PO Box 277 Award Winners 6 2011 NBO Conference 7-14 Karol...

Promoting the art, skill, heritage, and education of traditional and contemporary basketry.

W W W . N A T I O N A L B A S K E T R Y . O R G

National Basketry Organization

The NestKarol Lindquist

TeapotLois Russell

INSIDEquarterly review | winter 2011

President’s Letter 2

New Faces 3-5

Award Winners 6

2011 NBO Conference 7-14

Karol Lindquist 15-18

Awards/Exhibition 19

Lois Russell 20-23

Calendar of Events 24-25

Conference Review 26

NBO Quarterly ReviewPO Box 277Brasstown, NC 28902

Kay Khan

Louise Goings

WWW.NATIONALBASKETRY.ORG

UPCOMING ISSUE spring 2011

NBOBOARDMEMBERS

President Michael Davis Brasstown, NC

Vice President & Treasurer

Helene Meyer Washington Isle, WI

JoAnn Kelly Catsos Ashley Falls, MA

Susi Nuss Tunkhannock, PA

Lois Russell Boston, MA

Jo Stealey Columbia, MO

Matt Tommey Asheville, NC

Additional Board Selection Pending

ON THE COVER

Artist: Lois Russelltitle: Teapot

Dimensions: 6” X 5” X 9” waxed linen, twining technique.

Photography by: Jeff Magidson

Artist: Karol Lindquist title: The Nest

Dimensions: (from largest to smallest) 1) 13” X7 3/16”, 2) 11 1/2” X 6 19/32”

3) 10” X 5 7/8 ” , 4) 8 1/2” X 5 1/8” 5) 7” X 4 7/16”, 6) 5 1/2” X 3 13/16”

7) 4” X 3 3/16” , 8) 2 3/4” X 2 1/2” Base and ears of Brazilian Cherry.

All the other materials are, rims, handles, and staves are of white oak, weavers are cane.

Photography by: Jeff Allen

NBO Quarterly Review Editor

Michael Davis

Graphic DesignerTami Warrington

[email protected]

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“Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow” is a lovely refrain from

a Christmas carol but this Christmas, we were saying, “let it stop, let it stop, let it stop”. We have been snowed in here at

the farm for five days with almost a foot of snow on the ground. The glistening, bejeweled landscape, good for the neighbors’ children sledding and for our frolicking shelties was a very white Christmas indeed. Being snowed in has its advantages as it provides the time for introspection and to give thanks for NBO’s accomplishments this year.

NBO RECEIVES A $60,000 CHALLENGE GRANT AND $25,000 FOR TWO COLOR EXHIBITION CATALOGUES

Please join us as we again work toward another challenge grant. As I have stated in the past, NBO cannot survive on just our membership dollars and needs additional grant dollars. We are fortunate as the Windgate Foundation has awarded NBO for the third straight year a challenge grant, this one even larger than the $50,000 grant we received in 2010. This year we will be working to match a $60,000 challenge. Our membership helped us meet the challenge last year and I hope those that can, will send not only their membership dues, but also additional contributions. This will help NBO meet the new challenge and allow us even greater community outreach and complete programs that are already in the pipeline. For example, we plan to develop a video documenting two generational Cherokee families, Louise Goings and Mary W. Thompson funded by a grant from the North Carolina Arts Council. In addition, two catalogues will be produced, one featuring the 2010 summer exhibition at the John C. Campbell Folk School (also funded by NC Arts Council), and the other for the upcoming exhibition at the Fuller Craft Museum which will accompany our conference “Traditions & Innovations VI” in August 2011. I am pleased to announce that we have two extraordinary jurors for our exhibition: Bruce Pepich, director of the Racine Art Museum and Ann McMullen, curator and head of collections research and documentation at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of the American Indian. I am sure they will provide NBO a balanced and exceptional exhibition.As you can see, this issue includes all the teachers and class descriptions, along with all registration material for our conference at Stonehill College in Easton, Massachusetts. Take advantage of your membership and early registration discounts by signing up before the February 15, 2011 deadline. This also gives you first choice on the class you would like to take. There will be so many extraordinary workshops, educational seminars, renowned speakers and stellar exhibitions to attend that you will not want to miss this conference!For several years the NBO has been honored to have Helen Frost Way and Wendy Durfey as board members. We thank them for service and wish them the best in their future artistic endeavors.In closing, the NBO Board and I welcome two new Board members, Matt Tommey from Asheville, NC and Lois Russell of Boston, Mass. I know that their skills will compliment the Board and help us develop and deliver programs throughout the basketry community. Thank you for your membership and continued support. Happy New Year!

Michael Davis / President and Co-founder NBO

page 2 Winter 2011 • www.nationalbasketry.org

NEWFACES

“My artwork, inspired by the mandala, revolves around the seamless continuity of a circle.”

www.nationalbasketry.org • Winter 2011 page 3

I combine ancient loom weaving techniques, traditional metalsmithing and contemporary materials to create

sculpture and jewelry. My forms are inspired by the elegance of geometry and are hand-woven on a floor loom with metals and plastics.

I have always been a maker. My love for jewelry began at an early age with summer camp projects. During my senior year of high school, silversmithing captured my heart’s passion. An inherent essence in me connected with the precious materials of shiny metal, luminous stones and the transforming power of fire.

This path led me to study jewelry metal arts at California College of the Arts (CCA). During the spring semester of my junior year, I began weaving and intuitively sensed the immense importance of weaving to my life’s work. The first project taught was the double-cloth technique. I instinctively chose to weave with metal. I jumped right in with an experimental sculpture, weaving with indigo dyed silk and steel wire.

For me, weaving embodies rhythm, balance and order. I have focused almost exclusively on the double-cloth technique with nontraditional materials on a

conventional floor loom. Double-cloth is a complex weave structure in which two sets of warps interlace with two sets of wefts, simultaneously producing two distinct layers. The durability and strength of metal, paired with the luminosity and flexibility of plastic, allows for the inherent structure of double-cloth to be explored in the third dimension.

After graduation from CCA, I was appointed a 3 year Artist Residency at the Appalachian Center for Craft in Tennessee. I dedicated this time to the research and development of the body of work I call dimensional-weave. The dimensional-weave technique

Angle Up Close (2006)Dimensions: 4 ½” x 4 ½” x 2”D Nylon monofilament and copperPhotography by: Hap Sakwa

AnAstAsiA Azure

Continued on next page

michael davis

View from my snow covered deck.

Winter 2011 • www.nationalbasketry.org

does not allow for great spontaneity and the designs must be planned. A project may begin with days of paper model making and weeks of on-loom sampling. The myriad points of interlocking strands drive my exploration of form, structure and volume. My process reflects hours of detailed repetitious, precise work. Extensive preparation is essential to ensure success. It can take months to weave elaborate one-of-a-kind pieces such as “Accentuating Focus.”

The pieces that I weave are open-ended vessels, some of which can be worn. But are they baskets? I believe my work is connected to basketry because of the use of a linear element, in my case wire and plastics, to create a container through meticulous, repetitive traditional hand processes. The seamless continuity of my forms, although bottomless, provides containment and protection. I think there can be a very strong conceptual link between jewelry and basketry. A necklace can shelter the vulnerability of the neck while dramatically framing the face. The bracelet encircles the wrist and arm, denoting and fortifying a boundary that is visible yet intimate.

I am inspired by geometry and the beauty of pattern. My artwork, inspired by the mandala, revolves around the seamless continuity of a circle. The mandala is a symbol that represents the universe from the human perspective. The Sanskrit definition translates to a “circle containing essence.” To achieve a seamless connection in my weavings, all of the warp ends are meticulously woven back into the piece creating a circular form.

Parallax (2008)Dimensions: 32”H x 32”W x14”D Copper, brass and plastic filamentsPhotography by: M. Lee Fatheree

I have had the great fortune of learning from extraordinary teachers who fueled my artistic development through patience and devotion. At the California College of the Arts, Lia Cook’s encouragement and support was instrumental in my

dedicated exploration of sculptural double-cloth. She fostered experimentation and instilled

confidence while nurturing my imagination. Jeanne Brady, the head of the Fibers

department at the Appalachian Center for Craft, set an impeccable

standard of excellence. She taught, through example, the importance of technical skills and integrity.

Presently, I am completing a Masters of Fine Arts degree at Rhode Island School of Design. My professional goal is to become an educator and contributor to the field of textile and jewelry metal arts. I have had wonderful mentors and I want to continue the craft tradition of teaching the next generation of artisans. I deeply value the creative, academic atmosphere of artists working together, sparking dialogue and sharing development.

Accentuating Focus (2006)Dimensions: 7” H x 7”W x 3”D Nylon monofilament, copper and brassPhotography by: Hap Sakwa

Anastasia Azure is the originator of Dimensional-Weave which combines ancient weaving, traditional metalsmithing and contemporary materials. She creates sculpture and jewelry, hand-woven on a floor loom with metals and plastics. Her forms are inspired by the elegance of geometry.

