Friendswood Brooms

Ralph & Marlow Gates

Brooms as art were stifled in their infancy by the invention of the broom machine in the 1850's. At that point, the plain wire wrapped, dowel handled broom became the standard. Until recently there have been no professional broommakers, only machine operators.

Using natural wood handles and croomcorn, we make each broom by hand with techniques that date to the 1790's. Freed from the constraints of the machine, we are investigating shape, size, color, texture and the other fundamentals basic to any art form. Each broom is a unique, functional piece of sculpture, incorporating traditional Appalachian strength and longevity.

www.friendswoodbrooms.com

Leicester, NC

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