Renee Baumann is a Catskills-based fiber artist, basket maker, and educator whose work bridges traditional craft and contemporary, place-based practice. Trained as an architect and as a chef, she brings an interdisciplinary approach to her work informed by design thinking, material systems, and a connection to land. Working with exclusively locally gathered and cultivated materials, (willow and cattail) she creates functional and sculptural forms rooted in designs for contemporary use. She has been teaching basketry and plant fiber techniques for over five years, leading workshops that center material knowledge, process, and connection to place. 

Renee’s work reflects an ongoing commitment to ecological relationship, craft lineage, and the intelligence of natural materials. Drawing from the rhythms of harvesting, processing, and weaving, she approaches making as both a creative and regenerative act. Deeply invested in the role of craft as a means of connection, she views teaching as an extension of her practice, creating space for others to engage with land-based materials, shared knowledge, and the enduring relevance of handmade forms. She lives and works in the Catskills region of New York.