Artist Minute – Corey Alston, Sweetgrass Basket Weaving
May 5, 2020
The Who’s on the Move, Artist Minute is a quick, two-minute interview in support of the undeniable impact that the arts and local artists have on our communities. One of the main drivers of a strong local economy as well as attracting talent to a region is the critical role the arts has in our community. Please enjoy watching, listening and supporting our artists in this series. We welcome you to share these videos with your business contacts and friends through social media.
We would like to thank our sponsor of this video series:
Corey Alston, Sweetgrass Basket Weaving
Corey Alston is a fifth generation sweetgrass basket weaver from Mount Pleasant, South Carolina. Sweetgrass baskets are a 1,000 year old art form that originated on the West Coast of Africa. It is a product that is unique to the lowcountry.
The baskets are made of four natural materials: sweetgrass, bulrush, pine needle as well as palmetto leaves. Baskets are hand made and can take over 25 hours to complete.
The coiled woven basket style was first used during days of enslavement as a functional tool for rice cultivation. If you see Corey in charleston market, watch out for a variety of styles: rice fanna, market basket, flower basket, sewing basket, storage basket, and bread basket just to name a few.
To see and learn more, check out Corey’s Facebook page.
Below is a full audio version of the interview. You can also listen to the interview on the WhosOnTheMove SC podcast on iTunes and Spotify.
