Member Directory

Craftsmen’s Guild of Mississippi Members

Search our Member Directory by name or medium (Metal, Ceramics, Glass, Mixed Media, Wood, Fiber). Or, scroll down the page to browse our Members.

About Us

We are makers on a mission to preserve and promote, educate and encourage, the highest standard of excellence in regional crafts.

The work of our Members reflects a high degree of competence, professional standards, and artistry in their medium and category. Eligibility is determined by a jury review process which takes place twice each year.

Fiber Dee Gardner Fiber Dee Gardner

Marilyn Diehl Basket Cottage

Marilyn Diehl Basket Cottage

Mt. Olive, MS

Fiber: Baskets

Guild member since 2008

Marilyn learned how to make baskets from her nephew, Roger. In 2002, she bought and moved his basket shop to its current location in Mt. Olive, Mississippi. Her baskets are made from natural rattan reed and the handles are made from hickory. She uses natural products such as pecan and black walnut shells for her dyes. Her baskets have been featured in Southern Living, Our South magazine, and Oak Street magazine. Marilyn has baskets to people from all over the world- including Italy and Germany.

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Wood Dee Gardner Wood Dee Gardner

Aaron Griggs

Aaron Griggs

Houlka, MS

Wood

Baskets

Guild member since 2011

Making the first trip to Montana View, Arkansas in September 2010 with his wife Patsy, Aaron met a person by the name of Leon Jennings. Leon was about 90 years old at that time. He found him on the "Off The Beaten Path" tour of craftsmen and artisans. Aaron became interested at that time in White Oak Basket Making because Leon made baskets in the traditional way. Aaron makes his baskets in the traditional way. He selects the right tree, then spits it with wedges and a froe, shaves it down to billets with a draw-knife, then splits it down the grain in weavers, ribs, and handles depending on the type and size of basket to be woven. There are many basket weavers but only a handful of true traditional White Oak Basket Makers in the state of Mississippi and he is proud to be one of them.

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Wood Dee Gardner Wood Dee Gardner

Barbara Rigdon

Barbara Rigdon

Little Rock, MS

Wood

Baskets

Guild member since 2008

As a child, Barbara watched her uncle make white-oak baskets. As an adult, she asked her aunt, who made egg baskets, to teach her the craft. She made her first basket in 1999 and since then has learned to weave different basket types through studying books or by analyzing baskets produced by others. Most of all, she relishes making stained baskets of walnut, driftwood, or oak. She enjoys using color in some of her weaving, dying her own reeds when time permits. She weaves her baskets at the family farm, Honeysuckle Hill, where they also raise miniature pygmy goats. Each basket is individually numbered, signed, and dated. Her desire is to encourage others to learn the ancient art of basket weaving.

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Fiber Dee Gardner Fiber Dee Gardner

Prudence McGehee

McComb, MS

Fiber

Categories: Baskets

Member since 2023

Prudence studied weaving as a college student. Prudence was admitted into the Mississippi Craftsmen’s Guild in 1980 as a weaver. She has weavings in the permeant collections at St. Philip's Episcopal church in Jackson as well as the GSA Headquarters in Jackson. In about 2008, Prudence was taught basket weaving by Joe Bruneau from Pisgah, North Carolina. Prudence incorporates fabric and other materials into her baskets. The design and size of her baskets are determined by the unique qualities of the materials and the intended use.

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