Shannon Lucas Westrum shared their story and experiences with us recently and you can find our conversation below.
Shannon, so good to connect and we’re excited to share your story and insights with our audience. There’s a ton to learn from your story, but let’s start with a warm up before we get into the heart of the interview. What makes you lose track of time—and find yourself again?
I’m primarily a basket maker, functional baskets, sculptural pieces, a little of everything. I loose track of time when I’ve reached the point in a piece where I have established my general shape, know where I want it to take me, and I can just – weave.
Is it noon, 4pm, 8? Thursday?
Doesn’t matter.
Just peace.
Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
I am a basketry artist who is experimenting with the fusion of tradition and modern styles. I began my practice as a basket maker in the late 1990’s with community education classes and fiber arts guilds.
My work is a blend of cultures, traditions, and technical skills. After spending years asking questions about culture and tradition and how to represent them in my art, I began the pursuit of learning traditional European weaving techniques and materials. I have worked with basket makers from the United States, Spain, and Denmark. I have pilgrimaged to Ireland, working with Joe Hogan, a traditional Irish basket maker turned modern artist, followed by an arts residency at Shankill Castle in Kilkenny, IE. My most recent journey, in May 2025, took me to work on willow basketry with Anne Liebmann in Edinburgh, Scotland.
I was recently awarded the 2025 McKnight Fiber Artists Fellowship, Creative Individuals Grants from the Minnesota State Arts Board (2021, 2023) Arts Education Grants (2024, 2025, 2026) and a Region 2 Arts Council Fellowship (2018) and Shankill Castle Artist-in-Residence (2018). I have exhibited my work at Shankill Castle, Kilkenny, IE; Armory Arts & Event Center, Park Rapids, MN; MacRostie Art Center, Grand Rapids, MN; Watermark Art Center, Bemidji, MN; and numerous group exhibitions across Minnesota. I teach basket making workshops year-round from Minnesota to Washington DC, partnering with regional galleries, guilds, and libraries.
Thanks for sharing that. Would love to go back in time and hear about how your past might have impacted who you are today. What was your earliest memory of feeling powerful?
My earlier memory of feeling powerful. I was 7 years old and had entered one of those “coloring sheet” competitions at the local Red Owl. Our neighbor, Jeannie, was an employee at the store and was one of the judges of the contest. According to Jeannie, my submission was on the top of the pile for my group. My siblings had also entered, but because someone recognized the address as being near hers, it was decided it might look suspicious and they gave the prize to the next in line. Who knows if it’s true or not, but I remember that day like it just happened. Pride in having my work bring appreciated enough that she made a special effort to let me know.
I believe that early encouragement helped shape a lifetime of creative pursuits.
What fear has held you back the most in your life?
My biggest fear has always been that of publicly failing, of not surpassing expectation, or of being “bad” at something – and that fact being discovered. Even with a list if grants, awards, and fellowships, the NEXT project, proposal or exhibition is a ritual of doubt, procrastination, and finally frantic creation and meeting of my goals and deadlines. (“Hello, ADHD!”)
The good new is that the system seems to work for me!
So a lot of these questions go deep, but if you are open to it, we’ve got a few more questions that we’d love to get your take on. Is the public version of you the real you?
Generally speaking, I wear my heart on my sleeve. My public face is just a slightly more moderated version. I do a lot of teaching with funds from state and regional organizations. Most include the rule that you not present politics or political ideals while engaged in those activities. For this reason, I steer group conversations away from anything potentially inflammatory in class settings. I have strong opinions on art, creativity, and the bravery it takes adults to learn a new skills. Those I’ll share far and wide.
In my studio and home, I’m less refined, maybe a little more angry, a lot more swear-y.
Thank you so much for all of your openness so far. Maybe we can close with a future oriented question. Are you doing what you were born to do—or what you were told to do?
I am doing what I was born to do, though it took years to get there. I’ve been a maker since I perfected the use of scissors when I as little. Took elective classes to learn new “hobbies” and got a Bachelors Degree in Small Business management In my world, only a select few “artists” ever made enough money to live on. I was taught that it would be as elusive as becoming an NFL quarterback or a major league pitcher.
I’m not much at drawing, and only paint abstract. Therefore, I thought I could never be an “artist” full time.
I know now that the term artist isn’t as pinpointed as I had always thought.
I describe myself now as a “Teaching and Sculptural Basketry Artist”. I divide my time between “art” basketry and designing and creating for art shows and workshops. I get to promote the growth of hand-work, fine craft, and fine art, one-on-one with hundreds of students each year. THAT is what I was born to do.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://ShannonLucasWestrum.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/shannonlucaswestrum/
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/shannon-lucas-westrum-46ab0127/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ShannonLucasWestrum.Artist/
- Youtube: http://www.youtube.com/@wildflowerstudios
Image Credits
Image Credits, Jesse Westrum, TJ Turner
