Guest Presentation “Traditional Seat Weaving: A Conservator’s Perspective”
Christopher M. Swan Senior Conservator, Wooden Artifacts Colonial Williamsburg Foundation
We will explore the varieties of seat weaving from Louisiana corn husk to early 18th Century elm bark and many other varieties that we encounter in our collection at the Museums of Colonial Williamsburg. How we identify materials, evaluate methods and techniques and carry out treatments will be presented. One of the unique challenges museum conservators routinely consider is how to employ minimally invasive solutions to historic objects in order to keep as much of the physical record intact. We consider sitable verses non-sitable systems as separate categories depending on the collector and use. This talk will feature several collections treatment examples along with some of the standard reproduction woven bottoms in use in the historic area houses.
Chris has been a Furniture and Wooden Artifacts Conservator at the Colonial Williamsburg Foundation for 26 years. Long ago, he graduated from the University of Dallas with a BA in Art History, and the University of Buffalo Art Conservation Program with a MA, and CAS in Art Conservation. He has specialized and presented on various subjects such as painted common furniture, gilding and silvering treatments and research, caring for furniture, packing and crating for the collector, upholstery conservation, and many other topics.
Homemade Tools By Mark Cawthon
Mark will discuss the tools that he has made or found and their modifications. He will demonstrate the use of the tools and speak of Clore Chairs and their use at VMI (Virginia Military Institute).
Fiber Rush Corners By Jennifer Cardwell
Jennifer will share her technique for weaving a fiber rush ladder back chair. Demonstration will include setup on a lazy susan, coiling material off the spool, how to start corners on round legs, forming square corners, and how to make sure your weave is staying square.
Color Matching Stain on Cane By Jennifer Cardwell
Jennifer will share her color matching techniques when a perfect color match is needed. She will demonstrate the use of color mixing, color additives, and toners. Bring a piece to color match with instruction.
Blind Cane Medallion Brandy Clements
Brandy will demonstrate how to set up and start the weaving of a blind cane medallion back chair.
Soda Blaster Demo Wyndham Ratcliff
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Mies van der Rohe By Lynn Phillips
Lynn will show how to start a Mies van der Rohe chair. The middle section will be available to work on if you want to practice weaving with back to back flat oval reed
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Alan Dean Warren
Spartanburg SC
Learned chair caning in high school. Learned corn shuck Seatweaving while attending Berea College in Kentucky. Graduated with BA Degree in Art/Design in 1975.
Juried Member of Southern Highland Craft Guild in Seatweaving with Natural Materials since 1974. Joined Kentucky Guild of Artists & Craftsmen during my college years. I continued doing chair caning and antique chair restoration as a hobby over the last 55 years. Now a Member of Seatweavers Guild (I just joined). From 2024 to the present, I operate an 1860’s Log Cabin furnished with period antiques (including many 1800’s period caned and oak splint bottom chairs) located in Western North Carolina as a short term rental property.
I plan to demonstrate how to make strands of corn shuck chair seat “cord” on an active children’s rocker chair frame project that has already been started. I’ll be continuing towards finishing the warp layer and then starting the weft layer as time allows during this demonstration period. I will be weaving a double diamond design that I learned from my Berea College training experience. (It takes approximately 40 hours to complete a small chair or stool. 60-80 hours for a larger chair.)
I plan to have an empty chair frame in case any attendees wish to try their hand, for a few minutes each, at making a corn shuck strand.
I will have two fully completed stools to show the final product.
I will be explaining the process and answering questions during this demonstration
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Sue Muldoon
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Sue will due a demo on making a whisk broom at the roadshow.