THE ARTFUL BROOM at Mountain Heritage Handcraft
2019-09-16 09:30 - 2019-09-20 18:00 UTC | MOUNTAIN HERITAGE HANDCRAFT STUDIO, 2639 Maxwell Road, Blue Ridge, GA, 30513, United States
This 5 day immersion will whisk you beyond crafting the basic broom, into the Fine Art of Broom Making. Students will explore novel plaiting and stitching techniques, multiple headed brooms, techniques for adding dyed broomcorn, and brooms as sculptural pieces; for Art’s sake!
Functional & fanciful, great gifts for friends, family & home: multiple brooms will be made by all, and students will leave with the know-how and inspiration to continue making Artful brooms on their own. *Some broom making experience is required.
MATERIALS FEE: All tool rentals and the materials needed for each student will be provided by the instructor for all inclusive fee of $100 (check or cash) payable at the time of the class.

TRADITIONAL BARK BASKETRY at MHcrafted Workshop-CANCELLED DUE TO PANDEMIC
2020-05-30 09:30 - 2020-05-31 18:00 UTC | MOUNTAIN HERITAGE HANDCRAFT STUDIO, 2639 Maxwell Road, Blue Ridge, GA, 30513, United States
In this class, learn to harvest bark yourself and fold into useful, beautiful baskets using many of the traditional techniques taught by the Appalachian area Indians.
You will discover how to use these nature made materials to craft several different styles of folded bark baskets. Incorporating other barks and natural materials, we will assemble, stitch and add rims, handles & décor to create one-of-a-kind creative pieces. Each student will leave with several bark baskets and the know-how to complete more on their own.
We begin by hand-peeling Tulip Poplar bark from freshly cut logs harvested from our property. Nothing goes to waste. This variety of tree is a rapid and prolific grower in this area, and trees are selected to thin out the woodlands in order to create healthier forests. The peeled logs will be seasoned and used for firewood to heat the workshop in the winter.
A great class for those who like getting back to Nature & working with natural materials. All levels Welcome. Moderate hand strength helpful.
MATERIALS FEE : All tool rental and materials needed by the students for this class will be provided by the instructor for an all inclusive fee of $100 due at class.

THE ARTFUL BROOM -CLASS CANCELLED due to pandemic
2020-06-22 09:30 - 2020-06-26 18:00 UTC | MOUNTAIN HERITAGE HANDCRAFT STUDIO, 2639 Maxwell Road, Blue Ridge, GA, 30513, United States
This 5 day immersion will whisk you beyond basic broomcraft, into the finer Art of broom making. Experienced broom making students will explore new & novel plaiting and stitching techniques, multiple headed brooms, techniques for adding and utilizing dyed broomcorn, and exploring brooms as sculptural pieces; for Art’s sake!
Functional & fanciful, great gifts for friends, family & home: multiple brooms will be made by all, and students will leave with the know-how and inspiration to continue making Artful brooms on their own. *Some broom making/plaiting experience is required.

MATERIALS FEE: All tool rentals and the materials needed for each student will be provided by the instructor for all inclusive fee of $125 (check or cash) payable at the time of the class.

FOWL WHISK WEEKEND-CLASS CANCELLED due to pandemic
2020-07-25 09:30 - 2020-07-26 17:30 UTC | MOUNTAIN HERITAGE HANDCRAFT STUDIO, 2639 Maxwell Road, Blue Ridge, GA, 30513, United States
Broom makers,
Join us for a weekend class held at our studio located in the mountains of beautiful Blue Ridge, Georgia. With a little whisk or broom making experience, you qualify to take this in-depth flight into creating fowl-inspired whisk styles, such as the Chicken-wing, Turkey-wing & Rooster Tail whisks! Some hand strength & prior whisk and/or broom making experience is required.
MATERIALS FEE: All tools and materials for this class will be provided for an all inclusive fee of $50

THE NATURE OF BROOMS at SAIPUA
2020-08-03 - 2020-08-07 | SAUPIA, The Farm at World’s End, 123 De Kay Drive, Esperance, NY, 12066, United States
Come to the breathtaking ‘Farm At World’s End’ in Esperance New York and join us for a 5-day immersion that will whisk you beyond crafting a basic broom, to an in-depth understanding of the finer Art and craft of Broom Making. Students attending this Saupia residency will learn all about growing, preparing and sorting broomcorn, as well as broom history and folklore. We’ll also take on woodworking, whittling, sanding and finishing rough sticks into fine broom handles. Finally, we’ll learn the traditional hand plaiting techniques used to make a variety of broom styles; from floor & hearth sweepers, to cobweb besoms, and various styles of whisks. Functional & fanciful, great gifts for home: multiple brooms will be made by all, and students will leave with the know-how to continue making brooms on their own. All levels welcome. Some upper body & hand strength required.
TO REGISTER, visit> https://www.saipua.com/course-list