She dedicated a three-year residency, at the Appalachian Center for Craft, to the research and development of Dimensional-Weave. Presently, she resides in Providence, RI where she is completing her MFA at the Rhode Island School of Design.

First introduced to jewelry fabrication at Wellesley High School in Massachusetts, she continued more rigorous training at the Revere Academy of Jewelry Arts, San Francisco, graduating in 2001. While earning her BFA in 2005 from California College of the Arts, she discovered weaving’s immense importance to her life’s work.

Her art has won many awards, most recently the 2010 Niche Award for Handwoven Fibers. One of her sculptural bracelets is featured on the cover of 500 Plastic Jewelry Designs published by Lark Books. Her artwork is published and exhibited nationally as well as internationally.

ARTIST BIO


Albedo (2008)Dimensions: 31”H x x31”W x17”D Copper, brass and plastic filamentsPhotography by: M. Lee Fatheree

ARTIST STATEMENT

By interlacing textiles with jewelry metal arts, I combine an ancient cloth-making technique with metalsmithing and contemporary materials to create Dimensional-Weave™ sculpture and jewelry. The gracefulness of supple curves and the elegance of geometry are expressed through undulating forms of metal and monofilament. I explore how symmetry creates beauty.

My artwork, inspired by the mandala, revolves around the seamless continuity of a circle. The mandala is a symbol that represents the universe from the human perspective. The Sanskrit definition translates to a “circle containing essence” denoting a sacred space. Mandalas signify the essential structure of the universe as an ordered, harmonious system.

Weaving, as a structure and a process, embodies rhythm and order. My art is hand-woven using a conventional floor loom. The durability and strength of metal is paired with the luminosity and flexibility of plastic. I utilize a traditional weaving technique known as double-cloth. It is a complex weave structure in which two sets of warps interlace with two sets of wefts, simultaneously producing two distinct layers. To achieve a seamless connection, all of the warp ends are meticulously woven back into the piece creating a circular form. This continuity expresses oneness and harmony.

The woven layers undulate and crisscross, designating an area for tranquil contemplation. The myriad combinations of interlocking strands and intersecting planes drive my exploration of form.

NEW201 1CHALLENGE GRANT


6th biennial ConferenCe | tradition & innovation in basketry vi

AUGUST 2 – 7, 2011

TUESDAY, AUGUST 21:00 PM – 5:00 PM Conference Registration /

Stonehill Check-In and Room Assignments

5:30 PM Opening Reception, Welcome, Keynote And Speakers

9:00 PM Adjournment

WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 37:00 AM Breakfast7:45 AM – 8:30 AM Seminar 9:00 AM Classes Begin11:45 AM Lunch12:30 PM – 1:15 PM Seminar1:30 PM Classes Resume5:00 PM Classes Dismissed5:30 PM Dinner (Stonehill Dining Room)6:15 PM Board Buses to Fuller Craft Museum

for Dessert Reception/NBO exhibition

8:30 PM Board Buses (return to Stonehill College)

Evening Classes at Teachers Discretion

THURSDAY, AUGUST 47:00 AM Breakfast7:45 AM – 8:30 AM Seminar9:00 AM Classes Begin11:45 AM Lunch12:30 PM Seminar1:30 PM Classes Resume5: 00 PM Classes Dismissed5:30 PM Board Buses: Box Supper during

ride to Mobilia, GrayMist Studio, Society of Arts & Crafts

8:30 PM Board Buses (return To Stonehill College)

Evening Classes at Teachers Discretion

FRIDAY, AUGUST 57:00 AM Breakfast7:45 AM – 8:30 AM Seminar9:00 AM Classes Begin11:45 AM Lunch12:30 PM – 1:15 PM Seminar1:30 PM Classes Resume5:00 PM Classes Dismissed5:30 PM Dinner at Stonehill College6:30 PM – 8:30 PM Silent and Live Auction8:45 PM – 10:45 PM NBO Celebration with Live Music/DJ

SATURDAY, AUGUST 68:00 AM Breakfast9:30 AM Board Buses for Museum Tours/

Boston Museum of Fine Art/Peabody

12:30 PM Box Lunches4:30 PM Return to Stonehill College6:00 PM Outdoor BBQ

SUNDAY, AUGUST 77:00 AM Breakfast & Departure

NBO

MEMBERSRegister before

February 15 &

SAVE $75See registration form on

page 13 for details.

TENTATIVE SCHEDULE


Donations are greatly appreciated.

AWARDWINNERSrecognizing

Lee Sipe Best in Show Winner Carolina’s Got Art show in Charlotte, N.C.

Vessel No. 320 Dimensions: 13”x 6”x 6” Material: Copper wire with hammered copper spokes. Photo Credit: ?

Inspiration: Before starting the piece, I gave it a great deal of deep thought because I knew it was going to take several months to complete. Memories of my Korean childhood, and specifically my memories of the shapes of Korean pottery, stayed in the back of my mind. While I was planning the piece, I happened to receive an e-mail containing phenomenal pictures of galaxies. These colors and shapes inspired me as I was forming this vessel. Even the melted ends of the copper wire spokes were inspired by these remarkable images of our universe.

Jeremy Frey United States Artists $50,000 Fellow Award

Untitled Dimensions: 9” w x 13” h Material: Point curl barrel basket with quill feathers, brown ash, sweet grass, porcupine quills, and birch bark, 2003 Photo Credit: the artist

Jeremy Frey is a Passamaquoddy basketmaker who learned weaving from his mother and apprenticed at the Maine Indian Basketmakers Alliance (he is now a board member). Frey learned the traditional techniques of weaving brown ash and sweetgrass into baskets and now introduces new styles and techniques such as unique shapes and very fine weaves. He is dedicated to serving as a model to younger Native artists and to passing the tradition of basketmaking onto the next generation.

Jennifer Heller Zurick United States Artists $50,000 Fellow Award

Untitled #675, 2008 Photo Credit: Mary Rezny

Jennifer Heller Zurick is a self-taught artist who has been making basketry professionally since 1980. She harvests and hand-processes black willow bark from trees growing along the banks of the Kentucky River, close to her home. Zurick combines different weaving and twining techniques to produce varied textures and rhythms in her textile-like vessels. She is inspired by early Native American techniques as well as by the work she has encountered on travels to Laos, Nepal, Bali, and Equador.

www.Un i tedStatesAr t i s ts . org

conference includes:

$60,000Current total: $4,300

ALLNEW

CHALLENGEFOR 2011

A three-day class of your choosing • meals & lodging 6 seminars • gallery & museum tours • opening celebration

silent & live auction • friday gala dinner with bandVisit www.nationalbasketry.org for more information & details.

STONEHILL COLLEGEEASTON, MASSACHUSETTS

Class Description: This experimental class will explore translucency of both materials and construction as key elements of a vessel’s design. We’ll cover the basics of lampmaking and wiring, and complete at least one lamp of grid-based construction with recycled materials. Participants will design and start a second vessel using materials and techniques of their own choosing. Electrical, lamp and shade parts and some recycled or repurposed weaving materials will be provided and/or available for purchase. Participants are also encouraged to collect interesting materials for their grid-based lamp and bring a selection of familiar materials and related tools for the second lamp of their own design.

Instructor Bio: Brian Jewett is a basketmaker & studio artist working with repurposed and recycled materials. He has recently begun incorporating light into his work, exploring both luminosity of materials and shadow effects of different construction techniques. Long an active member of the Los Angeles Basketry Guild, he has recently relocated and built a home and studio in Ludlow, VT.

Baskets As Vessels of LightInstructor: Brian Jewett

Material/Supply Fee: $30 Skill Level: All Levels

Class Description: Do you ever feel that you have made the same basket a hundred times? Have you ever looked at someone’s work and thought, “How in the world did they come up with that?” Then I would say you are ready to go beyond the basket. By using what we know about the materials and techniques we use and love, each of us will work toward setting out in a new direction. This will not be a pattern class, nor will we be learning new techniques, per se. It will be a time to look at what we know, to ask ourselves where we want to go and to get to work.

Instructor Bio: Lissa Hunter lives and works in Portland, Maine. For 30 years, she has been using the coiled basket as the basis for her work exhibited in solo and group shows around the country. Her work is in the collections of the Smithsonian Institution Renwick Gallery, The Museum of Arts + Design, The Boston Museum of Art and the Racine Art Museum among others. Teaching is a continuing source of pleasure for her.

Beyond the Basket: Creating Your Own Vision

Instructor: Lissa Hunter

Material/Supply Fee: $5 Skill Level: Intermediate to Advanced

Class Description: Students will explore various techniques used in Japanese basketry using both round and flat reed. The many techniques include “rinko” and “asa no ha” (hemp blossom) bases; twining, twill weaves, and blossom knots up the sides; and unique methods for finishing the tops of the baskets. Several hexagonal weave variations will also be explored. There will be a wide range of baskets to choose from. Students can expect to make 6-8 small baskets or 1-2 more complex baskets.

