The Lost Art Of Making A Basket

Let us consider the homely basket. Time was, hand-made baskets were commonplace – so common and utilitarian that they weren’t really seen as cultural artifacts. They were just what you used to hold oysters, or berries, or vegetables. But that has changed. Now, Maryland is home to the Center for Research in Basketry, which aims to keep the art of basketry alive in the Mid-Atlantic.

Kathi Beauchesne, a retired Johns Hopkins administrator, is President and CEO of the Center. She also just started a new basket-making supply shop, Charm City Baskets, which is in Baltimore's Highlandtown. It's open afternoons, Thursdays through Sundays. Proceeds will support the Center. KathiBeauchesne joins Sheilah in the studio.