2020 Chair Weaving Census
Big News! A Research Project on Chair Caning and Seat Weaving in the US People constantly tell me chair caning is a “lost” or “dying” art, but the truth is, it is everywhere right now…and has been around for at least 4,000 years. I think chair caning and seat weaving is kind of the Rodney […]
2020 Chair Caning Legacy Class for Educators at Arrowmont
LEGACY at ARROWMONT: Appalachian Arts for Appalachian Teachers FREE CLASS! July 12–18, 2020 ~ Deadline to apply: April 1, 2020 Last summer we taught hand woven chair caning at Arrowmont School of Arts & Crafts. The school has a fascinating history: it was there before the Smoky Mountain National Park was dedicated and before the […]
Chair Nerd Debut at Arrowmont, 2019. Part 2: The Class
Is it possible to fall in love with 7 people in a week? Yes it is. If your students are as badass as those in our Chair Nerd debut at Arrowmont last summer. I mentioned in the previous post that Arrowmont is a bit of a bubble like summer camp. You make instant best friends […]
Photo Essay: Weaving Authentic Hickory Bark
Snow fell on my house today, so it’s the perfect day to finish my winter blog series on authentic hickory bark. I have actually written this post three times, captioning each photo three times only to have them pop up blank on the preview. The photos aren’t necessarily in order (though they show up that […]
Authentic Bark vs. Manufactured Reed for Splint Chairs
I admit it was only recently that I wove my first authentic bark seat. I had a helluva time finding it when I first started out. Eventually, I met several chair makers through the Southern Highland Craft Guild and I literally begged them for years to let me come watch/help harvest bark (achcoughJim McGie & […]
