Name: Experimental Contemporary Basketry
Start: 2026-06-12T04:00:00+12:00
End: 2026-06-12T07:00:00+12:00
Location: The Suter Art Gallery Te Aratoi o Whakatū

Led by Maggy J.
Experimental Contemporary Basketry - Where Baskets Go Rogue is a contemporary, fast-paced, hands-on workshop led by artist Maggy J (Margaret Johnston).
This session invites participants to explore how weaving, master weaving, crochet, knitting, wrapping and binding techniques can transform unexpected materials into new sculptural creations.
This is not about perfection or traditional outcomes — it is about experimentation. Participants will work with a range of fast, reused and unconventional materials, along with woven textile processes, to push beyond conventional craft into expressive contemporary form.
If you are curious about materials, enjoy problem-solving through making, and are willing to experiment, this workshop offers substantial creative rewards. There are no barriers — just creativity.
Whether you are an experienced textile artist or simply eager to explore new possibilities, you will be supported to test ideas, develop structure, and bring a concept into physical form. Participants will leave with a completed sculptural piece (or a substantial work-in-progress), new technical approaches to material transformation, and fresh creative momentum.
Maggy J (Margaret Johnston) is a Richmond-based artist with over 25 years of experience and an MFA (Hons) from Whitecliffe College of Art & Design. Her ecologically driven practice explores environmental sustainability and gender equity through the transformation of pre-used and unconventional materials into contemporary sculptural textiles.
By combining traditional textile processes such as crochet, knitting, and weaving with industrial and unexpected materials, she challenges perceptions of value, waste, and craft. Maggy has exhibited widely throughout New Zealand and has been a workshop tutor with Nelson Textile Experiences since 2015.