​ALL THINGS WHISK- BROOM MAKING
Instructor: Gary Robinson
Date: August 19 - 20, 2023
Time: 10 am – 4 pm
Fee: $150
Participants: 10
Location: The Highland Center Pavillion
Materials Cost: $20
Workshop Summary:
Students will learn the history of broomcorn and broommaking. Tools and materials will be discussed, as well as the unique quality of broomcorn as a broommaking material.
Each student will have an opportunity to make at least one cobweb broom, one round Shaker broom, one round hand broom, and one turkey wing style broom. Additional brooms will be made as time allows. Participants should bring a sharp knife.
Come join master broommaker Gary Robinson for a weekend of broommaking.
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About Gary Robinson
Gary is a native of the Alleghany Highlands of Virginia, and started making brooms full-time over 30 years ago, allowing him to remain in the mountains he loves.
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After learning his craft from master broommaker, Carlson Tuttle, at the John C. Campbell Folk School, Gary began participating in some of the finest juried craft shows in the state, including the Waterford Fair since 1994 and the Colonial Market & Fair at George Washington’s Mount Vernon since 1999.
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Gary’s brooms appeared in the film Sommersby starring Richard Gere and Jodie Foster and have also been used for historical interpretation at Mount Vernon.