BROOMS FROM THE GROUND UP at Mountain Heritage Handcraft
2020-08-17 09:30 - 2020-08-21 18:00 UTC | MOUNTAIN HERITAGE HANDCRAFT STUDIO, 2639 Maxwell Road, Blue Ridge, GA, 30513, United States
Get swept up for 5 days of in-depth exploring the traditional craft of Broom Making from the ground up. Students start out by harvesting seeded broomcorn tassels from the field and learn all about planting, harvesting, preparing and sorting broomcorn. Then we’ll whittle and finish rough sticks into fine broom handles. Finally we’ll plait a variety of broom styles; from floor & hearth sweepers, to cobweb besoms, and various styles of whisks. Functional & fanciful, these brooms make great gifts for the home. Multiple brooms will be made by all, and students will leave with the know-how to continue making brooms on their own. All levels welcome. Some hand strength is required.
MATERIALS FEE: All tool rentals and the materials needed for each student will be provided by the instructor for all inclusive fee of $100 (check or cash) payable at the time of the class.

ARTISAN WILLOW BASKETS for Scottish Heritage Week
2020-08-30 08:00 - 2020-09-05 17:00 UTC | John C. Campbell Folk School, 1 Folk School Road, Brasstown, NC, 28902, United States
Come to John C. Campbell Folk School set in the bucolic mountain town of Brasstown, North Carolina for Scottish Heritage Week, where Mark Hendry will be teaching the traditional skill of Artisan Willow Basketry. Explore the traditional skill of weaving willow basketry from the ground up! Using several varieties of basketry willow, we’ll focus on making traditional rib-style baskets and if time allows, explore random weave techniques. We’ll cover selecting varieties, planting, propagating, harvesting, learning various weaving and lashing techniques, tool use, and everything needed to continue on with willow work. Some other natural materials can be incorporated as well. All levels welcome, but some hand strength is required.
folkschool.org/artisanwillow

WHISKED AWAY WEEKEND at BRMAA
2020-09-19 10:30 - 2020-09-20 17:00 UTC | Blue Ridge Mountain Arts Association, 420 West Main Street, Blue Ridge, GA, 30513, United States
Join us at the Blue Ridge Mountain Arts Association in beautiful Blue Ridge, Georgia and spend a whirlwind weekend learning to craft various styles of handmade Appalachian inspired whisk brooms. You will learn 18th century broom making techniques sans machinery. Each day students will learn about the history and folklore of the broom and the part it played in our country’s origins, while we explore functional decorative whisk designs, plaiting techniques, uses of color and at least 3 different construction styles, to make a cache of whisks to take home, along with the know-how to create more on their own.
These highly useful beautiful gems of the sweeper world make fantastic gifts, as well as being very fun and satisfying to make. All class tools and materials are included. All levels welcome. Some hand strength required.
Class details and registration are available on the BRMAA website: www.blueridgearts.net

WHISKED AWAY WEEKEND in Huntsville, Alabama
2020-09-25 - 2020-09-27 | NC
Join us at the beautifully bucolic Burritt On The Mountain, in Huntsville Alabama and get swept up for a wonderful 3-day weekend learning to craft various styles of stunning handmade whisk brooms. You will learn the historic handcraft of making brooms sans machinery, as in the 18th century. Each day students will explore fun, functional & highly decorative whisk designs, ways of adding color and at least 4 different construction styles, to make a hearty cache of whisks to take home, along with the know-how to create more on their own.
These highly useful beautiful gems of the sweeper world make fantastic gifts, as well as being very fun and satisfying to make. All levels welcome. Some hand strength required.
For class details and to register click on the link below…
https://burrittonthemountain.com/event/master-workshop-whisked-away-weekend-broom-making-with-mark-hendry/2020-09-25/

BROOM MAKING at John C. Campbell Folk School
2020-10-11 - 2020-10-16 | John C. Campbell Folk School, 1 Folk School Road, Brasstown, NC, 28902, United States
Mark Hendry will be teaching a week long class on THE ART OF BROOM MAKING at the John C. Campbell Folk School in Brasstown, North Carolina this Fall. Students will experience traditional Appalachian Broom Making from the ground up as they sort & prep broomcorn, learn to harvest and finish handles, and explore various broom designs and construction techniques from the 18th century tradition. Students will learn to make a variety of styles including whisks, hearth & floor sweepers and cobweb besoms, along with options for decorative more artistic brooms. Participants will leave with a treasure trove of brooms, asl well as the know-how to continue making brooms on their own. All levels welcome; moderate hand & upper-body strength helpful.
For more information, visit FOLKSCHOOL.org

