Broom Making Basics

with Cate O’Connell-Richards

Tuesday–Friday, June 4–7, 2024, 2:00 p.m.–5:00 p.m.

Tuition: $235

Four-day workshops do not include lunch. A four-day lunch plan is available for an additional $75. Please select this option when registering if you wish to join us for lunch each day at 1:00 p.m.

Become a broomsquire at Ox-Bow! Learn the foundations of handmaking brooms and whisks. This workshop will feature a presentation on the development of American broom making, including both traditional Appalachian and New England techniques, an introduction to broom making materials, and basic handmaking skills. Included will be demos on a turkey wing whisk, cobwebber, besom, and traditional flat sweeper. Students will be able to learn the basics, as well as have the time to experiment with different handles, weaves, materials, and forms. Materials will be provided.

Cate O’Connell-Richards (they/them) is an artist, broomsquire, and educator living in Madison, Wisconsin. O’Connell-Richards has exhibited internationally and shown work at the Massachusetts Museum of Contemporary Art (North Adams, MA), The Museum of Glass (Tacoma, WA), The Trout Museum of Art (Appleton, WI), Abel Contemporary (Stoughton, WI), Hesse Flatow (New York), Lillstreet Arts Center (Chicago), and the Gallery im Körnerpark (Berlin, DE). Their last solo exhibition “SWEPT” was held at Hancock Shaker Village in Pittsfield, MA in 2022. They have been awarded several travel grants for craft research, including a 2024 Craft Research Fund Project Grant to study the history of American broom making. Their writing has been published by Surface Design Journal (2024), and Mergoat Magazine (2023). Currently, they are a Lecturer for the UW-Madison Art Department.

Cate O’Connell-Richards, Neon Turkey Wings, 2023, broomcorn, twine, dimensions vary. Image courtesy of the artist.