Summer 2012 NBO Quarterly

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

INSIDEquarterly review | summer 2012

Letter from the Editor 2President’s Page 3New Faces 4-7Leslie Pontz 8-13Terrol Dew Johnson 14-20Jackie Abrams 21-23, 26Calendar 24-25

President Lois Russell Boston, MA

Vice President Matt Tommey Asheville, NC

Past President Michael Davis Brasstown, NC

Treasurer Donya Stockton Austin, TX

Secretary Jo Stealey Columbia, MO

Polly Allen Lebanon, NH

Sally Anaya Renton, WA

JoAnn Kelly Catsos Ashley Falls, MA

Wyona Lynch-McWhite Brockton, MA

Susi Nuss Tunkhannock, PA

Pamela Saint-Pierre San Francisco, CA

ON THE COVER

Artist: Terrol Dew Johnson Bronze Gourd, 2009

12” x 8” Bear grass, waxed nylon

Photography by Terrol Dew Johnson

NBO Quarterly Review Editor

Michael Davis

Graphic DesignerTami Warrington

[email protected]

letter from the editor

page 2

NBOBOARDMEMBERS

Enjoying summertime fun by the pond at Misty Ridge Farm! Anyone for cane pole fishing?

The dew draped mornings and hot humid days are

upon us here at Misty Ridge Farm. We have harvested wild grape vines, bittersweet, and Virginia creeper vines to be used for handles and rims for possible upcoming classes of 7th and 8th grade students at Hiwassee Dam Middle School in Murphy, NC, this fall. I have written a grant to have five basketry instructors involved and await notification from the NC Arts Council to see if the grant has been funded. If approved, this teaching project will be featured in the winter issue of the NBO Quarterly Review.

Within this issue, we are featuring several artists who create unique and diverse forms of fiber art.

Our New Faces artist, David Chambers, is a mechanical engineer working in the aerospace industry, who pushes the boundaries in creating pine needle basketry. His engineering skills guide him to make scale drawings and calculations to work out the details of a new piece. Because he spends hundreds of hours on a basket, he makes sure that he works out the technical issues before he begins. David says, “Some folks find my approach too scientific, but to me, it is fun!”

Leslie Pontz blesses our pages with her sculptural fiber forms, some more basket-like than others, but stunning in their conceptualization and resolutions. She states, “The creative process is a unique challenge. There is something very intimate about creating with one’s hands. No power tools and no quick results.”

Continuing with her series of articles, Catherine Hunter brings to life the artistry of Terrol Dew Johnson. This nationally-recognized, award-winning Tohono O’odham basketmaker is also a community activist and museum consultant. His life journey is impressive and although he has accomplished so much, and has been the recipient of numerous awards, his future is that of a bright star with years of enlightenment for Terrol and his tribe.

Furthermore, included in this issue are the baskets of well-known basketmaker Jackie Abrams. Jackie’s travels, some of which have been to Ghana, Namibia, and Uganda, where she helped to develop sustainable fair-trade micro-craft industries, and her recent collaborative work with glass blower Josh Bernbaum reveal her keen sense of self and artistic experimentation. After 35 years of basketmaking she states, “My work has always been intertwined with my life.”

Please mark your calendars for our next biennial conference at Arrowmont School of Arts and Crafts, in Gatlinburg, TN, which is the birthplace of NBO.

The dates are October 8 – 13, 2013.

Lastly, the Board and I thank you for your generous support in helping us surpass the halfway point toward our $75,000 Challenge Grant goal. Currently, we have raised $48,000 and need just $27,000 more to reach our target. We appreciate all your donations whether large or small.

In closing, stay cool and keep those creative juices flowing – enjoy the summer!

Michael Davis Co-Founder NBO Executive Director of Special Projects

By the time you read this, my fifteen minutes of fame will be long over. Actually, that will be ten minutes. I am scheduled to “appear” on Martha Stewart’s live morning radio program to tell listeners how to get started making baskets. This may be the

toughest assignment I have ever had…ten minutes, no visuals and the whole wide world of baskets!

