Sweetgrass Basketmaking Workshop with Mary Grant

816 Bull St,Columbia SC 29208

04 March, 2023

Description

During this four-hour workshop, Columbia-based basketmaker Mary Grant will provide attendees with everything they need, from materials to instruction, to construct their own small basket. Please join us for a day of hands-on exploration of the South Carolina state craft. Light refreshments will be provided. The workshop will be held in McKissick Rm. 306 and is free and open to the public, but seating is limited to 10 spots. Reserve your spot via Eventbrite or by calling 803-777-2876. This event is offered in conjunction with Sewn through Time: Sweetgrass Basketmakers Reimagine a Tradition, on display from August 11, 2022 - April 21, 2023, at the University of South Carolina's McKissick Museum. About the exhibition: Basketmakers have sewn baskets in the South Carolina Lowcountry since the 17th century. The tradition has been preserved at the hands of the Gullah-Geechee people, descendants of enslaved West Africans trafficked to North America. For over 300 years, basketmakers have transformed baskets from a plantation tool into an art form. Today, basketmakers continue to leverage heritage tourism to make a living, to advocate for the preservation of the ecosystem vital to the tradition, and to experiment with scale, form, and materials. This exhibition traces the evolution of sweetgrass baskets in South Carolina, highlighting the innovative work of contemporary makers.