Meet The Teachers
CANDY BARNES
West Virginia
Classes: TH-105, FR-207, SA-308, SU-408
Candy has always enjoyed working with her hands through sewing, knitting, crochet, and needlepoint. After taking her first basket class more than 20 years ago, she was hooked. Basket weaving also became a natural way to combine her creativity with her husband Dave’s love of woodworking.
MARY BROWN
Texas
2027 classes: TH-101, FR-209, SA-303, SU-404
Mary made her first basket in 1994 and began teaching in 2000. She has taught throughout Texas, Missouri, and Oklahoma. Twining is her favorite weaving technique, and she enjoys experimenting with shape, color, and a variety of materials.
Deni Halterman
Texas
2027 classes: TH-109, FR-213, SA-306, SU-407
Deni is a gourd artist with more than 30 years of experience creating distinctive pieces. She enjoys sharing techniques, encouraging creativity, and helping students discover the many possibilities of working with gourds.
Emma Hughes
Louisiana
2027 classes: TH-108, FR-202, FR-204, SA-301
Emma is celebrating her 39th year as a basket weaver and instructor. She has taught throughout the Southwest and at conferences hosted by the Texas Basket Weavers Association, Missouri Basketweavers Guild, and North Carolina Basketmakers’ Association. Basket weaving is both her passion and her therapy, and she especially enjoys helping students build confidence and complete work they are proud of.
Julie Kleinrath
Colorado
2027 classes: TH-107, FR-208, SA-309, SU-406
Julie has been weaving since 1990 and teaching since 1993. Her baskets have been exhibited in galleries and have received several awards. She has taught at conferences and for private groups in more than 35 states and now works from her home studio in Grand Junction, Colorado. Her favorite part of teaching is seeing the joy students feel when they complete a basket of their own.
Earlene Kramer Lampman
Virginia
2027 classes: TH-103, FR-206, SA-304, SU-405
Earlene has been a needleworker and designer for more than 55 years. During the height of counted cross-stitch, she published 11 copyrighted pattern booklets and later co-owned a fine art and fine craft gallery for 17 years. She took her first basket class 35 years ago and returned to basketry as a primary creative focus about 17 years ago. Earlene enjoys combining reed with beads, yarn, ribbon, trims, acrylic-poured bases, and resin-finished imagery to create pieces that are colorful, personal, and lasting.
Karen Lowe
Oklahoma
2027 classes: TH-106, FR-205, FR-212, SU-401
Karen wove her first basket in 2001 after her mother invited her to take a class, beginning many years of weaving together. After retiring from a 20-year teaching career in 2017, she began pursuing basketry full time and established K. Lowe’s Basketry in 2018. Karen is a member of the Basket Weavers Guild of Oklahoma and the Texas Basket Weavers Association. She enjoys learning new techniques, strengthening her skills, and sharing her love of basketry with others.
Marsha Orr
California
2027 classes: TH-102, FR-211, SA-302
Marsha made her first basket in 1987 during a class held in a converted barn in upstate New York. She was immediately drawn to the process of weaving and has remained involved in basketry ever since. Marsha is a member of the Misti Washington Gourd and Basket Guild in San Diego and teaches throughout Southern California, including with the LA Basketry Guild, San Diego Craft Collective, and Fallbrook School of the Arts.
Kathy Petronzio
North Carolina
2027 classes: TH-104, FR-210, SA-307, SU-403
Kathy began weaving in a local class while living in North Carolina and quickly fell in love with basketry. She continued expanding her skills while living in Japan with her husband and sons. Her work is influenced by the intricacy of Japanese basketry and by the beauty, tradition, and usefulness of Nantucket and Shaker styles. Kathy exhibits at shows along the East Coast and teaches throughout the country.
Peggy Thrasher
New Hampshire
2027 classes: TH-110A / FR-110B, SA-310A / SU-310B
Peggy enjoys showing students how beautiful mathematics can be through Madweave baskets made from ribbon or copper. With a background in computer science, she learned the technique through Shareen LaPlant’s book and continued developing her own approach. Peggy is a juried member of the League of New Hampshire Craftsmen and has taught at Northeast Basketmakers Guild conferences, the Stowe Basketry Festival, and local craft programs. She also sells her work at craft fairs throughout the Northeast.
Marcia Balleweg
Oklahoma
2027 classes: FR-201, FR-203, SA-305, SU-402
Marcia has loved baskets for many years and began weaving after moving to Oklahoma in 1992. She started teaching a few years later and has continued sharing her skills with other weavers ever since. Marcia is a founding member of the BasketWeavers Guild of Oklahoma and is also a member of the Missouri Basket Guild, Texas Basket Weavers Association, and Oklahoma Native American Basket Weavers Association.