The producer told me I should talk about the materials needed to get started and suggested I include “actual tips…easy patterns.” I have no idea what I am going to say.

I can’t imagine learning to make baskets without the hands of a teacher showing the way. I know there are good books and I have used them, but there are so many things that can only be learned with hands on material. Just how tightly should you pull that reed to secure the rim? How much pressure should you put on a splint to make the sides flare?

And don’t get me started about the “instructional” videos on YouTube. They just prove that anyone can claim to know what they are doing.

At NBO we frequently get emails from people looking for workshops and teachers. Fortunately we can send them to listings in our publications and to Susi Nuss’s www.basketmakers.com and we can help them locate guilds.

We need each other to learn. The best way to learn to make a basket is working with another basket maker. That is why NBO has a conference every other year.

Our next conference is scheduled from October 8 to 13, 2013, at Arrowmont in Tennessee. The board has been working this spring to line up a fabulous bevy of instructors. A great deal of thought goes into this list. Need something for everyone… traditional, experimental, variety of techniques and materials, something for the more experienced and something for the relative beginners. And we need to know that the instructor is an experienced and proven teacher.

I am itching to tell you names, but I can’t. The contracts aren’t signed. You will find out in the fall. And you will want to come. We hope you do. We sometimes hear from people that they don’t come because they are intimidated by the prestige of the teachers, afraid they won’t be good enough, or that the conference is just for the “pros.”

Remember that our teachers are there because they want to pass on to you what they have learned. Not a one of them has ever set up a shrine. Everyone shows up in jeans. And everyone goes home having learned something from experienced hands.

So I guess that is what I will have to say on the radio: find a basket maker. I suppose I could add that you always need good pair of scissors no matter what kind of basket you are making. And you should never wear good clothes. And you should definitely join NBO!

I don’t expect to be invited back.

~ Lois Russell, President of NBO

www.nationalbasketry.org • Summer 2012 page 3

president’s PAGE

Spider Web 400 cm in diameter Knitted with circular knitting needles and four strands of multi-colored fishing line Photography by Jupiter Artland, West Lothian, Scotland

page 4 Summer 2012 • www.nationalbasketry.org

D a v i d Ch a mb e rs

I first heard about pine needle baskets in the late 70’s when my sister-in-law was taking some classes.

The idea of making something by hand using natural materials was very interesting, and it never occurred to me to try it myself. I attended college, received a degree in Mechanical Engineering, got married, and began a career in Aerospace. It wasn’t until 2002, while walking through the crafts area at the Evergreen State Fair, that I met Sarah Anderson. She was demonstrating how to coil pine needle baskets. I had been looking for a new hobby and thought I would give this a try.

That night, I purchased Jeannie McFarland’s book “Pine Needle Raffia Basketry” and it came with a kit to make a small basket. That basket taught me the basics and started me thinking about all the possibilities of shape, size and patterns. But I didn’t want to copy baskets that others had made. I wanted to make baskets that were different.

Then I saw pictures of Lee Sipe’s baskets and was awestruck by how precise, complicated and elegant they are. That’s when I realized I could use my engineering skills to make baskets. By applying these skills, I thought I could make baskets that would be different and go beyond what I had seen others create. This was a way I could explore what was possible and try to push the boundaries of pine needle basketry.

All my basket projects begin with sketching until I find some feature or concept that I want to pursue. That’s when the engineering starts. I make scale drawings and do calculations to work out the details. It usually takes me hundreds of hours to coil a basket so I want to work out the technical issues before I begin. People comment on my approach as too scientific, but to me it’s fun. My engineering background helps me devise

N EW FACES

David Chambers Photography by Jill Green

continued on next page....


Top: Joy (2008) 12” x 9” Pine needles, waxed linen, raffia Photography by Ken Rowe

Middle left: An ’Umeke (2007) 3.5” x 5.5” Koa wood Photography by Ken Rowe

Middle right: Sue (2012) 5” x 4” Polyester rope, embroidery floss Photography by Ken Rowe

Bottom: Urn (2004) 12” x 7” Pine needles, raffia Photography by Ken Rowe

“For my fifth basket I wanted to move the design off the surface

of the basket. This was my first heavily engineered piece and took

500 hours to complete.”

