White Oak Basketry Course

Learn to make your very own white oak basket. Instructor, Sunshine Brosi, learned the art of basketry from traditional Cherokee elders in North Carolina and will be sharing their techniques with those who attend. As participants weave during the class, Brosi will talk about the plants used for natural dyes and the process of collecting the material from the tree. She will also tell stories she has heard from Cherokee basket makers while she weaves. Learn how to make a basket frame, how to finish the basket, and add a handle. At the end of the session, you will take home your own small white oak basket creation. All supplies included. Brosi is an associate professor of ethnobotany and forest ecology at Frostburg State University and coordinates the only undergraduate program in ethnobotany in the United States. She has a Ph.D. in natural resources from the University of Tennessee, a master’s degree in forestry from the University of Kentucky, and a bachelor’s degree in environmental studies from Warren Wilson College in Asheville, NC. She teaches a variety of classes on ethnobotany around the U.S. and gives presentations around the world on her ethnobotanical research.