The Montgomery Center for The Arts presents Kerry R. Wood of the Vermont Abenaki Artists Association. She is a member of an Abenaki family of basket makers who have woven traditional ash and sweetgrass baskets for generations.
Black ash trees are uniquely suited for basketmaking, and members of Vermont’s Abenaki community and many others have made baskets from this tree for centuries. Black ash is threatened by emerald ash borer (EAB), and basket makers have been on the front lines of EAB research and response from the beginning. Abenaki basket maker Kerry Wood will preset each step of the basket making process beginning with a slide presentation through an ash stand, assessing living trees for basket quality, processing ash splints, weaving a basket, and exploring indigenous cultural values of ash trees.