WORKSHOP IN WOVEN CHAIR SEATS AT

WORKSHOP IN WOVEN CHAIR SEATS AT THE RANDOLPH COUNTY COMMUNITY ARTS CENTER

The Randolph County Community Arts Center will present a workshop on woven chair seats on Saturday February 16^th. Artist and basket maker Susie Mullens will teach participants how to weave a chair seat.

Mullens, a psychologist at Youth Health Service in Elkins, learned to weave at the Barbour County Winter Fair and has been weaving and designing baskets ever since. “Once you learn the basics, it is very economical and fun to do at home at your leisure. For me it provides a finished product and that is very satisfying. Being a psychologist requires working with dynamic and ever changing people and situations and basket weaving is a nice outlet for feeling a sense of accomplishment and being able to see and hold a finished product that is beautiful and functional; which is why I also enjoy pottery, jewelry, and sewing,” Mullens said.

Students in the class will prepare the wide reed and chair frame and then create a herringbone patterned woven seat. Chairs that take a woven pattern seat are made with a thick dowel wood frame and the tops of the front legs usually protrude slightly above the seat frame. Participants should bring a sturdy chair frame that is not drilled for caning. RCCAC will provide the reed as well as hot coffee and cookies. Participants are encouraged to bring a brown bag lunch.

Cost for this class is $40 and pre registration is required. For more information on RCCAC classes and workshops call 637-2355, email info@randolpharts.org or visit the RCCAC website at www.randolpharts.org.

The Randolph County Community Arts Center, a non-profit organization promoting and supporting the arts in Randolph County and the surrounding areas, is located at the corner of Randolph Avenue and Park Street in Elkins. Local contributors support RCCAC’s arts education program with additional financial assistance from the West Virginia Division of Culture and History, the National Endowment for the Arts, with approval from the West Virginia Commission on the Arts.