If you think about it, what draws people toward something these days is often about reclaiming our humanity.
What's healthful, and thus has gravity, are positive expressions about who we are, resiliency, and beauty, especially amidst hardship and grief. Dance, song, creating—expressions of our hands and bodies, and what we can do as humans. The modern craft movement is reweaving the tapestry of our culture—towards something that is functional and healthy, through our own hands and bodies.
Mo Hohmann first learned to grow and weave willow in the mountains of Oregon from Peg Matthewson. A craft older than pottery, weaving comes from our ancestral past. Nowadays it's being brought into the light of the present by courageous and inspired makers like Mo and Peg.
"It's an innate human experience to be drawn by beauty. And beauty is pretty subjective. But it's my experience with the baskets that there is this gravitational pull towards what is beautiful. Because it feeds this deep need as human beings. It's a soul food right? It's something that brings a sense of belonging."
Listen to the full interview here, or on any podcast app.
How I Hold You, How I Would Have Held You
During our interview, Mo read aloud a book she wrote about the process of making a soul boat, and her three grandmothers. She is planning to reprint the book soon.
Check out Mo’s work on her Instagram and website: https://woventhresholds.com
Also, Mo offers online classes through Coyote Willow Schoolhouse, and plans to offer in person classes soon.
https://linktr.ee/woventhresholds
2025.03.08 Update: In the podcast, Mo discusses watertight baskets and her teacher Peg. However, Peg did not teach her about them, which may have been unclear in the original episode
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