Mitchell Ann

Article By Sesi King
Indian Time
Vol 31 No 44
November 7, 2013

Ann Mitchell is a young woman of 24 and is our featured artist for this week. Her basket making skills are growing steadily and are becoming more known to the Ahkwesahsne community. She has already made her mark at the New York State Fair this past summer as she entered and won second place in the Traditional category. With the same basket, Ann entered it to the Seneca Nation Fall Festival where she won honours with first place. In addition to her wins, Ann also presented Kerry Kennedy (daughter of Robert Kennedy), with a basket at the State Fair and had pictures taken with her. She was very complimentary towards Ann at that time and loved the basket so much.

Ann has been busy filling orders for baskets since being involved with the Fair. She and her mom Laura are vendors there usually each year. Ann really loves going to the State Fair on Indian Day, as they see many cultural events, dancers, food, and Native people all day.

She is very excited about her new venture of weaving. Her plans for the future are many as she shares them excitedly with me. Ann said, "I have many firsts lately ... such as a new design with flowers, a bell and barrettes." When she finishes her basket orders, she
wants to continue to make more baskets to sell in a huge show. She would like to display them in a huge "open house" and eventually open a nice shop. Ann shared many exciting ideas and plans about her new baskets yet to come with much enthusiasm.

Ann's basket making experiences began at an early age of six as she watched her great grandmother Louise Barnes, who was well known for her baskets too. She didn't really pick it back up until four years ago. She realized then how much she really loves weaving and began to get serious. Her mom's favourite basket are the Traditional ones that are natural light coloured ones. Ann prefers to work with a style of her own as she adds many colors to them and creates her own marks such as various curls unlike most. Ann continues to try different techniques and shapes. Her creations are absolutely beautiful!

When Ann begins a basket, it" from start to finish over a couple of days. That is so amazing. Ann feels that she was meant to be a basket maker and now it is her biggest love. She looks at her art as therapy, it's soothing to her. When she is weaving, it is like the best feeling in the world. For Ann, it's like helping her to overcome the bad feelings of being bullied when she was younger. Her skills at basketry make her so super proud of herself and makes herself feel so good. She loves experimenting and trying new shapes and different ways to make curls. For now, Ann has concentrated on Fancy baskets but doesn't mind trying new styles.

Ann and her mom Laura have a Facebook page if anyone wants to talk to them and to see their basket examples, "Mitchell Baskets".

Her other hobbies include beading, painting, and sewing. Sweetgrass picking brings people to Massena to a selected area. A few people know of this location and the grass is long. She has fond memories of herself and mother going to pick all day long bringing along a packed lunch with ice in a cooler on those hot days. Enough sweet. grass is needed to last for the winter months as they make baskets.

Ann's love for baskets began when she would visit the Akwesasne Museum and saw all the baskets made by the elderly women. That inspiration to work hard at learning to be just like them. She thanks them all for that but mostly, she thanks her mom Laura. "She is like my best friend and we are super close, I owe her everything." Ann also wants to send a thank you to her boyfriend Cory for all he has done. She would like to acknowledge her mom, and siblings Arlene, Lance and Joe as well as her dad Newton.

Ann is such a nice person and so knowledgeable about basket weaving. To see someone so young and so ready to create her artwork for the community of Ahkwesahsne is great.

Niawen Ann for your time and for the chance to meet and visit you.