Instructor Bio: Flo Hoppe is a full-time studio artist, teacher, and author. She began her career in 1971 teaching herself basketmaking from a small booklet published in 1924. Her emphasis is on wicker basketry and Japanese basketry. Flo lived in Japan from 1968-1971, and on a return trip to Japan in 1994 studied with two master basketmakers. Her published books are entitled Wicker Basketry and Contemporary Wicker Basketry. She teaches and exhibits worldwide, with teaching venues in England, Canada, Japan, Russia, and Australia. She lives in upstate New York with her husband of 44 years.

Japanese Basketry TechniquesInstructor: Flo Hoppe

Material/Supply Fee: $35-40 Skill Level: Intermediate

Class Description: Students will learn how to create this basket used by women in the 1800s and early 1900s to gather corn. Dimensions: approx 7” tall 4” wide, made from: White Oak splints dyed with natural dyes (Brown-Black • Walnut & Orange • Bloodroot)

Instructor Bio: Born in 1947, I grew up on Goose Creek Road located in the Birdtown Community on the Qualla Boundary (Cherokee, NC). At the age of ten, I learned to make small baskets by watching my mother, Emma Taylor. After the birth of my son and the return of my husband Butch from the armed forces, I began to make baskets again in order to supplement the household income. I have demonstrated basketry with my mother (deceased) at the Festival of American Folklife and the Natural History Museum of the Smithsonian. I returned to Washngton D.C. in 1992 for President Clinton’s inaugural celebration of America’s Reunion. In 2006, I was invited to be a participant at the 40th annual Smithsonian Folklife Festival, as one of eighty Native American basketmakers in the celebration of living Native basket traditions: Carriers of Culture.

Contemporary Burden BasketInstructor: Louise Goings

Material/Supply Fee: $85 Skill Level: Intermediate

Class Description: Working with nylon thread and glass beads, participants will learn the fundamentals of Ndebele/ herringbone beading, a South African beading stitch. Shaping by increasing and decreasing stitches, each individual’s basket will be unique. We will also cover graphing original patterns.

Instructor Bio: An Appalachian childhood rich in examples of handmade work provided the foundation for my own inspiration of artistic expression. For 35 years I have constructed vessels utilizing various beading stitches. Experimentation and experience has resulted in an on-going production of work that has been shown and collected nationally.

Sculptural Beaded BasketsInstructor: Linda Fifield


Class Description: Students will create baskets with the luxurious colors of silk fusion, in combination with traditional and contemporary basketry techniques. The inner basket is woven with painted archival paper and then a second layer is developed with the technique of silk fusion. Two baskets will be woven in class. One basket will use bamboo accents as a third layer and start with a wooden base. For the second basket, students will explore the possibilities of creating a third layer with the technique of wire looping.

Instructor Bio: Wendy began her textile career weaving on a loom in 1980. Later, she completed the Ontario Handweavers and Spinners Weaving Certificate course at Sheridan College. In 1995, she switched to basketry making traditional baskets with traditional materials. In 2003, she developed a basketry technique using silk fusion. Wendy incorporates black ash, bamboo, metal, wire, beads, silk and cotton archival paper into her pieces. She exhibits and teaches in Canada and the United States and attends a few select craft shows each year.

Silk Fusion in Basketry & BeyondInstructor: Wendy Durfey


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Class Description: The coiled vessel is sewn with dyed and natural raffia, embedding a geometric design as the basket shape develops. Designing the surface of the basket will be challenging. Throughout the workshop I will demonstrate ways to apply paint, gel medium, rice papers and stencils to the coiled surface. Each student will plan and design the surface of their basket to reflect their personal art.

Instructor Bio: As a basket maker I strive to weave an exquisite coiled basket, as an artist I transform the surface through painted imagery and as a teacher I enjoy students who contribute to the learning process.

Surface Design and the Coiled BasketInstructor: Elizabeth Whyte Schulze


Class Description: A knot is a simple little twist of a string. But put a bunch together, throw in some color and imagination, and you have a powerful fiber technique. This class will begin with the basics. Using waxed linen thread we will start a piece and learn how to add and control color and design. Because knotting has little structural strength, we will begin working on a form. There will be an opportunity to make original forms and to go freeform. Students can choose to focus and finish a piece or spend the whole time experimenting…or some of both. There will be no “rules,” so please bring whatever embellishments and fiber you would like to experiment with. I will bring basic art supplies for making forms and stuff to play with.

Instructor Bio: Fiber was my fate. I have been a teacher, a journalist, even gone so far as to be in politics. But, baskets kept pulling me back. My family has a long history of working with fibers. I grew up learning to knit, sew, weave, embroider, and hook rugs. In 1988 I took my first basketry class with Judy Olney, and I have never looked back. Baskets have it all: form, color, texture, and architecture. There are rich traditions and countless techniques just waiting to be used with new materials and in new ways. There are always more ideas than hours.

Knot Now! I’m Knotting!Instructor: Lois Russell

Material/Supply Fee: $30Waxed linen will be available to purchase by the yard so you can use lots of colors.

Skill Level: All Levels

Class Description: Students will learn knowledge and skill involved in the process of making a fancy basket with lid from start to finish.

Margaret Pelletier Bio: I was born on the Waycobah First Nation in Cape Breton, Nova Scotia. Basket weaving has been a part of my life for as long as I can remember. I am a well recognized artist in both the Native and non-Native communities. I have exhibited my works at many different venues in both Canada and the United States. In addition, I have received numerous awards and distinctions. I continue to search for different creative designs and methods to further advance my works.

Della Maguire Bio: Della is of First Nation’s Mi’kmaq ancestry and grew up in a home of constant basket making. Her parents Abe and Rita Smith were known as the finest Mi’kmaq basket-making team in Nova Scotia. Unfortunately, she was not part of that process, as watching her parents making baskets seemed to her ‘just a part of life’ and never once did she realize that their basket making was a cultural form of art, Mi’kmaq Art!

Sharing Mi’kmaq culture through basket Making

Instructors: Margaret Pelletier & Della Maguire


Class Description: Dimensions of the basket: 6” long, 3” high, 2 ¾” wide. The handle height is 4” above the rim of basket and gracefully shaped, where the ends become the ears that are inserted into the weave of the basket. These fixed ear-handles ride on oak staves and enter the weave just above the curve of the mold--extending down into that curve. Materials: Cane weavers, staves and rim. Oak handle. Base made from either cherry, maple or walnut.

Instructor Bio: Though Karol has taught traditional lightship baskets for over 30 years on Nantucket, the island of her birth, she is also well-traveled with her craft. She has demonstrated at the Northwest Folklife Festival in Seattle and attended the Lowell Folk Festival as an honored Master Craftsman exhibitor. She has taught classes as far west as the Michigan Basket Association Convention and as far south as Sarasota, Florida. In 2006, she was the featured basketmaker for the Northeast Basketmakers Guild annual exhibition at Slater Mill in Pawtucket. Karol’s work stood at the forefront of “Keepers of the Tradition: Folk Arts in Massachusetts,” a year-long exhibition from 2008-09 at the National Heritage Museum in Lexington.

6” Round Nantucket Basket with EarsInstructor: Karol Lindquist

Class Description: 9” Diameter, Black Ash, Hickory. Some prep of materials will be done in class, including carving the rims and handles.

Instructor Bio: Jonathan Kline grew up in Hudson, NY, and was influenced early on by the Taghkanic basket makers who had lived and worked in the outlying area for generations. In 1980, Jonathan had the opportunity to work with Newt Washburn, a 4th generation New Hampshire basket maker, and from him, he learned the basics of black ash basket making. Jonathan’s baskets are of the tradition of functional Northeast splint baskets, made without molds or jigs, by hand and eye alone. His baskets are in collections throughout the U.S, and he has been featured on Martha Stewart Television, PBS: “The Woodwrights’ Shop,” as well as numerous books and magazines including, American Baskets by Robert Shaw, Country Living, Gardens’ Illustrated, Architectural Digest, and Country Home. Soon to be published in Spring 2011 is his book for Stackpole Press Black Ash Baskets.

Round Double Bottom Basket With Heart Handle

Instructor: Jonathan Kline

Material/Supply Fee: $75 Skill Level: ?

Class Description: Artists should often suspend judgment and indulge in play. In this workshop we’ll play and experiment with ways to stitch together layers of fabric, paper, and felt using hand quilting, drawing, and collage. We’ll find ways to build up the surface adornment that will also be simultaneously adding layers of structure. Using this structure, we’ll fold and stitch together parts to create three dimensional forms. Participants might like to try stapling and even safety pinning parts together. We will explore ways to construct without using glues or adhesive materials. Please bring wonderful fabrics and papers of your choice and be prepared to draw, deconstruct, collage, and build!

Instructor Bio: Kay Khan is a full time studio artist residing in Santa Fe, New Mexico. Her work is included in the permanent collections of The Museum of Art and Design in New York, De Young Museum in San Francisco, Arizona State University Art Museum in Tempe, and New Mexico Museum of Arts in Santa Fe.

Quilted Vessels: Experiments in Fabric & Collage

Instructor: Kay Khan


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Material/Supply Fee: $186 Skill Level: ?

