Shannon Lucas Westrum is a basketry artist whose work fuses locally sourced materials with rattan, to explore a blend of modern and traditional techniques. She began her practice in the late 1990s through community education classes and fiber art guilds, later expanding her studies with international basket makers. Highlights include a pilgrimage to Ireland to study with Joe Hogan and a 2018 residency at Shankill Castle in Kilkenny.
Westrum has received two Creative Individuals Grants from the Minnesota State Arts Board (2021, 2023), two Arts Education Grants (2024, 2025), and a Region 2 Arts Council Fellowship (2018). Her work has been featured in group exhibitions across Minnesota, including the Armory Arts & Event Center in Park Rapids and the MacRostie Art Center in Grand Rapids. She also teaches basketry workshops in partnership with regional galleries, guilds, and libraries.
When not in her studio in Bemidji, she can be found hunting for grasses, rushes, bark and antlers, or beachcombing nearby in search of rocks and driftwood.

RECENT and UPCOMING events and press:
On Lakeland PBS, 10/2/25, In Focus: Bemidji Basket Artist Hosts Broom-Making Class to Kick Off Fall | Lakeland News
Join the Bagley Area Arts Collaborative for an Afternoon with Shannon Lucas Westrum, 2:30 pm, Thursday, September 17, 2025, Bagley, MN
Wine and Cheese Open House with Featured Basketry Artist, Pinecone Press Citizen, Longville, MN
Taste of the Arts Tour, Saturday May 24 and Sunday May 25, 2025, Bemidji, MN. Click HERE for Map and Schedule.
Life and Work with Shannon Lucas Westrum of North Bemidji, Voyage Minnesota, April 2, 2025
Shannon Lucas Westrum is Interweaving Art and Community, April 2, 2025, Stella Dolan, bsualumni.org