~ David Chambers on “Joy”

“For my third basket I wanted to work on shaping and incorporating a pattern, which turned out to be more subtle than expected. It wasn’t originally going to have a lid, but

I think the piece looks so much better with one.”

~ David Chambers on “Urn”

construction methods and designs that are different from typical pine needle baskets although I strive to preserve the look of the original craft. By using traditional materials and techniques, but in non-traditional ways, I think this craft can take on new dimensions that are both elegant and unexpected.

My designs tend to have an Art Deco appearance. It is not intentional but most likely a product of my approach. I do enjoy the mechanical feel of Art Deco with its geometric shapes, repeating patterns and sharp lines. The contrast of this mechanical feel with natural materials is very appealing to me.

I use long leaf pine needles that I get from Teri Thompson in Florida. They are much longer than what grows here in the Northwest and make coiling easier. When I started, I used raffia as the binder for stitching but have since moved on to waxed linen. Waxed linen requires less preparation, is more consistent, and makes stronger baskets.

I only coil for a couple hours a night, after work. This is a hobby, and I don’t want it to feel like a job – I already have one of those. I’m not trying to make money at this so I have the freedom to take my time and experiment with new concepts and techniques. I only finish about one basket a year.

My art education consists of the mandatory classes I took in high school. But I really enjoyed those classes and have always tried to put an artistic touch on anything I make. Since I started making baskets I have taken several basket classes with different kinds of weaving. I’m impressed with the incredible variety of techniques. Afterwards, I’m always trying to figure out how to apply what I learned in my next pine needle basket.

When I finish a basket, I’m usually ready for the break. That’s when I enjoy my other interest of woodcarving. I take the same patient, technical approach to wood working as I do with my baskets. I don’t care for power tools but enjoy the challenge of creating the same precision by hand. By the time I finish a wood project, I’ve thought of another pine needle basket to pursue and the cycle repeats.

Early on Sarah Anderson encouraged me to enter my baskets in the local fairs. They won some ribbons, which was wonderful, but most important were the judges’ comments. They helped me focus on where my basket skills were lacking. My baskets got better ribbons each year until I won Grand Champion.


In 2010, I received the Handweavers Guild of America Award for my basket “Shirohako.” After that it was suggested I enter juried art shows including NBO’s “All Things Considered VI.” It is exciting being accepted into shows with other basket artists whose work I have admired for so long.

I am a member of three basket groups. The online group The Pine Needle Group at pineneedlegroup.com started by Pamela Zimmerman, the Northwest Basket Weavers Vi Phillips Guild based in the Seattle area, and the NBO. Joining these groups has opened up the world of baskets to me. Before then it was just me coiling and asking my wife for her opinion. Now I have a vast group of people to whom I can ask questions and learn new techniques. I get inspiration though topics that pop-up during conversations. I now have a connection with people who think “baskets” just like me.

Recently I’ve been making baskets that I call experiments. I use rope instead of pine needles to study shapes and stitch patterns to see what’s possible and if they can be done with pine needles. Rope is much quicker, and I don’t use my precious supply of long pine needles. I’ve been getting positive feedback on these baskets so maybe this is something I will explore for a while.

My approach to art is probably not typical. Most people would not be as technical and take as long to create a single basket. But, I have no deadlines and I’m trying new things as I go. In the end I hope my work is enjoyable and inspires others to explore what’s possible and to push the boundaries.


Top left: Apprentice Bowl (2005) 5” x 14” Pine needles, raffia Photography by Ken Rowe

Top right: Black Hole (2011) 3.5” x 8” Polyester rope, embroidery floss Photography by Ken Rowe

Middle left: ‘Ohana Eke Dedicated to Mary Irvine (2012) 3” x 5.5” Pine needles, waxed linen, Koa wood Photography by Ken Rowe

Middle right: Shirohako (2010) 4” x 9” x 5” Pine needles, waxed linen, ribbon Photography by Ken Rowe

Bottom left: Promise Bowl (2009) 7” x 9” Pine needles, waxed linen, glass beads Photography by Ken Rowe

Bottom right: Twitch (2011) 12.5” x .75” Lignum vitae, brass wire Photography by Jerry McCollum

“I had read that making a square cornered pine needle basket was very challenging. They were right!”