Class Description: This class will focus on contemporary horsehair coiling. We will learn hair taming, handling and shaping skills through a series of projects which can be worn as woven jewelry or used in a miniatures display. Building on these skills, the class will culminate in each student coiling a wave horsehair basket, similar to photo, that may or may not be completed in class time. This is tiny work. Requires finger dexterity and grasping ability.

Instructor Bio: Having learned mostly from books and experimentation, I think of myself as a self-taught fiber artist. Not believing in weaving rules, my focus is more “what works” and “why.” Over the past 12 years, I have woven over a thousand pieces, using many different materials. Perhaps best known as the originator and webmaster for the internet-based Pine Needle Group, I also co-founded the Natural Fibers Group; and am a longtime board member of the North Carolina Basketmaker’s Association.

Journey Through ContemporaryHorsehair

Instructor: Pamela Zimmerman


Class Description: In three days, the students will have the opportunity to work with river cane. We will teach the methods involved in preparing the materials needed to weave the basket. This will include splitting the cane then stripping outer layer of the cane. We will then construct a small double woven basket, using the natural and colored splints in the ‘flowing waters’ design. Student should have knowledge of basket weaving. You will need to bring with you a scraping knife, scissors and a scraping cloth as you will be making your natural splints. Gloves would be useful. Colored splints will be provided.

Instructor Bio: Mary Thompson, her mother and daughter weave traditional Cherokee baskets, using river cane and natural dyes in their single and double woven baskets. Mary also weaves cane mats. The knowledge and skill needed to create the double weave baskets was almost lost. Her river cane double weave baskets and mats have received first prize in a juried Art Market, Cherokee Indian Fair, commissioned by the University of S. Alabama in Mobile and presented to Merle Haggard by the Cherokee Vice-Chief Blythe.

Traditional Cherokee Basket (Double Woven)Instructor: Mary W. Thompson

Material/Supply Fee: $75 Skill Level: Intermediate (proficient with a knife)

Class Description: Create the bones of a sculptural form using the traditional basket making technique of twining, but with a twist. These pliable armatures will be twisted, curled or expanded into sculptural forms pleasing to the maker. Held rigid during drying and sheathing, the skeletal structure of reed will be covered with skin of decorative/handmade papers. Selection of papers and pattern of appliqué will individualize each participant’s form creating a unique personal expression. No two will be alike. This technique/process can be used for creating work for the wall or pedestal. Building in balance, mechanics for hangers, creating bases and care of completed sculptural work will be discussed.

Instructor Bio: Leandra Spangler’s passion for papermaking began in 1986 when she first plunged her hands in a vat of pulp. Her desire to present paper in three dimensions led her to an exploration of basketry techniques. After twenty-five years of teaching art in the public schools, Leandra became a full time studio artist in June 2000. She holds a Master’s in (art) Education from the University of Missouri. She continues teaching at national, regional and state conferences, guilds, schools and in her studio.

Skin and BonesInstructor: Leandra Spangler


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Please complete form below & mail with payment to:NBO • PO Box 277 Brasstown, NC 28902 or register online at www.nationalbasketry.org

PLEASE NOTE: ALL registrations must include a non-refundable registration fee of $75, together with a $325 deposit; the balance of fees will be payable by July 1, 2011. NBO members may pre-register during the period January 15 through February 15, 2011, and the $75 registration fee will be waived. Members registering after February 15 will be required to pay the $75 registration fee. Non-members registration will begin February 16. Please be aware that registration and conference fees do not include materials fees, which will be payable in class. Please make a note of the materials fee associated with your choice of classes. *We ask that you indicate your first, second and third choice artist/teacher. We hope that all classes will fill, but on the off-side chance that your first choice class doesn’t, we need to know what else you’d like to learn. Please contact the NBO office if you need to make special payment arrangements.

Non-refundable registration fee ($75.00) (Waived for members who pre-register January 15 – February 15, 2011)

NBO member conference fees & tuition ($325.00)

Non-member conference fees & tuition ($400.00)

Housing & meals package (Double Occupancy) ($400.00) (Five nights townhouse multi-plex suites, linens included, dinner Tuesday through breakfast Sunday )

Housing & meals package (Single Occupancy) ($500.00) (Five nights townhouse multi-plex suites, linens included, dinner Tuesday through breakfast Sunday – limited availability)

Commuter package (No housing, 3 meals daily) ($225.00)

I prefer to stay in a hotel off-campus (please see NBO’s contract rates below)

I need the “Early Departure Rate” ( subtract $60) (I am unable to stay through Saturday, August 6)

TOTAL:

LOCAL RESIDENT/GUEST CONFERENCE

I’d like to attend the two seminars daily and the gallery museum tours only. There is no registration or conference fee, but there is a $50 daily fee, which includes lunch. Box dinners on the bus will be extra. I’d like to attend seminars/tours on :

Wed____ Thurs ____Fri ____ Sat ____($50 per day)

Add Friday Night Gala ($30)

TOTAL:

I’d like to attend individual seminars only ($15 each) ( I understand that these fees will be collected just before the seminar begins.)

PAyMENT INFO Make checks payable to National Basketry Organization

Check # Credit Card

Credit Card #

Exp. Date Security Code

__ Wendy Durfey - Silk Fusion in Basketry & Beyond $60

__ Linda Fifield - Sculptural Beaded Baskets $10

__ Louise Goings - Contemporary Cherokee Burden Basket $85

__ Flo Hoppe - Japanese Basketry Techniques $35-$40

__ Lissa Hunter - Beyond the Basket: Creating Your Own Vision $5

__ Brian Jewett - Baskets As Vessels of Light $30

__ Kay Khan - Quilted Vessels $10

__ Jonathan Kline - Black Ash Round Double Bottom Basket $75

__ Karol Lindquist - 6” Round Nantucket Basket with Ears $230

__ Margaret Pelletier (Master Basketmaker) presenting with $85 Della Maguire - Mi’kmaq Culture Through Basketmaking

__ Lois Russell - Knot Now! I’m Knotting! $30

__ Elizabeth Whyte Schulze - Surface Design & the Coiled Basket $35

__ Leandra Spangler - Skin and Bones $35

__ Mary W. Thompson - Traditional Cherokee Basket $75

__ Pamela Zimmerman - Journey through Contemporary Horsehair $30

INSTRUCTOR/TITLE MATERIALS FEE INSTRUCTOR/TITLE MATERIALS FEE

CONFERENCE CALCULATION Please insert the appropriate number on the lines that apply to your registration.

All cancellations, (including for members whose registrations fees were waived during the pre-registration period) will be charged a $75 cancelation fee. No refunds will be made after July 15, 2011. To pay by credit card or Pay Pal, please access this form on the NBO website. For additional information, please call The National Basketry Organization at 828-837-1280 or email [email protected] or [email protected] Mail your registration form (and check if applicable) to: NBO, PO Box 277 Brasstown, NC 28902 or register on-line at www.nationalbasketry.org

PERSONAL INFO Name

Address

City

State Zip

Phone

Email

I’d like to room with

I’ll need a room-mate, please make arrangements for me.

I require handicap accessible housing

I have special dietary requirements as follows:

Please mark your first, second and third choice.*Materials fees are additional and are payable directly to your teaching artist at the beginning of your selected class.

HOTELGROUP RATES

Marriott Residence Inn of Brockton: 124 Liberty St., Brockton, MA 02301 • 508-583-3600Country Inn and Suites: 50 Christy Dr., Brockton, MA 02301 • 508-559-0094

Please Call hotel to find out the NBO group rate & to make reservations.

Email High Resolution Images to: [email protected] OR Mail High Resolution Images on CD to: All Things Considered VI - NBO • PO Box 277 Brasstown, NC 28902


6

Yankee Spirit

Channeling the


On Nantucket, many islanders– follow a tradition of naming their house or an out building with a quarterboard, a decoratively carved sign popular on nineteenth-century sailing ships. The quarterboard over the door of Karol Lindquist’s basket shop reads, “Karol’s Place.” This aptly characterizes her approach to making lightship baskets—a combination of traditional values and matter-of-fact work ethics.

When you enter Karol’s brightly lit shop, you focus at first on the tools: band saw, drill press, hand saws, numerous sanders, rows of hand tools fixed on magnetic strips. A large white table fills the center surrounded by small work stations on benches that line the walls. This feels like the classic set up for a woodworking business. After a second glance, however, you sense the inviting nature of the layout. Stacks of various sized basket molds, almost unique to her craft, line shelves above the benches, and above them, the remaining wall space is filled

with landscape paintings by her husband, Robert Frazier, and a host of other local artists. This artwork makes Karol’s shop suddenly feel less industrial and more cozy.

On close inspection, several individual touches stand out. One corner bench is devoted to making earrings, with jeweler’s tools and coils of silver wire and clear storage boxes filled with polished beach stones. Another corner holds a pair of rock tumblers, thrumming with the slow slushy grind of their progress. A small glass case houses colorful examples of scrimshaw, all by family members. Her collection of antique pocket knives stands in homemade holders where they get daily use. And at one end of the main table, a variety of children’s art supplies are strewn about a recent project involving seashells and acrylic paints.

