APPRENTICESHIP SUMMARY

This wood-based apprenticeship will focus on the skills needed to construct 12 lightweight wooden oval forms, which will be used by Apprentice Alice Ogden to create her woven baskets. Alice first wants to further develop her basic woodworking skills and knowledge of tools, next, learning the technique of inlay, and lastly, implementing the design steps into action, and creating a basket from the form with an inlay pattern. Alice will accomplish this through 100 hours of guidance with mentor artist Liz Grace and extensive in-studio training at Liz’s wood studio in Plymouth, New Hampshire.

MENTOR

Liz Grace (Plymouth, NH)

My journey as woodworker has been influenced by the Shaker tradition with its emphasis on simplicity of design, usefulness and beauty. I have also found that the Japanese aesthetic tradition of beauty as it is expressed in the awareness of space and form, has added to my creative vision. For me, the attention to line and form is the basis for developing my furniture designs, giving the piece a feeling of spaciousness and elegance.

My education in woodworking is part of the long line of woodworkers who are self-taught, allowing me to explore and develop my design “voice”, as I practiced and studied traditional methods of woodworking craftsmanship.

“I chose to work with Alice after our first creative and exciting collaboration this past Fall. Alice is a true professional and has wonderful enthusiasm for her work which will make this opportunity an adventure for both of us.” – Liz Grace

APPRENTICE

Alice Ogden (Salisbury, NH)

Alice Ogden of Salisbury, New Hampshire is a traditional black ash basket maker. Considered a master of her trade, she has been making baskets for more than 40 years. Her baskets are especially prized by collectors all over the country for their traditional craftsmanship. None of her materials are store bought and each basket is crafted entirely of materials collected from the woods and swamps of New Hampshire and prepared by hand. Alice uses high quality black ash and white oak trees. She prepares the log, strips the splint and then refines and cuts the splint for basking weaving. To view Alice’s work please go to aliceogden.com.

“Liz and I recently were paired together through a collaborative exhibit that the NH Funiture Maters and the League of NH Craftsmen were hosting. Together we crafted a woven black ash floor lamp paired with Liz’s matching writing desk featuring an inlayed woven basket design. Throughout this collaboration I found Liz to be a wonderful mentor who was patient, detail orientated, and knowledgeable. Given the opportunity to work together again would benefit my craft.” – Alice Ogden