~ David Chambers on “Shirohako”

“For my fourth basket I wanted to try adding color and free coiling, and work with different stitches – I used 10 different stitches. The center was inspired by

Lee Sipe’s work.”

~ David Chambers on “Apprentice Bowl”


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Leslie Pontz

Two Pods, Four Seeds (2008) 14.5” x 9” x 5” Wire, thread Photography byJohn Carlano


From the time that I could hold a crayon in my

hand, I was a maker of drawings, paintings,

mosaics, collages, and sculptures. However,

until recently I was not a basket maker. Even now,

I am certainly not a traditional basket maker, but

rather a sculptor who makes baskets. The journey

that has brought me to becoming a maker of

baskets has been filled with twists and turns, and I

would like to share it with you.

My background does not fully explain my being

a sculptor who makes baskets. I majored in art

in high school, college, and graduate school, all

the while working in two dimensional media,

focusing on painting and etching. Graduating

from Syracuse University in 1972 with an MFA, I

taught printmaking, made prints and drawings,

and exhibited in galleries while raising a family. In

fact, I almost flunked out of graduate school when

I tried my hand at a three-dimensional clay course.

Also from 1984 until 1996, I owned a company

where I designed, manufactured, and marketed

table linens. During that period, I was not making

studio art at all, and was still working in a two-

dimensional medium. I distinctly saw my creative

world through two-dimensional eyes.

Also relevant to my artistic journey is the fact that

one spring, several years after finishing school, I

discovered the beauty of both the desert landscape

and the flowering cactus plants that lived in the

desert. I remember thinking how glorious the

desert appeared with its grayed colors, hard

shapes, soft sand and prickly textures. There were

so many contrasts in this quiet world of sand and

lizards. From the first moment that I experienced

this desert environment, it seemed so peaceful

and full of shapes and textures that did not seem

to go together but definitely co-existed with one

another. I drew the cactus over and over and over

until the rounded forms simply became part of my

visual two-dimensional vocabulary. And then, one

day out of nowhere, those rounded forms became

three-dimensional.

Photography by John Carlano




With this background in mind, I can now move on to explain how

I became a maker of baskets.

In 1996, I left the hectic world of manufacturing and returned to

the studio as an artist . It was a confusing time for me. I had no

clear idea of how to begin this re-entry as a studio artist. I started

by drawing because that was familiar to me. I drew the cactus

because that was also familiar to me. Nonetheless, my frustration

was building. I was pleased with the quality of the drawings, but

they were not going anywhere. I was beginning to do them by

rote, and without any sense of a meaningful future direction and

a critical internal passion was missing. And then, by chance, I met

a great group of women who were making art quilts. Given that I

already knew how to sew and had been working with fabric for the

past 12 years, I thought. . . . Why not? So, I started making

art quilts.

Instead of using the usual opaque yard goods in my new venture, I

used transparent materials such as silk organzas to create the quilt

layers, and at times I captured bits of cactus drawings in between

the layers. Three years into the art quilt-making experience,

and always on the prowl for new transparent materials to use, I

discovered crocheted wire. Crocheted wire was a little unusual,

but it was/is transparent, and I had an incredible visceral reaction

to its texture. I had never crocheted, but again I asked myself. .

. . Why not? With the help of a 15 minute lesson from a friend, I

learned to crochet. After the initial lesson, I learned how to make

crocheted wire “fabric” and began to layer the wire “fabric” with

Seed Pod 2 (2010) 39.5” x 33.5” x 18”

Wire, wood, paint, iron Photography by John Carlano

Copper Sack Definitely! (2010) 24” x 8.75” x 5.75”

Wire, wood, iron, paint Photography by John Carlano

the organza. Periodically, I would stop to examine my work by

holding the layers of fabric up to the light. The light impacted in

magical ways upon the translucent quality of the work, adding a

new dimension to the two-dimensional images.

