The following is the continuation of Eric’s interview of Tony Stubblefield from last Sunday (if you missed it, read it here.)
Eric: We left off with you talking about your social media influence. Have you made basket connections with people outside of the U.S.?
Tony: I do have some Facebook “friends” who are outside of the U.S., but I actually interact with more weavers on Instagram. For some crazy reason, Shaker boxes and Nantucket baskets are ridiculously popular in Japan. Instagram does have a translation feature, but it doesn’t work very well on Asian languages. Fortunately, since Instagram is about visuals, communicating with words isn’t always necessary. It is really fun and interesting to see how different cultural aesthetics influence basket designs.
Eric: I heard about the popularity of these types of baskets in Japan. It would be fascinating to learn more about why that is—maybe a future post.
You have been hosting workshops at your home in St. Louis for, how many years and, how did that come about?
Tony: I hosted my first class in 2000. While I would love to say that I wanted to share my love of basketry with my fellow basketmakers here in the Midwest, it kind of began for selfish reasons. If I could bring the teachers here to me then I didn’t have to travel all over the country to take my classes. At first, I really didn’t know how the workshops would go. Weavers here were used to working in reed so I wasn’t sure if everyone else would appreciate working in black ash as much as I did. Fortunately, the reception was great and in the last 19 years, hundreds of museum-quality baskets have been woven in my basement.
Eric: Well, your “basement” really isn’t a typical basement. It’s a great space to work and teach. And I always thought it was interesting that you host your four-day workshops Saturday through Tuesday. It is not the typical timeframe but I really like it.
I know baskets and your other craft creations are your after-hours projects. Why don’t you tell us what pays the bills for all of your addictive craft habits?
Tony: Oh yes, that annoying job does get in the way of my fun sometimes, but it does fund my addiction, so I guess I will keep it. I will be celebrating my 29th year at Saint Louis University this August. I started at SLU as a graphic designer and medical illustrator right after graduating from Johns 
Hopkins University School of Medicine. I spent seven years in the in-house graphics department working on illustration for medical journals and text books, and designing patient education brochures. I then moved over to the marketing department to create advertising in the medical practice for the school of medicine. I still do a few medical illustrations, and in fact, recently finished up a series of eight drawings that will be part of a video describing a new liver transplant technique. While these were really challenging as the surgery was very complicated, it is exciting since they will demonstrate a procedure that I don’t think has ever been accurately illustrated before.
Eric: Sounds very intense. Now I see why baskets make a good fit for you.
Have you ever made a Black Ash basket from the tree? Meaning have you ever had the opportunity to pound the ash yourself?
Tony: I have… kind of. It was at the John C. Campbell Folk School. JoAnn Kelly Catsos and her husband Steve taught a week-long tree to basket class. This was before you could no long transport a log across state lines, so they brought a log from Massachusetts which Steve split into billets for us to pound, and pound and then pound some more. I made all of my own uprights for a 10-inch diameter Bushwhacker-style basket and was able to make my own weavers by scraping and running material through the knives. In addition, I made my own maple rim and handle at home before the class.
Eric: Everyone should do that at least once, just to get the full experience.
You have made so many various types of baskets. Do you have a favorite?
Tony: For the last few years I have started making reproduction Shaker baskets, based on photos and measurements from antique collections. Most have been half- or quarter-scaled versions. I make the molds, handles, rims, dividers, runners, etc. and have the black ash splint custom cut. I have enjoyed not only weaving these baskets, but the whole process as well—from figuring out the materials to making the molds and wooden parts.
Eric: That’s the difference between being a basket weaver and a basket maker!
I heard you taught baskets for some time in the day and you will be teaching at John C. Campbell Folk School next summer. Can you tell us a little about that and what you will be teaching?
Tony: I started teaching way back in college and continued after I moved to St. Louis. At first I almost exclusively taught ribbed baskets and then began teaching more and more Nantucket-style baskets. When I bought my house I took a break, which ended up lasting for 15 years! I am coming out of retirement to again teach ribbed basketry at the John C. Campbell Folk School next month. I am so excited. I have been weaving a bunch of ribbed baskets in preparation for my class samples and forgot how much fun it was making those. I really enjoy teaching the fundamentals of weaving. I feel that if you truly understand the basics of how to construct a basket, you can make whatever you want. We will be making four traditional ribbed basket styles out of reed using the same weaving techniques as Appalachian white oak basket makers use.
They have already asked me to come back next year, but I have yet to officially receive the contract, so that official announcement will have to wait.
Eric: Thanks Tony, this has been great!
If someone is losing out and not following you, where can they find you and keep up with what you are doing?
Tony: My website is www.JASkets.com and you can see lots of baskets I have made as well as photos from classes I have hosted (though I am way behind in adding those).
My blog is https://jaskets.blogspot.com/ where I tend to go into more detail on what I am working on or up to.
On Instagram, my username is @jaskets (https://www.instagram.com/jaskets/). I try to post there weekly if not every few days depending on if I am doing anything exciting.
I have two Facebook pages: My personal page, username “Tony Stubblefield” (link here) and my business page, username “JASkets” (link here). Not trying to be confusing but decided on two Facebook pages: one for my crafty basket friends and one for my school friends and family.
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Again, Great job you two!!