One thing is purely obvious; Karol immerses herself in the arts.

Karol Lindquist Nantucket Lightship Basketmaker

The NestDimensions: (from largest to smallest) 1) 13” X7 3/16” 2) 11 1/2” X 6 19/32” 3) 10” X 5 7/8 ” 4) 8 1/2” X 5 1/8” 5) 7” X 4 7/16” 6) 5 1/2” X 3 13/16” 7) 4” X 3 3/16” 8) 2 3/4” X 2 1/2” Rims, handles, and staves are of white oak, weavers are cane. Bases and ears of Brazilian Cherry. Photography by: Jeff Allen

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Juried & Invitational Exhibition

ALL THINGS CONSIDERED VIjuly 30 through December 12, 2011fuller craft museum • Brockton, Massachusetts

you are cordially invited to enter the Biennial Juried Exhibition: All Things Considered VI, to be held in conjunction with the 2011 BIENNIAL CONVENTION. This exhibition will be held at the Fuller Craft Museum in Brockton, Massachusetts, July 30 through December 12. It will highlight baskets that demonstrate superior technique and are original in concept and design. Basketry has long expressed the character of the times as well as the artist. This exhibition wants to pay tribute to the diversity of the traditional

and contemporary fields of basketry. The exhibition is open to all artists who reside in the US and to our members from around the world and are at least 18 years old. International entries will be considered but only after checking with NBO office concerning shipping costs and insurance. Work must be original, not done under supervision and completed within two years of the exhibition dates. Work should not exceed six feet in any direction and weigh not more than can be handled easily by two people.

35 pieces included by invited artists & 35 pieces juried into the exhibition for a total of 70 pieces. the conference instructors will be included in the show.

Any entries postmarked after April 1, 2011 will be returned unopened. Sales will be held through the Fuller Museum. A 30% commission will be retained by the Fuller Craft Museum, 20% commission to NBO. The artists will receive 50% of the purchase price, so please price your pieces to cover these commissions.

RuLeS And SPecIFIcATIonS 1. Artist must submit one high resolution photograph (300 dpi or higher jpg or tiff) of each piece to be considered. All entrants can include up to three photograph images. Detail images are permitted. Images should be submitted by email or on CD. Email or CD must include a description: your name, the title of the artwork, materials, size, and the date of creation. Also include the retail price for insurance purposes. Please sign the description sheet as your agreement to all listed conditions including permission to use the photography for

print purposes or online. Do not include a resume or other materials. Do not submit baskets from a kit. A copy of photography of accepted work will be retained for the NBO archives. 2. CDs of artwork not chosen for the exhibition will be returned to the artists. You must include a self addressed stamped envelope for the return of your CD. 3. The entry fee is $25 for NBO members and $35 for non-members. Make checks payable to National Basketry Organization. 4. Be prepared to have your work arrive at the Fuller Craft Museum no later than July 20, 2011. Late pieces will not be exhibited. Artists will pay shipping to the venue and NBO will pay for the return of exhibited pieces. Please be sure to mail all work in double wall, insured boxes and understand that the pieces will be returned as they were shipped to the museum. Utmost care will be exercised in the handling of the artwork. 5. All artwork will be insured from the time of receipt through the return to you.

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RBruce W. Pepich is the Executive Director and Curator of Collections of the Racine Art Museum, and the Charles A. Wustum Museum of Fine Arts in Racine, Wisconsin. He has served on the staff at RAM’s Wustum campus since 1974, becoming its Director in 1981. In the 1990s he assembled, at Wustum, one of the most significant contemporary craft collections to be found in any art museum in North America. He opened RAM in 2003 in downtown Racine as a second campus that is home to this collection. Wustum now functions as RAM’s visual education campus with a full array of studio education classes and hands-on programs for people of all ages.

Pepich curates exhibitions from RAM’s collections and regularly presents lectures on contemporary crafts around the country. He is a published writer on art and artists and has served as a juror for over 100 national and international art competitions and fellowship awards. He currently serves on the Board of Directors of the Cultural Alliance of Greater Milwaukee.

Ann McMullen is Curator and Head of Collections Research and Documentation at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of the American Indian. With Russell G. Handsman, she edited A Key into the Language of Woodsplint Baskets (1987). Her research and publications have focused on Native people of Northeastern North America, especially basketry; material culture, traditions, innovation, and commercialization; the nature and transformation of Native communities and community networks; the history of collecting and museums, and NMAI history.

April 1 Juried entries & photography of invited artist due to NBO

May 7 - 14 Notice of acceptance to juried artists mailed

July 15 - 20 Baskets due to Fuller Craft Museum

July 30 - december 12 Exhibition dates

december 15 - 20 Baskets returned to artists

PLEASE NOTE: Submission to NBO implies that the artwork will be, if chosen by the jurors, available for the exhibition and must remain for the duration of the exhibition.

The NBO will publish a color catalog of this exhibition. Please provide high quality images for the publication by the due dates.

Written by: Bobby Frazier


Discovering BasketsAs a teen in the 1960s, Karol worked with her grandparents Walter and Elizabeth Lindquist while they were curatorial docents at the Nantucket Whaling Museum, and she learned much about the island’s maritime history. Her crafts background began later in fine weaving, not basket weaving.

“In the early 1970s Bobby and I were living in West Virginia,” Karol says as she weaves on a large oval basket still attached bottom-up on its mold. The rat-a-tat-tat of her ratchet mount, a lazy-Susan–based device invented and perfected by her mentor Reggie Reed, forces the conversation to a pause. She looks to her shelves of molds for a moment. “I wove on a Harrisville loom then. Our neighbors and good friends were Tom and Connie McColley. They were just learning basketry from yet another neighbor on our road, and I think it was then that baskets caught my interest. They later started The Basketry School in the hills of Calhoun County and became nationally famous. They introduced me to split oak.”

Nantucket Island and its pristine beaches must have called her back. When the two married and moved back with their daughter, Timalyne, the native baskets seemed the way to go for Karol.

“I first began making lightship baskets because my sister-in-law said she knew a man named Reggie Reed (pictures above), who would rent you a mold and sell you the parts. I had been trying other types of baskets, and this one sounded like a challenge. I began to make them and people came to me to buy them; unsolicited. I realized that I always liked to work with my hands, and I began to think that this was something I could make a living at.”

On Apprenticeship“Apprenticeship is not a word that you hear much anymore, especially among the traditional craft trades on the island”, says Karol.

“I had learned some Appalachian basketry from Tom and Connie McColley when I summered in West Virginia, but it wasn’t until I returned home permanently and started working with Reggie in his lightship basket shop that I cemented my life.”

“One Sunday, I found myself next to Reggie at the dump. I asked him if I could help in his shop in exchange for oak basket parts. He said no at first, but then he finished at the bins and stood beside my truck. He said well maybe I could help him. He did know my grandparents after all. So I’d passed muster with an old Yankee and began an apprenticeship that lasted until his death at 94. He became a second father to me.

“A few years ago I was able to teach Timalyne (pictured below), the craft I hold so dear—thanks to an apprenticeship grant from the Massachusetts Cultural Council. Where are the young people today who will learn scrimshaw or basketmaking? Without their involvement, these historical crafts may disappear.”

A Bit of HistoryWith the anchoring of lightships along the Atlantic coast, generally considered to begin in the 1850s, the basketmakers on those ships crewed by Nantucket men developed what we call the classic lightship basket style, and they set their work apart from other traditions and precursors. Idle time gave the men an opportunity to experiment with design and technique. Baskets made during this period were of a finer construction than those previous. From this period we have our first oval lightship baskets, the topped sewing baskets, baskets with brass hinges, and even those sporting baleen.

Despite the drive to perfect their skills, the early basketmakers were a small fraternity who passed their knowledge down through the generations. The craft almost died out, but was revived by the advent of lidded basket purses and other styles popular to tourists. It became a showcase for carved figures and etched scrimshaw scenes that attracted serious collectors.

“When Jose Reyes started production of the lidded friendship baskets,” Karol notes as she explains the history of the Nantucket basket, “he virtually saved our basket from extinction.”


Sewing Basket: Dimensions: 12” X ?” . Base of rosewood.

Hexagon Bread Basket: Dimensions: 8” X 3 3/4” X 6”. Base of zebra.

Mini Bread Basket: Dimensions: 4” X 2 1/2” X 2 3/4 ”. Base of cocobolo.

Cradle: Dimensions: 36” X 12” X 24”. Base, rim and stand cherry.

All baskets: Rims, handles, and staves are of white oak, weavers are cane Photography by: Jeff Allen

Winter 2011 • www.nationalbasketry.org www.nationalbasketry.org • Winter 2011 page 19

The modern era has also brought a renewed level of competition, and, claimed Nantucket historian Eduard Stackpole, there continued a degree of secretiveness similar to that of the early days.

“I have been conducting a series of interviews with living basketmakers that sheds light on these historic figures, and on those recent practitioners who carry the traditions forward into the next century. I’ve heard a lot of stories.”

What a Basket MeansNantucket lightship baskets require exacting craftsmanship. Older island basket makers strived for functionality, while today’s basket makers strive for precision and collectability.