At this point, it became clear to me that the quilt needed to be

presented so that the light could do its’ magic. The answer for

me was to wrap the two-dimensional quilt around a box-like

metal armature. I was so excited by this new presentation that

I immediately took finished pieces to the Snyderman Works

Gallery (the gallery that represents my work in Philadelphia).

Bruce Hoffman, the gallery director at that time, and a personal

cheerleader and critic of my work, took one look and said, “It needs

to be three-dimensional. Get it off the armature.” His criticism

upset me, but within twenty-four hours I had overcome the hurt,

disposed of the armature, and began to make three-dimensional

forms that quickly became my passion.

The three-dimensional forms that I found myself crocheting with

the wire flowed from the visual vocabulary of forms that I had

been developing and drawing for years. They came naturally

and were very comfortable to me and were rounded and organic

forms. Also, when I stepped back to see what I had made, they

were basket forms that were sometimes filled, sometimes empty,

sometimes right side up, sometimes upside down and sometimes

they were suspended from above. But I had come to realize that

they were always baskets.


Silk Sack (2011) 58” x 12.25” x 2.75”

Silk, wood, paint, iron Photography by John Carlano

Linen Sack (2011) 35” x 7” x 3.75”

Linen, wood, paint, iron Photography by John Carlano



Opened Pod #1(2008) 12” x 11.5” x 5.75” Wire, wood, paint Photography by John Carlano

Brown and White (2011) 27” x 18.5” x 11.25” Monofilament, thread, iron Photography by John Carlano

For about ten years I used only wire to

crochet the forms, adding iron elements

as the pieces dictated. Presently I am

using monofilament, linen, wool, cotton,

ramie, silk, iron, thread and wood . . .

the list is endless. Usually, two or more

of these materials can be found in any

given piece because I am still intrigued

with exploring the juxtaposition of the

co-existing contrasts that I found in the

desert. For me, contrasting elements

are far more exciting existing together

than independently. The work is always

challenging those contrasts through the

intellectual and visual combinations of

male and female, hard and soft, smooth

and rough, and strong and gentle. The

work is very personal, being intertwined

with an exploration of ideas that remind

me that life itself presents an array of

conflicts that always need balancing.

The creative process is a unique

challenge. There is something very

intimate about creating with one’s hands.

No power tools and no quick results.

Just slow quiet movements of one stitch

after another. It is a process of slowly

developing a three-dimensional form

from one single line of “thread.” At the

end of the creative process, the result is a

form that can be held in one’s hands.

I start with a detailed pattern on paper,

planning every increase and decrease

of stitches. With so much planning, I am

sure that I know exactly how the finished

piece will look , until the piece turns out

completely different. I found that the

stitch by stitch pattern often morphs

into something totally different than the

original drawings because I am always

reacting to the form as it develops. I have

heard the process referred to as “letting

the piece speak for itself.” Often the voice

of the piece is loud and clear, shouting

out a new direction that needs to be

followed. Listening, making changes,

adjusting the form, and implementing

new ideas are all part of my creating

process.

Recently, I have been exploring the

media itself as much as the form,

often departing from the detailed

organic patterns and following a more

spontaneous geometric direction.

I am choosing simple cylindrical forms

and allowing the material to “speak”

almost completely for itself, choosing

not to control its natural drape and flow,

allowing that process to become the

message. Sometimes elements with

weight are added in order to see how

the material will react to that counter-

intuitive addition.

And then there is always the question,

What if? What if I make it larger? What

if I make it taller? What if I make it

scrunched? What if I make it on a larger

needle? What if. . . ? The possibilities are

virtually endless. Ideas, thoughts, and

questions race through my head as I am

developing each piece and at the same

time thinking of the three yet to come as

one piece gives birth to the next, and the

next, and the one after that.

Do I really consider the intellectual

side of this creative process during

the creative process? Not at all. It is

a visceral experience, and only when

it is completed can I stand back and

understand the work through the eyes

and words of the viewer. Only then can I

make the connections to other work from

my near or distant past and understand

the common thread that runs through

them all. Only then can I grasp the full

meaning of my evolution into a sculptor

who is a maker of baskets.



