Weaving Works of Art

Jane Esselstyn `83 gives new meaning to the phrase \"basket case.\" While she is easily recognized by multiple generations of Hawks as a former nationally-ranked LESD swimmer, the current 6th grade Health and Life Skills instructor, and the high-energy mom of Crile `17, Zeb `19 and Bainon Esselstyn Hart, Jane is also a self-taught basket weaver extraordinaire. Esselstyn`s passion for basketry began during a stint as an Outward Bound instructor in Asheville, North Carolina. \"I had just moved in as the apartment-mate of another OB instructor, who was out in the woods leading a course,\" Jane recalls. \"It felt really weird to be alone in this new space that was full of another person`s stuff, and I needed something to do.\" She picked up a basket kit at a local craft store and discovered a natural inclination for basket-weaving that has since led to teaching stints at the League of New Hampshire Craftsmen (\"Craftspeople!\" chimes Esselstyn) and the Cleveland Institute of Art, as well as \"Best in Show\" accolades at regional craft fairs, an artist residency at Hawken, and numerous private workshops. The baskets contributed to a harmonious apartment environment, as well - Esselstyn`s North Carolina housemate was Middle School history teacher Brian Hart; the two married in 1997. For Esselstyn, the appeal of basket weaving runs deep. \"Baskets reveal so much about the people who make them,\" she muses. \"Even with first-time weavers, I see everything from creative students coming out with wild shapes and patterns to super-organized, highly-structured people who weave baskets tightly enough to hold water.\" She also cites a reverence for craft and simplicity that are easily lost in a marketplace flooded with inexpensive products. \"After you`ve spent three or four hours making your first basket,\" she says, \"you really understand how much planning, time and skill go into a good result. It`s hard to ever look at commercial baskets the same way again.\"