The art of broom making reached its pinnacle in New England during the late 1800’s, driven mainly by the various Shaker museums. Prior to the industrial revolution most towns had several broom making shops. The average farm house held over a dozen brooms of different styles, suited ideally to an individual task. In this class we’ll create some of the original designs, using authentic broom corn and other materials.

What to expect: In this class we’ll explore broom making basics by creating a simple turkey wing style whisk broom, and then embellishing the handle with either broomcorn stalk or basket reed. Students will take home two or more brooms, as well as the knowledge necessary to continue crafting brooms on their own.

Who should attend: Anyone interested in learning the basics of traditional broom making. Note that moderate hand strength – along with some hand-eye-foot coordination – will make this a more enjoyable workshop.

About the instructor:

Larry Antonuk began his brooming journey in 2010 after watching a demonstration at the Enfield, NH Shaker Museum. He soon became an interpreter at the museum, and began researching broom designs and building reproductions of both small and tall brooms. Larry is a juried broom maker with the League of New Hampshire Craftsmen, and sells brooms at five Shaker museums in New England.

Tuition is $75 per student with a $15 materials fee, paid by cash or check to the instructor on the day of the class. All tools and materials will be provided.

Space is limited and pre-registration is required.

Those who wish to take the class MUST sign up by Monday, August 26th.

To register for this workshop call the League of NH Craftsmen – Meredith Fine Craft Gallery at (603) 279-7920 or visit the Gallery at 279 Daniel Webster Highway in Meredith.

For more details, visit our website at http://meredith.nhcrafts.org/classes/ and our Facebook page at http://www.facebook.com/nhcraft/

The League of NH Craftsmen Meredith Fine Craft Gallery is located at 279 DW Hwy, Meredith and is dedicated to the education and support of NH’s fine craft tradition since 1932.