“Basketry as art is our main focus.” Te r r o l D e w J o h n s o n

by: Catherine K. Hunter, Museum and Education Consultant

Terrol Dew Johnson is a nationally-recognized, award-winning Tohono O’odham basket weaver, community activist and museum consultant. His baskets have won major awards at the Santa Fe Indian Market, NM; O’odham Tash, Sells, AZ; Heard Museum Fair,

Phoenix, and Southwest Indian Art Fair, Tucson, in AZ. His work is in permanent collections of the Smithsonian Institution’s National Museum of the American Indian, Washington, D.C., and the Heard Museum. He founded TOCA (Tohono O’odham Community Action) in 1996 with business partner Tristan Reader in Sells, Arizona. As an artist and curator, he has collaborated with the Smithsonian’s National Museum of the American Indian, Washington, D.C., and New York City; the Heard Museum; Arizona Historical Society and Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum. He lives in Tucson, Arizona.

Since acquiring my first Tohono O’odham basket in 2001, I have visited the Tohono O’odham Nation whenever I am in Tucson. I drive west into the reservation to enjoy the landscape and collect baskets. The views from Route 86, the Arizona-Sonoran Desert Museum, and Kitt Peak National Observatory are spectacular with mountains and saguaro cactuses. I first met Terrol in 2007. After seeing his work exhibited in “All Things Considered VI: NBO Biennial” 2011, I planned to interview him in Sells, AZ, for an artist profile. This article presents a chronology of highlights of his career. You will hear Terrol’s voice in many quotes from conversations and publications. For more information and video links, please go to www.tocaonline.org .


Top left (pg 14): Terrol weaving, late 1990’s Photography by Diane Gram

Top right (pg 14): Pumpkin Basket, 2006 11” x 15” Lace wood, bear grass, waxed nylon Photography by Aranda/Lasch

Bottom left (pg 14): (l to r) Geneva Ramone, Terrol Dew Johnson, Rose Martin, Sadie Marks Members of the Tohono O’odham Basketweavers Organization in Santa Fe for the Indian Market, 1998

Top: Pennies for Your Thoughts, 2000 11” x 15” Aged bear grass, waxed nylon, copper pennies Smithsonian Museum Collection

Bottom: TOCA logo (ghost image) Courtesy of TOCA Designed by Leonard Chana



1970s-1990s BeginningsGrowing up on the Tohono O’odham reservation, Terrol began basket weaving at age ten, first in Margaret Acosta’s weaving class, then as a student of Lolita Manuel. His O’odham speaking grandparents accompanied him as translators to lessons by Clara Havier who was in her seventies. The support of family and women was absolutely essential because basket weaving was a traditional women’s craft. The women understood that Terrol had a gift and tradition needed to change. Terrol wrote about this support:

“Their generosity has helped me learn more than the just the techniques of weaving. It was helped me understand the heritage of hard work, culture and artistic vision that has driven generations of my ancestors to live artfully in the dry desert.” (p. 35, Hold Everything, Heard Museum, 2001)

Terrol explained that his family taught him to appreciate community, communication and opportunity:

“I was brought up to do things, to help people, to help your family – to do different things, to express your ideas, to communicate any way you can. My parents told me to take chances, to create experiences to benefit myself and others. I had nothing to lose if there was an opportunity, and I was fascinated by the world.”

Wanting to learn even more about basket patterns, Terrol discovered another resource in his father’s Reader’s Digest book series about Native Americans. He described evenings when he poured over books and was “haunted” by new designs:

“With a magnifying glass, I studied old photographs of trading posts with baskets, baskets, beautiful baskets...The old patterns are based on old and sometimes painful legends...I learned coyote tracks, squash blossom, the man-in-the-maze and turtle designs...then I dreamed and was haunted with ideas to create my own designs...I felt crazy until I could weave my designs...When elders questioned me, I said that the traditional designs were once experimental...”

