Association of Artisans to Cane Restores Chairs for Old Sturbridge Village

The antique chairs at Old Sturbridge Village get a lot of use! A local chair caning business in New Haven is helping to re-seat some of the many Hitchcock chairs at the Village. Caners Rhonda Voos and Josh Hawkins recently attended the annual gathering of The SeatWeavers Guild (TSWG) at Sturbridge Village, where 53 members of the Guild came from around the country for a weekend of workshops and sharing of techniques. "It was an amazing opportunity to meet other caners who specialize in the niche business we are in", commented Rhonda Voos, “I learned so much and came away energized to try out some new methods of weaving."  Voos manages The Association of Artisans to Cane, a social enterprise of Marrakech, Inc.  The AAC employs adults with disabilities who are trained in the arts of chair caning, rush, shaker tape and other seat weaving.  Voos and Hawkins offered to re-rush the two Hitchcock chairs as a way of giving back to the Village. The Association of Artisans to Cane will be returning the chairs to Old Sturbridge Village when they are finished rushing the seats.

The Association of Artisans to Cane is one of the few chair caning/repair studios in the state, and they have been reweaving chair seats since 1988.  They are located at 597 East Street in New Haven. The studio offers demonstrations and educational workshops, and also has finished chairs that have been donated and repaired and are available for sale. 

For more information on the studio, check out Artisans to Cane , go to Facebook and “like” Association of Artisans to Cane, or contact Rhonda Voos at 203-776-6310 or by email at rvoos@marrakechinc.org.