VISITING ARTIST WORKSHOP: 9325. Basketry with Invasive Botanicals
Learn to harvest, process, and weave with kudzu, an invasive species that grows quickly and plentifully throughout the Southeast. The mature vines of the kudzu plant can be processed into bark strips and woody material which forms the structure for strong and beautiful baskets. We will discuss traditional weaving techniques. Students can expect to leave with material they have processed themselves, and a small, finished basket.
A note from Angela: With this particular course, I'm interested in sharing information which can alter student's perceptions of "weeds" in the environment where they live, and to see these plants instead as creative collaborators and resourceful plants. I love to share traditional basketry techniques which connect participants to a long human lineage of working with natural materials to create useful vessels. In this work, we build creative community and ecological awareness.