This winter Seed, Soil and Spirit School held a BIPOC Willow Basket Weaving Intensive workshop. This workshop brought together Black, Indigenous and racialized community members for a hands on, two day learning experience rooted in traditional fibre arts, land stewardship, and cultural knowledge. Hosted at Seed, Soil and Spirit School’s outdoor classroom and St. Brigid’s Villa at the Ignatius Jesuit Centre in Guelph, the workshop welcomed eight participants, including educators, Indigenous community members, and newcomers to Canada. Five of the participants received scholarships to help make workshop participation more accessible. Leading the wordshop was willow farmer and weaver Jes Clark of Willow Vale Farm, an experienced instructor, who grows willow using regenerative practices. Before the workshop, participants joined Clark in a willow harvest where they gained experience harvesting and drying willow. Participants then spent two full days learning weaving techniques, basket making, and willow propagation. One participant shared, “The workshop was amazing! I had very little experience with weaving before, but after the workshop, I felt a lot more confident in my skills.”
Funding from a Musagetes Grant 2025 supported the first willow basket weaving intensive workshop, helping Seed, Soil and Spirit School expand its programming offering to include land-based fibre arts. Participants left with practical weaving skills and the confidence to share what they learned with their own students and communities. Several participants were educators who wanted to start willow weaving gardens at their schools in Toronto and Six Nations. These participants received willow cuttings, along with support and instructions for propagation on school grounds. The training also created new relationships between participants from different communities, leading to future collaborations including a weaving series and a food forest workshop for Guelph youth. By combining cultural knowledge, environmental learning, and skill building, the workshop created impacts that extend well beyond the weekend together.
Since the workshop, more than 260 willow cuttings have been planted in the organization’s teaching garden to support future learning opportunities!
Seed, Soil and Spirit School has been providing programs, workshops, and learning opportunities focused on plant medicine and land stewardship since 2020. The organization believes that food, craft, and culture are interconnected and works to revitalize traditional practices that have been disrupted through colonization and displacement. Through hands-on learning, participants reconnect with skills used to create everyday tools such as baskets, clothing, and other functional items made from natural materials. By centering cultural knowledge, accessibility, and community building, Seed, Soil and Spirit School helps people strengthen their relationship with the land and with one another.