SHAKER BROOMS & BASKETS at John C. Campbell Folk School
2020-11-01 - 2020-11-07 | John C. Campbell Folk School, 1 Folk School Road, Brasstown, NC, 28902, United States
It’s the best of both worlds, brooms and baskets, when broom craftsman Mark Hendry teams up with bad-ass black ash basketeer Jo Ann Kelly Catsos for a wonderful week of Shaker inspired crafts, history and folklore at the renowned John C. Campbell Folk School in bucolic Brasstown, North Carolina.
Weave with prepared black ash splint over a wooden mold to create the quintessential Shaker basket. Then make a Shaker-style plaited sweeper broom. With a taste of both crafts under your belt, you can explore the two worlds as your interest moves you, with some guidance, and you’ll design and work on additional projects as time allows.
For more information, click on the link below:
JCCFS/shakerweek

WOVEN WINTER ORNAMENTS at Mountain Heritage Handcraft
2020-12-12 09:30 - 2020-12-13 18:00 UTC | MOUNTAIN HERITAGE HANDCRAFT STUDIO, 2639 Maxwell Road, Blue Ridge, GA, 30513, United States
Spend a weekend weaving in a winter wonderland of woven ornaments! Learn basic weaving skills with user friendly patterns and materials to create fun & fanciful seasonal ornaments for whatever winter holiday decor you might imagine. From stars and snowflakes to angels and reindeer, students will weave an assortment of ornaments to take home, along with the know-how to keep the decorations going all winter long.
Class fee includes all tools and materials: $225

MURPHY SPRING ART FESTIVAL
2026-05-02 09:00 - 17:00 (America/New_York) | Murphy NC
Max will be joining the other fine Arts & Crafts artisans at the Murphy Spring Festival on Saturday May 2nd in Murphy North Carolina. He will be demonstrating 18th century Broom Making and selling his brooms & baskets all day. Stop by downtown and see the master at work and get swept up in the amazing festivities, including Music, Food, Kids Carnival & Fireworks! So much to see at this wonderful event.

Making Asian/Celtic Fusion Whisks
2026-05-15 14:00 - 18:00 (America/New_York) | Olive’s Porch, 27 Peachtree Street, Murphy, NC, 28906, United States
Join me at Olive’s Porch in downtown Murphy, NC for a fun four-hour class in broom making. Learn to make this stunning hand broom using a combination of banded Asian style whisk construction with a colorful Celtic braided plaiting detail. Useful as well as beautiful, this broom is not only functional, but makes an attractive all-occasion gift. Students will make two 14” whisks. All materials, tools and decor items for making these brooms will be supplied. We will use 18th century techniques without machinery, so hand and foot strength and dexterity are required as students will be using a foot treadle to make their brooms. Some broom-making experience is helpful, but not necessary.
Material Fee: $30
Click here to register*

SCULPTURAL ANTLER BASKETRY at Arrowmont
2026-05-24 - 2026-05-30 | Arrowmont School of Arts and Crafts, 556 Parkway, Gatlinburg, 37738, United States
Nature and artist collaborate, as students combine the beauty of natural shed deer antlers with artisan rib-style basket weaving. To start, students will create a fanciful & functional Appalachian Egg Basket using a shed mule deer antler as the base handle. Then, through class demonstrations and discussions exploring various drilling techniques on constructing more sculptural forms, students can also create their own unique antler weavings, using a variety of organic colors and natural materials including vines, cordage, reeds, grasses and fibers. All materials will be provided by the instructor, but students are welcomed to bring their own antlers or solid driftwood to practice drilling techniques and to work on as an additional projects at Arrowmont or at home. All levels welcome.
For more inforation, click the link below:
arrowmont/anterbasketry

WILLOW WEAVING at John Campbell Folk School
2026-06-07 09:00 - 2026-06-14 21:00 (America/New_York) | John C. Campbell Folk School, 1 Folk School Road, Brasstown, NC, 28902, United States
Max will be assisting his dear friend and fellow willow enthusiast Talcon Quinn for a wonderful week of willow weaving with stake and strand basketry. Using willow grown at the school with cuttings from Max’s willow farm and harvested during his harvest and weave class in January this past year, the students will weave a willow pack basket using traditional wicker (stake and strand) weaving techniques. The class will focus on weaving oval bases, twinning, waling, and randing, and discuss all steps of the basketry process from sourcing and preparing willow to attaching straps to your pack.
This class will require average to moderate hand strength/ prior basketry experience is helpful but not required.

