(In-Person) Arts & The Park 2022: Coiled Basket Workshop

As part of the 2022 Arts & The Park festival, the library is hosting a two-session Coiled Basket Workshop. Registration and payment details can be found at this link: https://hotspringsarts.org/ap-event-details/entry/4188/

Make a beautiful basket on at stoneware plate weaving colorful raffia around a seagrass rope. Coiled weaving is one of the oldest techniques used to create containers. Fiber artist Donna Dunnahoe will help you create a small basket using this cultural roots craft. 

Day & Time: Monday, May 2, 9 am – 12 pm, Tuesday, May 3, 9 am – 12 pm, 6 hours total time

Materials Fee: $40, includes ceramic base, two weaving needles, and weaving materials.

Instructor: Donna Dunnahoe, fiber artist

Maximum class size:12 students

Age: Adult

Donna Dunnahoe’s Artist Statement about this class:

“Hot Springs National Park and its surrounding area provides wonderful inspiration for weaving. The natural colors, woodland textures, and the light and shadows of the canopy create patterns that I am exploring in textiles. The Gulpha Creek and the natural hot springs spark my imagination when incorporating the weaving with the glass and ceramics aspects of my work. The juxtaposition of woven natural fibers against the hard surfaces of the kiln-fired glass and clay make an interesting and new interpretation of the natural forest landscape. Weaving is a tactile art, and it is important for the weaver to have tactile experiences of her subject. Walking the trails and living in the Ouachita Mountains provide me with this knowledge.

Social interaction is another important ingredient in my craft making. In past eras, community weavers and spinners performed their craft in the village’s common area, becoming an important focus of social interaction while making the wares for their village. I value the communication that I have with people as I am weaving. I perform and demonstrate my art in public areas such at the local farmer’s market and the Hot Springs nature trails. This allows me to exchange ideas and to listen to the visitor’s that are curious about weaving.

Meditation is the other side of this art form. I find myself thinking of growth, patterns, and shapes because of the repetitive movements required to build a form. Thus while creating, I become comfortable with being withdrawn and contemplative or with choosing to be social and interactive. The contemporary and organic designs of my artwork are a record of my interaction with people and nature.”