03/02/2026
Craftwork is not divorced from the lands and cultures it is practiced within. Quite the contrary, craftwork is deeply rooted in and connected to these aspects. When these pieces aren’t brought into the classroom, the whole picture is not there, the education is disconnected and incomplete. I name genocide, land theft, enslavement, and white supremacy in my workshops now because these pieces are related to our practice and creations. I didn’t always do this, but as I’ve grown on my own personal journey, I realize it is a responsibility and a path to healing and change, even if it comes with risks and loss. I’ll be sharing in my next newsletter about how my contract with the John C Campbell Folk School was terminated when I spoke up about white supremacy there last summer. If you want to read about it, you can subscribe to the newsletter at WildEarthCrafts.com.
In Wild Earth Craft workshops, we come together to make baskets, but really we are doing much more than that. We are weaving willow AND words, restoring connections where they have been lost. The next willow basket workshop will be next weekend at the gorgeous pondside pavilion (see slides) at the in Lumberton, MS followed by a whisk broom workshop the next day at the La Terre Institute for Ecology and Community in Kiln, MS. We still have a few spots left in each of those workshops, including equitable access for people of the global majority from racialized communities.
On a related note, I’m excited to continue learning from and engaging with the Reparations Stakeholder Association of Asheville . If you are in the area, be sure to check out their upcoming event on March 17th! Also there is an amazing opportunity to support a talented, local Black artist which I’ll post about in my stories…
