Lanark Highlands Basketry Museum
We aim to share knowledge of baskets made with local materials.
The Lanark Highlands Basketry Museum opened in 2016, in McDonald’s Corners Ontario.
It is located in a 1930’s stable, originally built to accommodate a horse and carriage for the doctor’s new house.
The museum reflects Ankaret's interest in basketry and the use of local materials in this ancient craft. Located in the backyard of her McDonald's Corners house, the museum is a place to learn about basketry and the range of its applications, as well as meet Ankaret and share her experiences.
Display cases were handcrafted by Mal Beauchamps with local cedar, ash and birch.
Some of Ankaret's publications are also for sale at the museum. These include:
The Best of the Basketry Express: 1985-1990
Another Best of the Basketry Express: 1990-1995
Yet Another Best of the Basketry Express: 1995-2000
The majority of the baskets in the museum collection were collected or made by Ankaret Dean. Since the late 1970s, she travelled across North America teaching weaving and basketry. Later, she travelled internationally to Sweden, Japan and England for research, and later went to India and Bangladesh as a volunteer with CESO.
All baskets exhibited in the permanent collection are made with materials that can be found in the local area. This does not apply to rotating exhibitions held in the loft.
To celebrate the fifth anniversary of the museum, there is a new building in the lower garden, called The Basketry Experience, it will be used to teach about the different basketry materials and techniques for material preparation as well as workshops and demonstrations.
Photos of baskets from the museum collection