Basketry, Fellowship, and Folk Traditions
Written by Samantha Day, 577 Organic Garden Horticulturist
I spent the end of October (October 20 to 25) at John C. Campbell Folk School in Brasstown, NC taking a basketry course. It was a huge experience for me, not only because it was a fully immersive folk school environment, but also because I was able to sink into the nitty gritty of a crafting community that has a lot in common with 577’s mission and values.
JCCFS was established in 1925 to keep alive the traditions, craft, and culture of rural Appalachia using the model of a Scandinavian folk school. They now have a large campus of studios for all kinds of craft. Everything from woodworking, enameling, storytelling, basketry, weaving, fiber arts, blacksmithing, stained glass…you name it, they probably have it.
I applied for a scholarship to attend this basketry course in early 2024. I had learned some basic basketry techniques from YouTube last winter and used those to experiment with teaching some small classes at 577. But I realized if I was going to keep offering basketry classes, I needed some fundamentals! I feel really lucky to have received that scholarship, I learned so much from my teacher, Fonda Haddad, that I will be able to replicate in classes I teach at 577.
In my course, we learned to make four different Appalachian-style baskets: a hen basket, a gathering basket, a wall basket, and a potato basket. All of these baskets are types of “ribbed” baskets with various forms and functions. The hen basket and gathering basket I made are currently on display at Way Public Library for November and December. Overall, I loved making them.
My goal is to host classes at 577 where we can make baskets using plant materials grown on our grounds. Mainly, I’ve been working with the English Ivy, wild grapevine, and crocosmia (a flowering bulb) we have around the grounds. But other plants like wisteria, stripped brambles, vining honeysuckle, virginia creeper, and willow can be used for weaving baskets for beautiful results!
My plan moving forward is to offer classes that use a mix of round reed (what you would purchase from a craft store) and wild materials to make a unique, simple basket. They will probably have to be small baskets because it definitely takes some time to finish a large one! Both of the baskets I previously mentioned being displayed in the library took me a little over a full day to create.
As for the general folk school experience, it was really unique to be around people all week who are very talented and take craft-making seriously. It was the norm for people I ate dinner with to have three or four different crafts that they did at home. I met people who were making chairs by hand, who were forging yard art in the blacksmithing studio, who had made the clothes/bag/jewelry/hat/socks/gloves or whatever they were wearing that day. A lot of people took vacations to learn something at the Folk School every year, instead of going on a cruise or to another country. There is an intentionally non-competitive atmosphere at JCCFS, and it was encouraged for students to walk around and go into the other various studios while the other students were working just to see what they were doing.
The enameling studio really blew me away. I didn’t even know what enameling was, and the things they were making in there were so detailed and intricate. I went to a community square dance on Wednesday night, where a “caller” directed the room (he just volunteers his time to do this every week), local musicians played, and people from ages 5 to 75 were holding hands, dancing in circles, tripping, laughing, twirling, and sweating. It struck me how quickly a room of strangers can feel like a community if the people in that room are dancing arm in arm, or sharing a meal, or singing a song together.
All in all, I am really grateful to have had this experience, and I’m so glad that I have the 577 community to grow and experiment with. I am grateful for all of the people who have been willing to try one of my basket classes so far, and I hope to meet even more people who are interested in wrangling vines and reed into beautiful, functional shapes with me!
My first basket class since taking the course will be in January – Make a Small Gathering Basket on Saturday, January 18, 4pm to 8pm (and just added – Friday, January 24, 12pm to 4pm) – so look out for that. Registration opens on Wednesday, November 20 at 9am. Until then, you know I will be messing around to see what I can make.
