school instructor. She started weaving as a child, learning her craft from her great-grandmother, and has continued to weave with her mother for over 45 years. Youson is dedicated to sharing the historical importance of this ancient art form. She has appeared on the CBS Sunday Morning and has been the subject of numerous newspaper and magazine articles. One of her Rice Fanner Basket is on display at the Smithsonian American Art Museum.
Arrowmont Connections

Workshop Description

In this workshop students will learn how to (coil) weave by hand to make the most traditional basket that was used to separate the rice in fields. This historical art form is from the coast of Sierra Leone, West Africa and was brought to America by enslaved people over 300 years ago. During class you will discover that the materials used are naturally grown along the coast of South Carolina and include sweetgrass, pine needles, bull-rush, and palmetto palm. The only tool used during the time was an animal bone, but today a utensil and scissors are used. Open to all skill levels.

COURSE FEE: $600 · materials list

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