“I enjoy that precision,” states Karol. “I am trying to make it better with every basket,

but I am always a traditionalist, keeping to the style of the older baskets.”

Nantucket baskets retain such a distinctive look and singular earmarks. Rattan weave, wooden parts, and uniformly molded shapes combine together to give the Nantucket basket its identity. Karol appears humbled by her connection to the history of the basket.

“I can trace my technique, my lineage through Reggie. He learned from both Bill Severns and Paul Whitten, who both learned from Mitchy Ray, who was himself a third generation basket maker.

“People ask me how long it takes to make a basket, and I say that is takes me as long as it takes to perfect each basket.” Students who work with me are exposed to that drive. One of my favorite stories concerns one of my students who asked a student from another teacher’s class what they thought about all the sanding they had to do. The other student replied, ‘what sanding?’ I am all about attention to detail – from the fine sanding of wooden parts to the exacting splices of the weavers. My students learn the entire process.

“For me, it starts with the imagining of the basket, the specific woods I’ll use, the size and shape. Then the preparation of materials and the weaving of the basket,

rimming it, and finishing it with varnish to reveal its completed glory. The work feels much like a baby’s progress into this world, and when the basket is born, I find it hard to give up.”

Parting Words“My most fulfilling moments probably come in the middle of winter. When snow or rain is slanting down outside and I am snug indoors. It doesn’t quite equate with making baskets on a rocking ship, but I let my mind wander back to that time. I imagine myself there on a lightship.

“That’s how I look at my shop,” she says as she gestures about her. “It is a place where old time craft becomes an art form. That has become my mantra. Craft into art.”

Timeline of Recent Honors:2000: Northeast Basketmakers Guild’s “Best of Show--Traditional” award in its International Baskets 2000 event.2002: Massachusetts Cultural Council’s Arts Apprenticeship Grant.2002 / 2003: State of Massachusetts nominee for the prestigious National Heritage Fellowship from the National Endowment for the Arts.2005: Lowell Folk Festival honoree as a Master Craftsman exhibitor.2006: Featured Basketmaker for the Northeast Basketmakers Guild annual exhibition, Slater Mill in Pawtucket, RI.2008-09: Featured at “Keepers of the Tradition: Folk Arts in Massachusetts,” a year-long exhibition at the National Heritage Museum.

The Nest Dimensions: (from largest to smallest) 1) 13” X7 3/16” 2) 11 1/2” X 6 19/32” 3) 10” X 5 7/8 ” 4) 8 1/2” X 5 1/8” 5) 7” X 4 7/16” 6) 5 1/2” X 3 13/16” 7) 4” X 3 3/16” 8) 2 3/4” X 2 1/2”Rims, handles, and staves are of white oak, weavers are cane. Bases and ears of Brazilian Cherry.Detail: Top to a purse with scrimshaw by Robert Frazier Dimensions: 9” purse Ivory with top plate of walnut All photography by: Jeff Allen

2011FINALISTS

Celebrating Excellence and Innovation in American & Canadian Fine Craft

Keely Berry LeBlanc, Escondido, CA

Melanie Walker, Wilmington, NC,

C. Smathers, Tulsa, OK

Betty Kaufman, Sedona, AZ

Dorothy McGuiness, Everett, WA

Sponsored by NICHE magazine, the NICHE Awards program began in 1989 to celebrate excellence and innovation in American and Canadian fine craft. Artists are recognized in professional and student divisions. For more information about the NICHE Awards or NICHE Magazine please contact Erin Hartz at [email protected] or call at 410-889-2933, ext.206.

It is too late to apply for the 2011 NICHE Awards competition, but it is never to early to start planning for next year’s competition. For information about eligibility, application process and image preparation read the competition guidelines.

let the art touch youExhibition January 15 – September 25, 2011

Changing Waters: Installation by Nathalie Miebach

Fuller Craft Museum, New England’s home for contemporary craft presents Changing Waters, an installation by Boston-based artist Nathalie Miebach, who expresses weather and environment as art.

Nathalie Miebach is known for her basket weaving and structured representations of scientific data. For her installation, Miebach will create a combination of wall and suspended works based on the weather and marine environmental data collected from the Gulf of Maine. Combining basket weaving techniques and information-graphics, Miebach creates works on the margins of craft, landscape, and representational art.

According to the artist, “Central to my work is the desire to explore the role visual aesthetics play in the translation and understanding of science information. By utilizing artistic processes and everyday materials, I am questioning and expanding

boundaries through which science data has been traditionally visually translated, while at the same time provoking expectations of what kind of visual vocabulary is considered to be in the domain of ‘science’ or ‘art’.”

Miebach holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Political Science from Oberlin College, OH, and both a Master of Art Education and Master of Fine Arts from Massachusetts College of Art. She is the recipient of numerous awards and residencies. Most recently, she was the Artist in Residence at Amherst College. Her work has been shown nationally and throughout New England and has been reviewed in many publications, including Art In America, Art News and Sculpture Magazine

Reception: February 27, 2011 2-5 pm Workshop: March 8 – 12, 2011 4 pm Artist Talk: March 27, 2011 2 pm

Call or visit website for more info and ticket costs.

455 Oak Street Brockton, MA 02301 | t 508-588-6000 f 508-587-6191 www.fullercraft.org

Nathalie Miebach, Changing Waters (detail), 2011

Keely Berry LeBlanc , Title: Quarter Moon


Amazing how a sentence can make such a difference, send you down an inviting pathway that grows into a dirt road, then a main street in a little town and eventually you find yourself on a six-lane divided highway that comes to dominate your life.

For me that sentence was spoken by my mother, a weaver who had just returned from her monthly meeting of the Boston Weavers’ Guild. She had taken a one-day basketmaking class.

“You should try basketmaking,” she said, with no idea of what she was starting. “You’d really like it. It’s you.”

Now, here I am, nearly 25 years later,

in a house full of baskets, old baskets, new baskets, my baskets, other

people’s baskets. My shelves are jammed with books about baskets. My basement storeroom is full of vines, pine needles, wires, dried iris leaves, yellow cedar, this bark and that root. My top floor studio is full of yarns, strings, glues, paints, beads, buttons and scrap metal. There is a small mountain of waxed linen. My bathroom floor tile is in a basketweave pattern…

It is true that I was ripe for suggestion. Fiber was in my blood. In addition to that maternal weaver, the women in my family had been working fiber in every possible way for generations. For them it had been an important contribution to the family economy. Old clothes became quilts and rugs. Old sweaters became new socks. Since childhood I had worked my way through all the fiber arts: knitting and crocheting, sewing, a little weaving, some quilting, crewel embroidery and rug hooking. But none of them “took.” I dabbled and had career as a teacher and newspaper journalist.

My mother’s suggestion came at a point in my life that I was ready for new adventures. After a successful career covering education for daily newspapers and national magazines, I was tired of writing articles about how those new-fangled computers were going to change education. I had just been elected to the school committee in the town where we lived and thought it might be a useful to have at least one thing on my schedule every week that got me out of town. So I signed up for Beginning Baskets at DeCordova Museum with the incomparable Judy Olney.

For almost ten years I bumbled through Judy’s classes, missing as many as I attended. Kids got strep throat or a contract negotiation could only be scheduled on Wednesday morning. Somehow Judy gave me a good foundation and I will be forever grateful that she taught how to shape a basket. She showed me how to do a step-up at least 100 times.

Written by: Lois Russell

Lois RussellFeatured Artist

Puddles Dimensions: 12” x 10” All work in waxed linen, twining technique. Photography by: Jeff Magidson

Top: Imelda Dimensions: 7” x 6” All work in waxed linen, twining technique. Photography by: Jeff Magidson

Bottom Left: Low Rise Dimensions: 7” x 7” x 2.5” All work in waxed linen, twining technique. Photography by: Jeff Magidson

Bottom Right: Midnight Dimensions: ? All work in waxed linen, twining technique. Photography by: Jeff Magidson


6And I learned from others. Sally Santasuosso told me “to let the materials tell me what they wanted to be.” I went to Stowe where Jackie Abrams taught me about color and Marilyn Moore said, “Try it.” Whenever I could I got away to learn about basket traditions, studying in Taos with Lydia Peseta and in Alaska at Jeannie McFarland’s.

And I went to Haystack, where I worked with John Garrett and Kari Lonning. It was at Haystack that Lissa Hunter cranked the game up a notch. I don’t remember the exact words. It was something to the effect that perhaps I should focus on what I wanted to say with my art.

Art. Stopped me cold. Art. I had never thought about what I did as art. I made things. Was that art? Was I an artist? It took me several more years before I could fill in “Artist” on all those pesky forms asking my occupation. I had simply

loved learning about materials, about the structures. For me basketmaking was engineering with color and texture. So I started to focus, to think more about what I liked and why I liked it.

Unlike my ancestors I am free to use my skills to play. Such a luxury. The only impact my basketmaking has had on the family’s economy involves red ink, I fear. I love making baskets. The artistic possibilities of the basket form are a never-ending source of challenge and options. This is a real plus for those of us who bore easily. I never make sweaters for the men in my life; by the time the back is done I am bored out of my mind. And I savor the connection with all my practical handy and hardy forebears.

