Full 2009 Schedule Registration information

Ash-Splint Basket, with Joann Kelly Catsos
Monday, August 24, to Wednesday, August 26: 9 A.M.–1 P.M.
Member $325; Nonmember $375

Experience the magic of weaving with wood. Students will weave with precisely prepared black ash splint over a wooden mold and create a Shaker Trinket Tray, a basket that was inspired by an antique Shaker basket in Joann Kelly Catsos’s private collection. Basic black ash basketry techniques will be taught – laying out a base, chase weaving, splitting corner stakes, notching a handle, and lashing maple rims. The Shaker Trinket Tray measures 5” wide, 12” long, and 5” tall (including handle).

Slide presentation of black ash-splint preparation and mold making, as well as antique and contemporary black ash basketry will be included. Instructor will provide all tools, materials, and written instructions.

All materials provided. Maximum class size: 12

JOANN KELLY CATSOS is an award-winning black ash-splint basketmaker and teacher from southwestern MA. Her work has been published in magazines, as well as books, including 500 Baskets. In 1999 JoAnn was honored to have an ornament on the official White House Christmas Tree She and her husband, Steve, harvest the black ash logs near their home in the Berkshire Mountains of Massachusetts, process the logs into splint, and make the wooden molds, handles, and rims needed for each basket. JoAnn teaches black ash splint basketry at crafts schools and conferences across the country. Originally based upon traditional Shaker and native New England utilitarian styles, JoAnn’s baskets have evolved into smaller, more finely woven, intricately patterned vessels.