612 Beaser Ave, Ashland, WI 54806
The Beaser School is an old brick and brownstone building that sits on the west side of town in a very residential area. Connecting itself to a small park and community garden space, this old school is over 125 years old. It houses several art studios and mine is one of them. There is much history and energy here – both old and new – making it a very welcoming and interesting space to visit and work in.
My studio, Suite 7, is where the making magic happens. This space holds all the tools and materials necessary for weaving baskets of my own and for providing materials for baskets made by others. It is a wide, open spaced filled with light from the outside world, comfortable tables for working at, space for eating meals and a place to just “be”.
My studio is located on the top floor of the old school so be prepared to climb a few flights of steps to get to it. The bathroom is in the basement, so prepare yourself for that, as well.
I provide one-on-one studio time and group workshops and can be contacted via email for project options, pricing, and availability.
-Owner, April Stone
“Crossing paths with April has been life changing. I cannot look at craft the same way again. I cannot look at myself the same way again.
Craft is a part of who we are, in which we are supposed to be intentionally engaging in creation. It was more than just making a basket together. It was a deeper call to return to the heart through the body. I have spent a lot of time in my life over thinking. Not everything can be figured out through processing it in your mind. Working with the black ash slowed me down to be present with myself and the moment. Engaging in craft calls us to show up vulnerably…open to making mistakes and accomplishing successes. In order to get it done, we have to keep showing up to the work.
The basket made with April was the most beautiful thing I ever had a chance to make. It carries in it so much more than plants and berries. It carries the words and lessons she shared with me. It carries a call for me to pay closer attention. It asks me to look at the world through a different lens. It asks me to be a better relative. It’s introduced me to a new community, allowing me to continue examining the other layers of myself, and how I am woven into the community around me, and what are my responsibilities to it.
April creates a space for going deeper into the craft of black ash basketry, and invites the student to examine how this relationship with the ash can create a new chapter into their own life.”
-Crystal Brown, Green Bay, WI