But I also think the basket form is powerful. For me the first basket is a pair of hands cupped together, fingers entwined. This is a shape that suggests an order and raises questions. There is an inside and an outside. It can hold things in or keep things out. It can be protective or confining. It can be offering or grasping.

I think life is complicated, but also beautiful. And that is what I like to think my work is. When I was a kid, I spent hours looking at old patchwork quilts. I was intrigued by the patches, where they had come from… what were their stories. I think of the “patches” in my work in the same way. Each one is a story, an experiment. But they exist together as well, and when you put them all together you get this appearance of distant landscapes, hill after hill after hill. I suppose that is the wanderlust in me.

Left: Fiddlesticks 5 Dimensions: 9” x 3” All work in waxed linen, twining technique. Photography by: Jeff Magidson

Below: Rosie Dimensions: 2.5” x 4” All work in waxed linen, twining technique. Photography by: Jeff Magidson

I have been a writer and I am not a writer now. So I don’t like to “explain” my work. If I wanted to use words, I suppose I would. I want to use color and form now. I am an artist because I keep my eyes open. It is a way of walking down the street, of observing the juxtaposition of colors, the geometry of fire escapes from a certain angle, the form of a crumpled cup as well as the curve of a wave.

All of these images feed our brains. They go in and something happens and it comes out as art. I don’t understand it, but I don’t think I have to. I enjoy it. I suppose I hope that my work will help other people “look,” encourage people to find whatever artist is in them and nurture it.

But I will confess, what makes it all worthwhile is when people can’t resist picking up a piece and holding it in their hands.

Far Right: Jack Dimensions: 12” x 11” All work in waxed linen, twining technique. Photography by: Jeff Magidson

Below: Bumpy Road Dimensions: 7” x 6” All work in waxed linen, twining technique. Photography by: Jeff Magidson

CALenDArOFeVentsconFeRenceS & ReTReATSJanuary 20 – 23, 2011 Baskets ‘N the Works ~ Weaving Retreat 2011 Camp Allen Conference & Retreat Center, Navasota, TX Monica Impellizzeri – (281) 288-7332 www.intheworks.net

January 27 – 29, 2011 Ocean Creek Weaving Retreat Myrtle Beach, SC Lyn Syler ~ (843) 957-2943 www.pamelazimmerman.net

February 4 – 6, 2011 Georgia Basketry Association Convention Doubletree Inn Atlanta/Roswell Roswell, GA Kathleen Fosha ~ (678) 395-7872 www.georgiabasketry.com

February 19 – 20, 2011 Willow Weaving Weekend at the Amana Colonies Amana Arts Guild Complex Village of High Amana, IA Joanna Schanz ~ (319) 622-3315 www.broomandbasket.com/WillowWeekend2011.pdf

February 25 – 27, 2011 Winter Weave 2011 - Wildwood Basketry Guild Wildwood Cultural Center, Mentor, OH www.winterweave.com

March 16 – 20, 2011 Northwest Basket Weavers Vi Phillips Guild - Spring Retreat Pilgrim Firs Conference Center, Port Orchard, WA www.nwbasketweavers.org

March 17 – 20, 2011 Florida Tropical Weavers Guild Conference Lake yale Baptist Conference Center Lake yale, FL Susan Kurcbart - (561) 482-1229 www.ftwg.org

March 17 – 20, 2011 North Carolina Basketmakers Association Convention Sheraton Imperial Hotel, Durham, NC Teresa Yoder ~ (704) 408-0860 www.ncbasketmakers.com

April 8 – 10, 2011 NBG Gathering 2011 Clarion Hotel and Conference Center West Springfield, MA Susan Taylor ~ (413) 835-1846 www.northeastbasketmakers.org

April 14 – 16, 2011 Stateline Friends Weaving Retreat Kuhlman Center, North Richmond, IN www.statelinefriends.com

April 28 – April 30, 2011 Lake Country Basket Guild Basket Fest 2011 Washington County Fair Park, West Bend, WI Kim Leppin ~ (262) 993-0528 www.lakecountrybasketguild.com

April 30 – May 1, 2011 Misti Washington Gourd & Basketry Guild ~ Biennial Conference San Diego Botanic Garden, Encinitas, CA www.baskets-gourds.com

April 30 – May 1, 2011 Show Me Gourd Festival State Fair Grounds, Sedalia, MO www.showmegourdsociety1.homestead.com

May 13 – 15, 2011 CNCH ~ Spin Me A Story, Weave Me a Tale Days Inn, Sutter Creek, CA Nancy Fisher ~ 209-869-1945 www.cnch.org/conferences/2011-sutter-creek/

May 29 – June 5, 2011 Association of Northwest Weavers’ Guilds (ANWG) “Exploring Fiber Horizons” Hosted by the Weaving Guilds of Oregon Willamette University, Salem, OR www.northwestweavers.org

June 4 – 17, 2011 Confluence: International Surface Design Association Conference Minneapolis – St. Paul, MN www.surfacedesign.org ~ (707) 829-3110

June 7 – 11, 2011 Bluegrass Area Basketmakers Seminar Jabez, Ky Nancy Lake ~ (859) 986-8306 www.ca.uky.edu/agcollege/4h/klc/events/

June 23 – 25, 2011 Northern Wefts Conference 2011 Midwest Weavers Association (MWA) Finlandia University, Hancock, Michigan Vicki Tardy~ (319) 351-5208 www.midwestweavers.org

July 20 – 23, 2011 Tennessee Basketry Association Convention Carson Springs Baptist Conference Center, Newport, TN www.tennesseebasketry.pcmac-inc.com

July 14 – 16, 2011 Kentucky Basket Association Convention Paroquet Springs Convention Centre Shepherdsville, Ky www.thekentuckybasketassociation.org

July 21 – 24, 2011 Intermountain Weavers Conference Fort Lewis College, Durango, Colorado Patty Savignac - (505) 256-9603 www.InterMountainWeavers.org

August 2 – 7, 2011 NBO Biennial Convention “Traditions & Innovations VI” Stonehill College, Easton, MA Michael Davis ~ (828) 837-1280 www.nationalbasketry.org

August 4 – 7, 2011 Missouri Basketweavers Guild Annual Convention Hilton Garden Inn, Independence, MO www.unionpoint.net/mbg/

page 24 Winter 2011 • www.nationalbasketry.org www.nationalbasketry.org • Winter 2011 page 25

NBO QUARTERLy REVIEW

SUBMISSION DEADLINES

Spring February 1 Summer May 1 Fall July 1 Winter October 1

September 23 – 25, 2011 Wolf River Basketry Guild Fall Workshop Comfort Inn and Suites, Shawano, WI www.wolfriverbasketryguild.com

September 29 – October 01, 2011 Northwest Indiana Hoosier Basket Guild Retreat Porter County Expo Center, Valparaiso, IN www.nwhoosierbasketguild.com

September 30 – October 02, 2011 Northwest Native American Basketweavers Association (NNABA) Annual Gathering www.nnaba.org ~ (206) 962-7248

February 11 – February 19, 2012 Basket Weaving Cruise 2012 Carnival Freedom Leaving from Ft. Lauderdale, FL Linda at A-1 Supertravel ~ (866) 878-8785 www.basketweavingcruise.com

exhIBITS April 3, 2010 – December 31, 2011 Woven Wonders : Native American Basketry-Mint Museum of Art, Charlotte, NC www.mintmuseum.org ~ (704) 337-2000

October 29, 2010 – January 23, 2011 Nantucket Lightship Baskets : Carrying On Tradition New Britain Museum of American Art, New Britain, CT www.nbmaa.org ~ (860) 229-0257

December 3, 2010 – January 29, 2011 Exploring Baskets : A Show and Sale of Work by Members of Northwest Basket Weavers Guild Depot Arts Center, Anacortes, WA www.nwbasketweavers.org www.depotartscenter.org ~ (360) 293-3663

December 11, 2010 – January 22, 2011 Contained Excitement Cavin-Morris Gallery, New york, Ny www.cavinmorris.com

February 25, 2011 – April 7, 2011 Missouri Fiber Artists Exhibit Capital Arts Gallery - Jefferson City, MO www.missourifiberartists.com

March 15, 2011 – April 8, 2011 Creative Basketry : The Venetian Society of Basket Weavers, Kellogg Gallery - ArtCenter Manatee Bradenton, FL www.artcentermanatee.org ~ (941) 746-2862

April 16, 2011 – June 2, 2011 Extraordinary Things : Chattahoochee Handweavers Guild Art Institute of Atlanta, Decatur, GA www.chgweb.com/newsandevents.html

April 30, 2011 – July 3, 2011 Fiberart International Memorial Art Gallery of Rochester Rochester, New york www.fiberartinternational.org

June 11, 2011 - September 11, 2011 Small Expressions 2011 Tennessee State Museum, Nashville, TN www.weavespindye.org ~ (678) 730-0010