Youth Broom Makers at AHHAS Summer Program
2026-06-15 08:30 - 2026-06-20 14:30 UTC | AHAAS
Join Max Hendry and Jada Patterson in Cave Spring, Georgia for a magical week of learning and laughing as we explore the wonderful world of historic hand Broom Making. The annual Alton Holman Heritage Summer Camp will host young students for an immersive week of learning and laughing while making several styles of brooms, besoms and whisks. Participants will stain and finish rough sticks into fine broom handles, as well as learn all about growing, sorting and preparing broomcorn. Finally, gain the skill of historic hand-plaiting used to make a variety of brooms; from cobweb besoms to various styles of hand brooms. Functional & fanciful, great gifts for all occasions: multiple brooms will be made by all and students will leave with the know-how to continue making brooms on their own. All levels welcome. Some upper body & hand strength required.

Youth Broom Classes at OLIVE'S PORCH
2026-07-14 | Olive’s Porch, 27 Peachtree Street, Murphy, NC, 28906, United States
Olive’s Porch in Murphy, North Carolina is offering a week of summer youth programs. On July 14th, Max will be teaching 2 one-day handbroom classes for youth ages 9-15 interested in an immersion into hand broom construction, and making something with their hands. All tools and materials are supplied. Some hand strength required.

WHISKED AWAY WEEKEND at JCCFS
2026-10-23 09:30 - 2026-10-25 17:30 UTC | John C. Campbell Folk School, 1 Folk School Road, Brasstown, NC, 28902, United States
Get whisked away for a whirlwind weekend crafting various historic Shaker, Appalachian & Asian style hand brooms. Join Max in the NC mountains of Brasstown at the renowned John Campbell Folk School for a focus on creative whisk broom styles. Students will create several functional & decorative whisk designs, using color and varying construction styles taking home a cache of whisks, along with the know-how to create more on their own. As well as being very satisfying to make, these highly useful & beautiful gems of the sweeper world put the fun in functional & make fantastic gifts. All class tools and materials are supplied by instructor. All levels welcome.
Some hand & upper body strength required.
For class details and to register click on the link below…
JCCFS Whisked Away Weekend

THE ART OF BROOMS at Mountain Heritage Handcraft
2026-11-02 09:30 - 2026-11-07 18:00 UTC | MOUNTAIN HERITAGE HANDCRAFT STUDIO, 2639 Maxwell Road, Blue Ridge, GA, 30513, United States
Join Max Hendry at his studio in beautiful Blue Ridge, Georgia and get swept up in a week of exploring the magical art of traditional 18th century Broom Making. Students will whittle and finish rough sticks into fine broom handles, as well as learn all about growing, sorting and preparing broomcorn. Finally, without any machinery, just using a foot treadle and your hands, you will learn the skill of historic hand-plaiting used to make a variety of brooms; from cobweb besoms and shaker-style sweepers to various styles of hand brooms and whisks.
Functional & fanciful, great gifts for all occasions: multiple brooms will be made by all and students will leave with the know-how to continue making brooms on their own. All levels welcome. Some upper body & hand strength required.

CLASS SIZE LIMIT: 5 students / TUITION: $1000 per person (50% down at time of registration) / Materials Fee: $125-$200 All tools needed and the materials for each student will be provided by the instructor.
TO REGISTER CLICK HERE

APPALACHIAN LEGACY CLASSES at Arrowmont
2026-11-12 - 2026-11-15 | Arrowmont School of Arts and Crafts, 556 Parkway, Gatlinburg, 37738, United States
Mark is proud to join the staff of fine artists & craftsman teaching at Arrowmont’s Legacy Weekend. In continuation of its service to Art Educators and Administration and to the region, Arrowmont School is offering a 4-day workshop offering Appalachian arts and crafts workshops. This program offers adminstrators of all non-profit and art disciplines the opportunity to come and learn in Arrowmont’s creative/supportive environment utilizing a full scholarship including tuition, lodging, meals and a completion stipend.

EXPLORING ANTLER BASKETRY at JCCFS
2026-12-06 - 2026-12-12 | John C. Campbell Folk School, 1 Folk School Road, Brasstown, NC, 28902, United States
Nature and artist collaborate, as students combine the beauty of natural shed deer antlers with artisan rib-style basket weaving. To start, students will create a fanciful & functional Appalachian Egg Basket using a shed mule deer antler as the base handle. Then, through class demonstrations and discussions exploring various drilling techniques on constructing more sculptural forms, students will create their own unique antler weavings, using a variety of organic colors and natural materials including vines, cordage, reeds, grasses and fibers. All materials will be provided by the instructor, but students are welcomed to bring their own antlers or solid driftwood to practice drilling techniques and to work on as an additional projects during class or to finish at home. All levels welcome.
For more information, click the link below:
folkschool.org
