A Little Bit of History of WVBA...
In March 1977, Becky Young of Ripley, returned from the North Carolina Basketmakers Convention determined to form a basketmakers organization in West Virginia. Ruth Ann Stutler of Lost Creek had the same idea a year earlier.
On August 2, 1997, six women met at the City Park in Parkersburg for the first meeting of what was to become the West Virginia Basketmakers Association (WVBA).
On September 27, 1997, a meeting was held at Damon's in Bridgeport. Seventeen people attended. Membership after this meeting was up to thirteen and by the end of the year we had twenty-one members.
By the time our first Weave-In was held at the Bicentennial Motel in Buchannan on April 18, 1998, we had 54 members with 26 attending.
Our goal is to stimulate an interest in and perpetuate the art of basketry.
We currently have five active Guilds/Chapters:
- Homespun Basketweavers - Jackson County
- Mid-Ohio Valley - Wood County
- Mound Weavers - Marshall County
- North Central Guild - Harrison County
- Western Weavers - Cabell County
We now have more than 100 members from 10 states. We have an annual Convention held in the fall with an average of 75-100 people attending.
The Conventions have been held at: Canaan State Park, Blennerhassett Hotel in Parkersburg, Cedar Lakes Conference Center, Holiday Inn in Weirton, Days Inn Conference in Flatwoods and the Holiday Inn in Parkersburg, Alderson-Broaddus College in Philippi,Tamarack in Beckley, and the Harrison County Parks and Recreation Facility near Clarksburg.