The nation's only chair caning school & museum, Silver River Center for Chair Caning is operated by two chair nerds on a mission to prove that chair caning is not a "dying art." Currently welcoming visitors by appointment while we write a book in 2022. Call to schedule your visit. Our public art installation, The Chair Arch, will welcome you dawn til dusk 7 days a week in the CURVE Studios Garden.
Classes are available in person, online, on YouTube, and at a variety of craft schools, museums, public schools, and conferences around the country. We offer our two-week series on the 5 basic styles every spring and summer. Whether you want to just restore one chair or start a business, our small classes are fun and highly nerdy. We schedule classes by appointment outside of our spring and fall series. We teach kids and adults and welcome all levels of weavers.
The museum features a chair wall with the most common styles of weaving with information about the material, history, and process. A permanent collection of historical Western North Carolina chairs is on display as well as a rotating exhibits like #canespotting. Spend time studying up in the reference library and educate yourself on the ancient and global tradition. Hire us to speak and demonstrate the craft at your next event! A Brief History of Chair Caning presentation is a historically rich slide show that spans a few thousands years of chair weaving around the world. WARNING: YOU MIGHT BECOME A CHAIR NERD