MARKeTS & ShoWSMarch 5, 2011 – March 6, 2011 53rd Annual Heard Museum Guild Indian Fair & Market Heard Museum, Phoenix, AZ www.heard.org

April 14, 2011 - April 17, 2011 Smithsonian Craft Show National Building Museum, Washington, DC www.smithsoniancraftshow.org

April 15, 2011 – April 18, 2011 SOFA New york - International Sculpture Objects & Functional Art Fair Park Avenue Armory, New york, Ny www.sofaexpo.com

WoRKShoPSJanuary 16 – 22, 2011 The Art of Sculptural Basketry Instructor: Judy Zugish John C. Campbell Folkschool, Brasstown, NC www.folkschool.org ~ (828) 837-2775

January 23 – 28, 2011 Adventures in Antler Basketry Instructor: Jill Choate John C. Campbell Folkschool, Brasstown, NC www.folkschool.org ~ (828) 837-2775

April 3 – April 8, 2011 Traditional Black Ash Basketry: From Tree to Basket Instructors: JoAnn Kelly Catsos, Steve Catsos John C. Campbell Folkschool, Brasstown, NC www.folkschool.org ~ (828) 837-2775

cALL To enTRYFebruary 1, 2011: Deadline for Entry Merge and Flow Surface Design Association Members’ Show Exhibition www.surfacedesign.org

February 15, 2011: Deadline for Entry Fantastic Fibers 2011 yeiser Art Center, Paducah, Ky http://fantasticfibers.theyeiser.org

February 28, 2011: Deadline for Entry Extraordinary Things 2011 Chattahoochee Biennial of Textiles www.chgweb.com ~ (404) 403-1646

February 28, 2011: Deadline (non-US entries) March 7, 2011: Deadline (US entries) Small Expressions 2011 ~ Handweavers Guild of America Tennessee State Museum, Nashville, TN www.weavespindye.org ~ (678) 730-0010

May 20, 2011 : Deadline for Entry SPEAKING OF FIBERS! Missouri Fiber Artists member’s exhibit www.missourifiberartists.com ~ (314) 821-7429

SUBSCRIPTIONSNBO Quarterly Review is complementary to members of the National Basketry Association. Application can be made online or you can mail the application form at the back of this issue.

Please submit your articles, images, notices and ideas for the regular sections:

Featured Artists new FacesInterviews ReportsReviewscalendar of events news and notables

And as always your letters and opinions are welcome.

MEMBERSHIP RENEWALSMembership dues in the National Basketry Organization are annual. Members should receive renewal notices on each anniversary of their enrollment. All questions about membership are welcome. Please contact Michael Davis at [email protected] or (828) 837.1280.

ADVERTISEMENTSPlease contact NBO Quarterly Review at (828) 837.1280.

Please refer to the NBO website for photographic requirements or contact us via voice or email.

Submit by mail to: NBO Quarterly Review PO Box 277 Brasstown, NC 28902

ORcall 828.837.1280 e-mail: [email protected]

CALenDArOFeVents

new Renew

Name ___________________________________________________________________________________________________

Business/Organization _____________________________________________________________________________________

Address_________________________________________________________________________________________________

City ________________________________________________________ State/Zip__________________________________

Country (if outside USA) _____________________________

Phone ________________________ E-mail________________________________________________________________

BASIC US $35 BASIC INTERNATIONAL $45 • includes NBO Quarterly Review, membership discount, member exhibitions

STUDENT $18 • includes NBO Quarterly Review, membership discount, member exhibitions

FAMILY US $60 FAMILY INTERNATIONAL $70 • includes NBO Quarterly Review, 2 membership discounts, 2 member exhibitions

NOT FOR PROFIT ORGANIZATIONS (guilds, museums, schools) $50 • includes basic benefits and link on NBO website

PROFESSIONAL (for profit) $75 • includes basic benefits, link on NBO website, and discount on advertisements

PROFESSIONAL INTERNATIONAL (for profit) $85 • includes basic benefits, link on NBO website, and discount on advertisements

SUPPORTING $300 • includes basic benefits and pass for opening reception

BENEFACTOR $500 • includes basic benefits and conference day pass

PATRON $1000 • includes basic benefits, conference day pass and opening reception pass

Consider giving a NBO membership as a gift or make a contribution to our $50,000 Challenge Grant!Please make your tax deductible check payable to NBO and send to: NBO PO Box 277, Brasstown, NC 28902

or apply and pay online at www.nationalbasketry.org

NBO MeMBership ApplicAtiONAmount included $___________________

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ber

ship

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www.nationalbasketry.org • Winter 2011 page 27 page 26

GRANTSF R I E N D S O F F I B E R A R T S I N T E R N A T I O N A L A W A R D S $ 3 4 , 5 0 0Each year, Friends gives away the unspent annual income derived from the dues of upper level members. When fiscal year 2009/2010 ended, the sum of $34,500 was available for distribution. Funds were designation to support the following:

• Twopublicationstodocumentdualsoloshows (on view until February 6) at the Racine Art Museum of Fiber Art from RAM’s permanent collection by Carol Ekert and John McQueen.

• Aprizefor“CreativeUseoftheMedium”atthe biennial exhibition of Quilt National, which opens at the Dairy Barn Art Center on May 23 in Athens, Georgia and travels around the country for two years.

• Partialsupportofthecatalogforashowscheduled for February 5 through June 6 at the Legion of Honor in San Francisco, PULPFASHION.Itpresentsthehistoryofcostume as illustrated in paper replicas constructed by Isabelle de Borchgrave.

• Partialsupportofajuriedbiennialexhibition SMALL TAPESTRY INTERNATIONAL: PASSAGES presented by the American Tapestry Alliance. The show opens April 2 at Weaving Southwest in Taos, NM.

• ThelargestsumwasputintheMillenniumFundwhichisdestinedtopublicizeshows,programs and events commemorating Friends of Fiber Art’s 20th Anniversary beginning September 2, 2011 through November 4, 2012.

• In2009Friendspassedthetotalofaquarter million dollars in grants awarded duringthenon-profitorganization’sfirst 18 years of operation. The Board of directors announced that they look forward to continuing this tradition for many decades to come.

More information is available on the hoW page of our website: www.friendsoffiberart.org. or calling 708.246.9466.

Projects that educate potential fiber art collectors are favored for support.

CONFERENCEbasketry

American Indian, Native Hawaiian, and basketmakers from the Gullah tradition of South Carolina converged in Cherokee, NC on Nov. 12 –14, 2010 to discuss environmental threats to basketry materials at a conference called “Gathering Places: Traditional Basketmaking and the Environment.” Issues ranged from the emerald ash borer which is devastating ash trees and forcing basketweavers in the northeast to record traditions with film, save seeds, and look for alternative materials. Other issues that were discussed were the efforts by the Tennessee Tree Improvement Program to grow basket quality white oak in tubes and develop a blight resistant butternut involving the efforts of the Cherokee Cooperative Extension’s Center for Cherokee Plants.

This conference was unusual as it represented basketmakers who are taking the initiative to protect plants and sometimes entire ecosystems because their basketry traditions are so closely connected to place. As forests are threatened by exotic pests and climate change is stressing coastal and interior environments, these issues are something that all basketmakers have to be concerned with.

Basketmakers from Hawaii and the African American tradition of sweetgrass basketry introduced participants to their efforts in restoring culturally significant native plants. Efforts to map river cane in Oklahoma were presented along with traditional harvesting methods and the use of natural dyes. Revitalization of Traditional Cherokee Artisan Resources (RTCAR) discussed the partnerships it has among land trust organizations, local watershed associations, universities, and private landowners to allow harvesting and river cane restoration.

An important theme that frequently emerged, which complimented the environmental emphasis of the conference, was the importance of maintaining cultural traditions and the vital role basketry plays in shaping cultural identity. A session on teaching the next generation of basketweavers featured the existing program at Cherokee High School, and the NW Native American Basketweavers Association conference, which includes hundreds of children in learning experiences.

Attendees are looking for ways to carry this discussion further. The conference was organized by RTCAR and funded by the Cherokee Preservation Foundation and EBCI Cooperative Extension.

I was asked by Ms. Johnson to attend the conference and provide attendees information on The National Basketry Organization. Current and past issues of the Quarterly Review, as well as catalogues from past NBO exhibitions, were distributed to the group and were well received. This conference was an enlightening experience and I hope there will be a series of gatherings to follow.

Basketmakers Discuss environmental threats to traditionsubmitted by Beth ross Johnson rtCAr

Kelly Church (Grand Traverse Band of Ottawa-Chippewa) Sarah McClellan-Welch (Cherokee Indian Cooperative Extension) discussing threats to Appalachian forests.

Basketweavers Left to RightJoyce V. Coakley (Gullah tradition), Sabra Kauka (Hawaiian),

Kelly Church (Grand Traverse Band of Ottawa-Chippewa), Ramona Town Rae (Yakama/Oklahoma Choctaw),

Shawna Morton Cain (Cherokee Nation), Louise Goings (Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians), Wilhemina Hicks (Gullah tradition)

michael davis

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