ESP Biography



JESSE ASHCRAFT-JOHNSON, MIT architecture alum




Major: Architecture

College/Employer: MIT

Year of Graduation: 2011

Picture of Jesse Ashcraft-Johnson

Brief Biographical Sketch:

Juggling, LARPing, chainmail, leather working, laser cutting, bonsai, general making of weird things.



Past Classes

  (Clicking a class title will bring you to the course's section of the corresponding course catalog)

X13342: Patrol in Splash 2019 (Nov. 23 - 24, 2019)
Shoot your friends!! Its Patrol!! Patrol is a game sponsored by the MIT Assassins’ guild. Participants are divided into a number of teams. Each player is armed with a dart gun and a small number of rubber darts. Each player also wears a colored headband denoting what team they are on and whether or not they are currently alive. The object of the game is to shoot members of the other teams without getting shot. If shot, the player can resurrect by visiting the resurrection floor. The main goal, however, is to have fun. Please bring a signed permission slip available here: https://assassin.mit.edu/web/Permission_Slip


A5365: Weaving Chainmail in Splash! 2011 (Nov. 19 - 20, 2011)
For some 1500 years, chainmail armor was one of the standards for armed combat. Nowadays, though you may not be engaging the enemy in pitched battle on a daily basis, it's still pretty cool. Come learn the basic weaves for converting rings of wire into bad-ass armor and jewelry.


A4069: Weaving Chainmail in Splash! 2010 (Nov. 20 - 21, 2010)
Weave metal rings into awesome fabrics! Learn the basic weaves, the same ones used by the Roman Army. Make anything from delicate jewelry to armor that will stop a sword.


A3488: Chainmail in Junction Summer 2010 (Jul. 01 - Aug. 11, 2010)
Learn to weave chainmail! Useful for anything from bracelets to bracers to full suits of armor. If it worked for the ancient Romans, it can work for you! Learn the basic weave in one session, then come back to build a large project of your design.


A3489: Learn to Juggle! in Junction Summer 2010 (Jul. 01 - Aug. 11, 2010)
Because you need to be more entertaining. Learn ball and club juggling, Chinese yo-yo, poi, or whatever else you'd like. If you already know the basics, come and learn more exciting stuff!


A2932: Make chainmail! in Splash! 2009 (Nov. 21 - 22, 2009)
Weave metal rings into awesome fabrics for fun and profit! Learn the basic weaves to make anything from delicate jewelry to armor that will stop a sword.


X2184: Storytelling, Rhetoric, and the Oral Tradition in Spark! Spring 2009 (Mar. 07, 2009)
The class will focus on the theory and practice of oral storytelling and rhetoric. Each student should come prepared with at least one story (max. 5 minutes) to tell.


A2219: Make Chainmail in Spark! Spring 2009 (Mar. 07, 2009)
People have been weaving wire into fabrics and chains since before you were born! And, well, for quite a while before that, too. Continue this tradition by learning to link metal rings to make delicate jewelry or the most awesome shirt you've ever seen.


P1595: Diabolo in Splash! 2008 (Nov. 22 - 23, 2008)
Diabolo, or Chinese Yo-Yo, is a circus art that is practiced the world over for performance and enjoyment. This class is meant for absolute beginners to those with an intermediate working knowledge of single diabolo tricks. All props will be provided.


H1708: Make Chain Mail in Splash! 2008 (Nov. 22 - 23, 2008)
Learn the ancient craft of chain mail. Weave fabric or rope from steel rings. Make delicate, intricate jewelry or hardcore, badass clothing. Deflect swords! Make chain mail!


P1234: Diabolo in Spark! Spring 2008 (Mar. 08, 2008)
Diabolo, or Chinese yoyo, is a circus art practiced around the world for performance and enjoyment. This class is intended for absolute beginners or those with knowledge of basic one-diabolo tricks. All props will be provided.


Make Chainmail in JUNCTION (2009)
Learn to make chainmail armor! Over the course of multiple sessions, I will teach the basic weaves to turn metal ...


Diabolo in SPLASH (2007)
Diabolo, or Chinese yo-yo, is a circus art that is practiced the world over for performance and enjoyment. This class ...


The Art of Chain Mail in SPLASH (2007)
A long time ago, when things were more hardcore, people actually tried to kill each other with swords. Those who ...