Sweetgrass Basket Weaving with past Visiting Artist Antwon Ford
Participants in this workshop will be introduced to the history of Sweetgrass Basket weaving and the connection to West Africa. Participants will be able to begin the creation of their own Sweetgrass Basket as well as a sweetgrass rose to take home with them. The materials used in the workshop will be pine needles, sweetgrass, and palm. Upon completion of the workshop, participants will have a new found appreciation of the art of Sweetgrass Basket weaving and the Gullah Geechee Culture.
Class capacity is 25. Materials will be provided by the instructor. Participants will receive instruction from 11 am - 12 pm followed by free flow studio time from 1 - 2 pm to continue refining their new basket weaving skills.
About the Instructor
Antwon Ford began learning the art of sweetgrass basketry at the age of four by watching his grandmother in her kitchen in Mt. Pleasant, SC. At seven years old, he sold his first basket to a family member for $5 and was hooked. While experimenting with the grasses, Ford used mathematics and science to create sculptures with traditional materials. In 2009, he began his "GrassinMotion" project, striving to produce sweetgrass objects that exemplified the space-time continuum of the fourth dimension. Ford believes that the mastery of Gestalt Principles expressed through sculpture can produce a Phi Phenomenon (illusion of movement). He believes this illusion of movement can bring him closer to achieving real fourth dimensional art. The patterns and configurations of Ford's work are greatly influenced by Gestalt psychology, spatial dimensions, and shadow resulting from direct light. Antwon Ford participated in the Visiting Artist program from August 31, 2020 - September 27, 2020.