That last statement was intuitive, sophisticated and bold for a young man. Terrol was evolving as a weaver whose baskets would emerge from tradition and utility to live artistically, adapting to new tastes and perceptions.

Like his ancestors, Terrol used natural desert plants. Each basket represents a year long effort of harvesting – white yucca in the summer, bear grass in the winter, and devil’s claw in the monsoon season – then days of cleaning, drying and bleaching the plants in the sun. The basket coil is bear grass, a narrow, long, green grass with razor sharp edges and a flowing stalk. White and green yucca, red banana yucca, and black devil’s claw are used to create the stitches. When plant materials were difficult to find, community support was essential. Terrol explains:

“One time my family organized a picking trip....We had to go 100 miles from the reservation. There were five families out there picking in the desert for me. They really helped me understand that this [basket weaving] is what I am supposed to do.”

As an exchange student to Australia, Terrol thrived in creative classes. When he sold baskets with materials he had shipped from Arizona, he felt appreciation and pride for his craft and his heritage. It is ironic that Terrol had to leave the country to gain this perspective. Returning to Arizona, he quit school, worked in a Native art store, learned practical business skills, then opened his own shop. He was always weaving and selling baskets at “those wonderful church bazaars....”

At his first Santa Fe Indian Market, the oldest and largest juried Native American art showcase, Terrol was unprepared and overwhelmed. The next year, he had his own booth and won prize ribbons. All the while he continued teaching basketry to the people of his tribe. His classes grew and moved from his home to a church because “I made a promise to my teachers to teach...”

For Terrol, baskets come straight from the heart. He acknowledges frequently during the interview that basket weaving is the foundation of his personal and professional life, saying, “Basket weaving is something I always wanted to do.”

TOCA founded 1996While only in his twenties, Terrol created a second career as a community activist. He put life lessons into action with business partner Tristan Reader and started TOCA (Tohono O’odham Community Action), a nonprofit community development organization. Together they would revitalize traditional weaving and foods as a means to sustain culture, health and economic development.

Today TOCA programs include Elder/Youth classes and social gatherings to preserve language, ceremonies, and knowledge of the land and plants. A Food System revitalizes traditional foods and community gardening as beneficial to fight diabetes which affects a large percentage of the tribe.

TOCA’s Basketweavers Organization revitalized basketry as a viable economic opportunity and valued cultural practice. The cooperative broke the cycle of exploitation by outside

Terrol with teacher Clara Havier, 1987 Owl and squash blossom baskets woven by Terrol



Basket Quilt, Touched By Many, 2007 9’ x 7’ Bear grass, yucca and devil’s claw, cedar, rosebud, brown ash, harakeke/flax, tuli water reed Photography by Robin Stancliff


traders, promoted “fair trade” and launched many weavers to independence. TOCA also negotiated permits to harvest weaving materials on federal, state, tribal and private lands. Terrol explained TOCA’s primary role:

“It was a goal from the beginning to get weavers to take charge of their careers, to promote themselves. Membership today is around 65 weavers in the cooperative...It’s great to see more weavers go independently to fairs with their own business cards and charge card machines.”

After only 3 years, TOCA received the first of several prestigious awards. Do Something organization named Terrol as one of America’s top ten young community leaders in recognition of his contributions to the revitalization of a healthy and sustainable Tohono O’odham community. Terrol describes the process:

“This was my first award. The process was a different experience with nominations, applications, and interviews in New York. It was stressful in New York...I felt the pressure to represent myself and the organization. With the award there was publicity on TV, in Rolling Stone magazine...The process was unreal, but I was honored and excited; it meant more to me because the award benefited my people.”

Also at that time, Terrol accepted several invitations to collaborate with museums. First he was an Artist-in-Residence at the National Museum of the American Indian in New York City, where he researched Tohono O’odham basketry, and explored New York City:

“Previously I had thought of museums as prisons, but here everything was accessible. I wore white gloves to handle baskets and assistants helped me see as much as possible. There were cameras and videos to record the collections for my report. People showed me New York, and I learned about the art experience for professional artists.”

