Contemporary willow basketry

Course Dates: 16/07/25 - 18/07/25
Time: 10:30 - 16:30
Location: Keeley Street
Tutors: 
Christiane Gunzi
Experiment with unconventional willow baskets and structures, within a traditional context.This course guides you through new textures and forms using a variety of techniques from Europe and beyond.
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Full fee £269.00 Senior fee £215.00 Concession £175.00

Contemporary willow basketry
  • Course Code: VC184
  • Dates: 16/07/25 - 18/07/25
  • Time: 10:30 - 16:30
  • Taught: Wed-Fri, Daytime
  • Duration: 3 sessions
  • Location: Keeley Street
  • Tutor: Christiane Gunzi

Course Code: VC184

Wed-Fri, day, 16 Jul - 18 Jul '25

Duration: 3 sessions

Please note: We offer a wide variety of financial support to make courses affordable. Just visit our online Help Centre for more information on a range of topics including fees, online learning and FAQs.

What is the course about?

All students will start with a base that is very versatile and ripe for adaptation into a wide variety of forms.
Beginners will develop round forms, put on sides and complete a border. Handles can be added if they are appropriate. Those already familiar with willow basketry can develop their skills by bringing their own images and designs,and plan work with the tutor. These should ideally be brought in on day one to maximise time for making.
You will learn to build willow baskets with weaves not traditionally used in the UK, such as zig-zag weave, thick
waling and others, all of which give new forms and textures and are exciting developments of the last ten years. Complete beginners will have less choice for their own basket, but will still be able to see demonstrations of a wide variety of techniques which will be used across the classroom environment
You will learn to make forms of your choice suitable for your level of experience, starting with a base, staking up, adding stakes and completing borders and adding handles as needed. You will experiment with techniques on the first day and complete your basket over days 2 and 3.

What will we cover?

You will learn to build willow baskets with weaves not traditionally used in the UK, such as zig-zag weave, thick waling and others, all of which give new forms and textures and are exciting developments of the last ten years.

You will learn to make forms of your choice suitable for your level of experience, cylinders, bowls, starting with a base, staking up, adding stakes and completing borders and adding handles as needed. There is the opportunity to complete two pieces over the course.

What will I achieve?
By the end of this course you should be able to...

Beginners:
- Work with willow as a material.
- Select appropriate rods and prepare them for work.
- Achieve the desired form and texture, under instruction.
- Demonstrate familiarity with the parts of a basket and be able to read one with increasing skill.
- Demonstrate some knowledge of the basketmaking world and the current developments.
- Work within health and safety guidelines.

Those with experience:
- Build on your existing knowledge.
- Work with some independence after discussion with the tutor.
- Use interesting new weaves and ways of forming structures for either practical or sculptural forms.
- Demonstrate developed sense of willow as a material, with its unique properties.
- Work with increasing accuracy and neatness.
- Work within the health and safety guidelines.

What level is the course and do I need any particular skills?

The course is best suited to those with some experience of willow work. Beginners will have more limited options. Come with an interest in weaving rods into stable, well made,strong structures and be willing to try new ideas and enjoy discussion of baskets and basketry.
There is a magic in starting with straight rods from a plant and ending up with beautiful basketry work.

Willow work requires you to have fairly strong hands please be mindful on this before enrolling on this course.
You should be able to follow simple written and verbal instructions to support demonstrations, hand-outs and for
health and safety information, and will be invited to take part in group discussion.You should be able to use numbers and be able to do simple measurements and calculations.

How will I be taught, and will there be any work outside the class?

This is a practical course and active participation is necessary to achieve the full potential of the willow but there will
be demonstrations, hand-outs, basket examples, images and books to help you. The tutor will spend time with you all individually after starting each day with collectively teaching the skills needed for the projects in hand. Everyone will have a chance to talk about their own work and discuss the work of fellow students, to see what is possible with different skill levels and different techniques.

Are there any other costs? Is there anything I need to bring?

There are no extra costs as tools are available in the college and willow will be prepared for you each week.
Wait until you have done some weaving first and then see if you would like to buy books or tools for future use.

A note book / sketch book and your mobile phone / camera will be useful for recording your progress on the course.
There will be information on the google classroom portal prior to session one. You will be sent access links for the portal in advance. Please ensure that you have looked at the Google classroom to make the most from this course.

When I've finished, what course can I do next?

There are a variety of short courses in basketry techniques that could complement what you learn on this course.
We offer other courses in Willow, and you may also be interested in taking basketry further with the 2 year course. You are welcome to register your interest via email to visualarts@citylit.ac.uk.
General information and advice on courses at City Lit is available from the Student Centre and Library on Monday to Friday from 10:30 – 12:00 then 15:00 – 17:00.

Christiane Gunzi

Based in East Sussex, Christiane Gunzi makes traditional and contemporary basketry using natural materials. Her weaving work has been exhibited in London and the Southeast. After a long career as an editor in book publishing, Christiane then trained at the City Lit College and has a City & Guilds level 3 in Creative Techniques in Textiles (Basketry). Since 2013 she has been creating both traditional and sculptural basketry using mainly willow, rush, birch, and driftwood. Christiane loves passing on her passion for the craft of basketry and natural materials, and has been running basket-weaving workshops for beginners and improvers for the past six years. In Summer 2023 she became Willow Tutor on the two-year Basketry Course at the City Lit, teaching in the same classroom where she was a student a decade ago. As well as teaching adults and making baskets, she often does private commissions and basket repairs.

Please note: We reserve the right to change our tutors from those advertised. This happens rarely, but if it does, we are unable to refund fees due to this. Our tutors may have different teaching styles; however we guarantee a consistent quality of teaching in all our courses.