Mary Crabb

I like to teach a set of skills, which then enable the student to develop their work in their own style, making decisions about how their work progresses. By providing support and encouragement, I hope to make it possible for each student to feel a sense of achievement and satisfaction.

I hope to inspire and enthuse the students, helping them to gain the knowledge and skills they need to continue making when they leave the course.

I like to teach through demonstration and example, then support and encourage students as they work independently.

I am inspired by nature and industry. I am currently researching seed- pods and beans. I also find derelict industrial sites hold a fascination. I like to photograph disused rusty machinery and abandoned relics. I am interested in their interaction with the natural environment.

The best place to view my work is on my website.

Most of my basketmaking skills have been learnt on short courses taught by Jackie Binns and Mary Butcher. I continue to develop my skills in other craft areas, such as jewellery and silversmithing. These skills inform my work with metal wire in my own basketmaking.

I am a qualified primary teacher and have taught in primary schools in West Sussex for over ten years. More recently I have worked as an Education Officer at Amberley Museum and Heritage Centre, where I jointly set up and ran an education service for schools and families. I continue to teach on the West Sussex Able Pupil Programme. Since becoming a freelance basketmaker and teacher, I have taught basketmaking in a range of settings; including museums, galleries and education establishments.

My work is included in the Museum of Basketry, Pinolere Cultural Association, Canary Isles, Spain.

The Basketmakers’ Association, Yeoman Member of The Worshipful Company of Basketmakers, The General Teaching Council