About Jill

Jill Choate
made her way to Alaska in 1984 as a single woman with a love of the north. She now resides with her family in the bush community of Trapper Creek, approximately 150 miles north of Anchorage. The Choate Homestead is accessible by snow machine in winter and 4-wheeler in summer and equipped with all the modern "bush" conveniences like a hand pump and an outhouse. Living in the shadow of Denali with a salmon stream in the front yard makes up for any lack of indoor plumbing. Jill divides her day between mushing her sled dogs, home schooling her daughter and creating some exceptional basketry

Jill in the studio

Jill’s work has been exhibited in several national exhibitions. Her basketry has been included in the book "Baskets a Book for Makers and Collectors" and awarded best in round reed construction for her submission "Hornocopia" in the Northeast Basketmakers and Guilford Handcraft Center exhibit entitled "Baskets 2002: New Perspectives on an Ancient Tradition". She has been the Keynote speaker at the Indiana Basketmakers Convention and regularly tours the Lower-48 states during the summer months.

Jill began her adventures in antler fifteen years ago. She creates vessels by "talking" to the antler. Each contemporary design is a result of a discussion in shape and texture and the result is extraordinary. She teaches, lectures and exhibits full time in local, statewide, and national basketry conventions.

A nationally renowned instructor, her summer tours encompass the Lower-48 states where she instructs guilds and conventions spreading the gospel of antler basketry and the wonders of Alaska. Enticing students to come north she has sponsored week long workshops (Alaska Bush Basketry Retreat) where she has shared her passion of dog mushing and basketry during Iditarod week. An avid recreational dog musher Jill is out on the trail with her team creating "Dog Tails" that are published on a regular basis.