A workshop with

Stephen Jerome

Friday, May 13, 2022 1pm - 6pm

Saturday, May 14,2022  9am-2pm 

Caravansérail Artist-Run Center
Directions on Google Maps
Very limited spots: book your place quickly at communication@caravanserail.org

Learn the basics of Mi’gmaq basketry from one of the masters of this traditional technique using black ash, Stephen Jerome. Proud representative of the Mi’gmaq Nation and one of the last to know this ancestral skill, Jerome takes great pleasure in passing on this technique to community members and those interested in traditional basketry.

Biographie

In his Gesgapegiag studio, Stephen Jerome makes traditional Mi’gmaq baskets. This artistic knowledge was transmitted from father to son for several generations. Unfortunately, this ancestral practice is threatened, as the artist states: “I am the only one in the world that does this full-time. Some elders still know how to do it, but are not able to anymore because of their physical condition”. Stephen Jerome masters the entire process of basketry – from choosing the right tree to creating flexible ribbons, the techniques are numerous and every detail is important. “You need to listen to the wood, to feel it, to make sure there aren’t any mushrooms inside it, to make sure it grew in optimal conditions”, he explains. He harvests his black ash along the Cascapedia River, where it must have grown under a cover of hardwood, far from very thirsty cedars, in sandy soil. From harvesting the wood to weaving the baskets, this is a physically demanding practice and work.