Alyssa Sacora is a crafts person exploring plant-based mediums in the form of papermaking, book arts, basketry and weaving. Her practice is rooted in observing relationships throughout the wider world. To reduce her human footprint and encourage creative thinking, she primarily works with locally abundant and repurposed natural materials which include plants and repurposed fabrics. In addition to and in support of her craft, Alyssa caretakes a 3-acre piece of land with her husband, Adam, located on the traditional lands of the Cherokee people in what is now called Fairview, North Carolina. They grow fruits, vegetables, medicinal herbs, and art plants and tend a flock of chickens. They utilize solar electric and solar thermal systems for electricity and heating, collect rain water for their gardens and hoop house, and continuously look to design their spaces with sustainability in mind. Alyssa has taught plant based art workshops for a variety of organizations in WNC and beyond. Whenever possible, she utilizes an outside setting to help students make the connection that we are nature and that our lives are intertwined with the plants, the soil, and the air around us.
