Exploring Sculptural Basketry - 3 day workshop
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Location
TO BE Announced
4905 Bemidji Ave N
Bemidji, MN 56601
Description
Sculptural Basketry Weekend | Bemidji Area
September 25–27, 2025 | Friday 3 (variable)–8pm · Saturday & Sunday 10am–5pm
This is not your average basket class.
Over three days in the Bemidji area, we'll slow down, dig in, and make things you've never made before. This Sculptural Basketry Weekend is designed for weavers at all levels — whether you've never touched rattan or you've taken a class or two and are ready to push further. The goal is simple: leave with finished pieces you're genuinely proud of, new skills that are yours to keep, and a clearer sense of your own creative direction.
How the weekend works
We begin Friday afternoon, arrival is anytime from 3:00 to 5:00pm, introductions, demonstrations, and your first basket. Everyone starts with the same project — a sculptural piece built on a base of either antler or driftwood, each one drilled and prepared so you can get straight to weaving. This shared starting point gives us a common language and a solid foundation before the weekend opens up.
From there, it's yours. As you complete pieces, you'll design your next one — choosing from a curated selection of natural materials and drawing on samples and sketches prepared in advance. Shannon and Jesse will be right there to help you think through structure, proportion, and technique, but the creative decisions are yours. Expect to finish around three pieces over the course of the weekend. Ambitious weavers may make four or five.
This is a departure from how I've taught before. Previous workshops have focused on learning a pattern I've designed and replicating it. This weekend, you'll be encouraged to originate. That's a different — and more demanding — kind of making.
What's included
Your $100 registration fee covers your materials, catered lunch and afternoon snacks, use of all hand tools for the weekend (awls, shears, soaking tubs, and more), and your own respirator mask and safety glasses to keep.
Without grant support, this workshop would cost $300–400 per person. The reduced fee is made possible through the Artists Engage Community grant, which exists specifically to lower the barrier to learning advanced craft skills.
Safety & outdoor workspace
Working with antler and driftwood requires drilling, and we'll have a dedicated outdoor station with a tent for that work. All participants will receive their own respirator and safety glasses — tools you'll take home and use again.
The Venue
The weekend will be held at a scenic venue in the north of Bemidji area with accessible bathrooms, adequate parking, and outdoor space for our drilling station. Final location to be confirmed soon.
Schedule is open-flow. Breaks and lunch are built in. The flexible format is intentional.
TO BE Announced
4905 Bemidji Ave N
Bemidji, MN 56601
Description
Sculptural Basketry Weekend | Bemidji Area
September 25–27, 2025 | Friday 3 (variable)–8pm · Saturday & Sunday 10am–5pm
This is not your average basket class.
Over three days in the Bemidji area, we'll slow down, dig in, and make things you've never made before. This Sculptural Basketry Weekend is designed for weavers at all levels — whether you've never touched rattan or you've taken a class or two and are ready to push further. The goal is simple: leave with finished pieces you're genuinely proud of, new skills that are yours to keep, and a clearer sense of your own creative direction.
How the weekend works
We begin Friday afternoon, arrival is anytime from 3:00 to 5:00pm, introductions, demonstrations, and your first basket. Everyone starts with the same project — a sculptural piece built on a base of either antler or driftwood, each one drilled and prepared so you can get straight to weaving. This shared starting point gives us a common language and a solid foundation before the weekend opens up.
From there, it's yours. As you complete pieces, you'll design your next one — choosing from a curated selection of natural materials and drawing on samples and sketches prepared in advance. Shannon and Jesse will be right there to help you think through structure, proportion, and technique, but the creative decisions are yours. Expect to finish around three pieces over the course of the weekend. Ambitious weavers may make four or five.
This is a departure from how I've taught before. Previous workshops have focused on learning a pattern I've designed and replicating it. This weekend, you'll be encouraged to originate. That's a different — and more demanding — kind of making.
What's included
Your $100 registration fee covers your materials, catered lunch and afternoon snacks, use of all hand tools for the weekend (awls, shears, soaking tubs, and more), and your own respirator mask and safety glasses to keep.
Without grant support, this workshop would cost $300–400 per person. The reduced fee is made possible through the Artists Engage Community grant, which exists specifically to lower the barrier to learning advanced craft skills.
Safety & outdoor workspace
Working with antler and driftwood requires drilling, and we'll have a dedicated outdoor station with a tent for that work. All participants will receive their own respirator and safety glasses — tools you'll take home and use again.
The Venue
The weekend will be held at a scenic venue in the north of Bemidji area with accessible bathrooms, adequate parking, and outdoor space for our drilling station. Final location to be confirmed soon.
Schedule is open-flow. Breaks and lunch are built in. The flexible format is intentional.
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Where is it happening?
Bemidji Ave N, Bemidji, MN 56601, United States
Event Location & Nearby Stays:
Know what’s Happening Next — before everyone else does.
Host or PublisherShannon Lucas Westrum - Artist
