The Fran Reed Memorial
Fish Skin and
Gut Creations Workshop

Inspired by Fran Reed, who rediscovered the nearly lost art form of fish skin basketry, the accomplished artists, Audrey Armstrong and Lucie Charbonneau will teach two separate workshops. Audrey will share her own contemporary fish skin basketry methods that she has developed using traditional embellishments that have been used for thousands of years in her Native culture. Audrey’s work will be exhibited at the Alaska Native Arts Foundation in Anchorage in May and June. From June 6-30 Audrey’s work will be included in “Skin Sisters”, a show at the Bunnell Street Arts Center in Homer, Alaska, dedicated to the late Fran Reed. After Fran’s death Audrey presented Fran’s paper, Fur, Fiber and Feathers – Embellishments of Native Gut Parka the at the Textiles Conference in Honolulu in 2008. In October she will teach a workshop on fish skin basket making at the Mendocino Art Center in California. In 2010 Audrey will present at the Indigenous Weavers Symposium in New Zealand.

Lucie Charbonneau is a fiber artist living in Granby, Quebec. Inspired and mentored by Fran Reed, she is now inserting gut and fish skin in her work. Lucie has exhibited at le Musee Beauline in Coaticook, Quebec, and had a series of exhibits with her woodworker son, Jean. She is scheduled to teach a workshop at the Mendocino Art Center in California in May. Lucie’s work will also be exhibited in “Skin Sisters” at the Bunnell Street Arts Center in Homer.

In these workshops, Audrey will teach how to make a fish skin basket. Lucie will introduce various ways that hog casings (gut) can be used, besides for making sausages and hot dogs. Using simple techniques, you can make unusual gift bags, design baskets, books and more

The workshops run from Friday morning July 10th to mid afternoon on Sunday July 12th. The per person fee is $390 plus tax. This includes: instructor’s fees, round trip water taxi transportation, meals and lodging.

For reservations and information call 907- 345-2571 or after May 15th call 907-235-3633. A non-refundable deposit of $25 is due at registration and the final payment is due by July 1, 2009. Please choose which workshop you desire and at registration you will be given a list of materials that you will need to bring with you. There may be additional fees for materials.

Participants, may add an extra day to the beginning or end of the trip to take a sea kayaking trip, go mountain biking or arrange for a halibut charter. Additional charges will apply.