Stopping by to pay the rent in 2004, Maxine Osburn noticed gourds hanging from a tree near her landlords’ home. She and her husband had just relocated to Rickman, Tennessee, from upstate New York, and Osburn had never seen gourds before.
The landlords’ barn was overrun with gourds. Osburn took a few and kept coming back. She cleaned them up, asked her husband to drill holes in them and started with birdhouses.
Now, Osburn has expanded to also create and decorate gourd bowls, hanging gourds, and large one-of-a-kind pieces that look great on a porch or next to a fireplace. She shares her passion by teaching classes at the Upper Cumberland Arts Alliance and the Tennessee Volunteer Gourd Society.
For more information, call 931-403-3380.
Could you tell me someone that sells gourds in the vicinity of Chattanooga, TN?
I live in Parrottsville, TN and am interested in attending gourd classes. I have the bug!!!! I watch videos,read books but could really appreciate live classes. Please let me know if there is anything around my area.
Hi Mary,
To find out about gourd class opportunities, please contact the Tennessee Volunteer Gourd Society at http://www.tennesseevolunteergourdsociety.org or Maxine Osburne (the artist featured in this story) at 931-403-3380.
Thanks,
Jessy Yancey
editor
Tennessee Home & Farm
Im trying to find dry gourds for sale in Tn. I would like to know if you have any idea where i can find them at. Plz let me know. Thank You