Birchbark Basketmaking Workshop

The Plymouth Arts Center invites you to register for a special one-day “free” Birchbark Basketmaking Workshop conducted by Artist Pat Kruse. Pat is a birchbark and quill artist who lives on the Mille Lacs Band of Ojibwe Reservation. He is a member of the Red Cliff Band of Ojibwe in Wisconsin and a descendent of Mille Lacs Band of Ojibwe in Minnesota. The basketmaking workshop is made possible through grants received from the Arts Midwest Gig Grant Fund, the Kohler Foundation, and the Krier Foundation. In-person instruction will be offered in the PAC classroom on Tuesday, June 14, 2022 from 10 am to 1 pm. The grant funds also allow two PAC partner organizations to live stream this innovative online program to 24 of their ‘homebound’ participants. Only 20 spots will be offered ‘free of charge’ at the PAC for the ‘in-person’ instruction and will be filled on a first come first serve basis. All supplies are included. Early registration is encouraged to reserve your spot and to ensure enough materials are available. The workshop will be held at the Plymouth Arts Center, 520 E. Mill St. Plymouth. To register, please call (920) 892-8409 or visit the PAC website: www.plymoutharts.org

About the Workshop: The Birchbark Basket Workshop will expose community members to Indigenous Ojibwe culture and the vanishing techniques associated with birchbark methods and quill basketry. The three-hour workshop will provide a hands-on opportunity for participants to create traditional birchbark baskets.

About the Artist/Instructor: Working with birchbark for over 30 years, Pat knew at an early age he wanted to be a birchbark artist. Coming from a family of birchbarkers, his mother is his greatest influence. Known for remaking old-style Ojibwe birchbark and quill basketry, he creates picturesques and other birchbark art. Pat teaches birchbark basket workshops, with students ranging from grade school children to elders.   In 2015, Pat was selected for the Native Artist-In-Residence at Minnesota Historical Society, St. Paul, MN. In 2016, he was selected for the Native Arts and Cultures Foundation Fellowship, Vancouver, WA, and in 2018 was selected for the Native Arts and Cultures Foundation Mentor Artist Fellowship, Vancouver, WA, for a one year mentoring an apprentice.   Some awards he received include: “Favorite Artist” and “1st Place Birchbark Basket” in 2016 at Woodland Indian Art Show & Market, Oneida, WI; “1st Place-Wood/Stone Workings”, “1st Place, 2-Dimensional Art” and “Best of Show!” in 2018 at Woodland Indian Art Show & Market, Sevenwinds Casino, Hayward, WI.   Pat’s birchbark art is in museum collections: National Museum of the American Indian-Smithsonian, Washington, D.C.; Science Museum of Minnesota, St. Paul, MN; and Minnesota Historical Society, St. Paul, MN, to name a few.