The Haskell Handweavers, a club founded earlier this semester with the goal of bringing a community of weavers together and offering peer mentorship projects, looks to a brighter future with Haskell’s USDA-Extension Program. The club, whose focus this semester was on fingerweaving and coil basketry decided to work with Haskell’s USDA-Extension Program after attending one of Haskell’s USDAExtension Program’s workshops.
Haskell’s USDA-Extension Program brought Cindy Warrington, a Ho-Chunk fingerweaver, in to teach fingerweaving to students. Joshua Falleaf, Interim Dean of the College of Humanities and Arts, reached out to the Haskell Handweavers to attend the event.
The success of the workshop prompted discussion between Haskell’s USDA-Extension Program and the Haskell Handweavers. The Haskell Handweavers’ focus on textiles and basketery was just a smaller vision of what the Haskell’s USDA-Extension Program was and continues to be for the Haskell Community and the two could benefit from working together.
Out of this discussion, president of the Haskell Handweavers, Jared Nally, decided to dissolve the Haskell Handweavers as an SGA sanctioned club, having the club activities absorbed into the efforts of Haskell’s USDA-Extension Program. The benefits of doing so eliminate club elections and positions that do not benefit its mentorship model, and it will now cultivate students as workshop leaders and unite efforts by both organizations. Previous programs by the Haskell Handweavers will no longer be limited by SGA sanctions to students only, but through Haskell’s USDAExtension Program workshops can reach the entire Haskell Community.
Together, ongoing efforts for the Haskell’s USDA-Extension Program by Dr. Jim Rains, Becky Welton, Cynthia Grounds, Smokey McKinney, and students previous associated with Haskell Handweavers will push to further enrich the Haskell community.
Photo by Jared Nally
Photo by Jared Nally