The next museum projects museums were in Tucson. Recognized as knowledgeable about baskets due to his work with TOCA, Terrol was invited to be guest curator for exhibitions at the Sonora Desert Museum and the Arizona Historical Society.

Smithsonian Museum Exhibition:“Hold Everything” 2001Terrol was especially honored to be guest curator at the Heard Museum for an exhibition and publication “Hold Everything: Masterworks of Basketry and Pottery from the Heard Museum” (2001). Jody Folwell was curator for pottery. It was a huge challenge to select baskets representing the entire country; however, as a basket maker, it was thought that Terrol would bring “...a unique understanding of the nature of achievement that may be hidden within a piece.” (p. 4)

To select masterpieces, both curators agreed to reject a time-based approach and to reject bias that older is more authentic. They were alert for “context and change” because the museum’s collection has more art baskets than utilitarian baskets, reflecting the tastes of collectors. The curators also recognized the importance of “spirit” (artist’s vision and story) in each piece. Here is a brief excerpt from Terrol’s insightful essay (co-authored with Tristan Reader) describing his struggles to define “masterworks”:

“In the Tohono O’odham language, we have no word for art. My ancestors never really created formal artwork that was separated from day-to-day life. Instead, Native people have always looked to create artful ways of living, seeking ways to blend beauty and usefulness.

We try to live in ways that bring together the material, spiritual and aesthetic worlds. In basketry, beauty and utility are joined together. Some call it art; most basket weavers simply call it life. This heritage presented me with a challenge in choosing baskets that were ‘masterworks’. How can that one word include everything from a gigantic Pima grain storage basket to my people’s ceremonial wine baskets and today’s ‘art baskets’?” (pp. 34-35)

Before and after the Heard Museum exhibition, Terrol took the initiative to learn to make films. “Weaving Words: Stories of Arizona’s Native Basketweavers” (2000) enters the lives of seven weavers who are Tohono O’Odham, Apache and Hopi. “Weaving Families: Stories of Generations of Native Basketweavers” (2002) presents the Sanipass family of Maine’s Micmac Tribe, the Parker family of California’s Kashya Pomo-Miwok Tribe and the Saraficio Family of the Tohono O’odham Tribe. Such projects enabled Terrol to be creative, travel and revitalize basketry.

Also at that time, TOCA received two prestigious awards. The US President’s Committee on the Arts and Humanities presented the Coming Up Taller Award. Terrol and co-founder Tristan Reader were recognized as one of the nation’s top leadership teams when they received the Ford Foundation’s Leadership for a Changing World Award.

In 2004, the Smithsonian’s National Museum of the American Indian opened on the National Mall, a significant time for all Native People. Terrol and TOCA staff were invited as curatorial consultants for the inaugural exhibit, “Our Peoples: Giving Voices to Our Histories,” because the Tohono O’odham was one of eight tribes presented. The following year, the Heard Museum contacted TOCA to assist in a complete renovation of its permanent Southwest exhibit and to include one of Terrol’s gourd baskets.


Exhibitions 2006-2007

Exhibitions at the Smithsonian, Washington D.C., and the Amerind Foundation Museum in Dragoon, Arizona, gave national recognition to Terrol’s career as a weaver.

Most important was an exhibition at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of the American Indian, “The Language of Native American Baskets: From the Weavers’ View.” The exhibition assembled 200 baskets from the museum’s collection. To emphasize that basket weaving is a living and evolving art across the country, the exhibition also featured six acclaimed weavers. The following artists represented woodlands, desert, coastal and high plateau tribal communities: Theresa Secord, Penobscot in Maine; Terrol Dew Johnson, Tohono O’odham in Arizona; Julia Parker, Pomo, and Sherrie Smith-Ferri, Dry

Creek Pomo, in California; Lisa Telford, Haida in British Columbia, Canada; and Pat Courtney Gold, Wasco in Oregon.

Known as an innovative artist, Terrol was asked by the Smithsonian to create a wall-hung, installation

piece that unified the entire exhibition. The brilliant outcome was “Basket Quilt,

Touched by Many”, 9 feet by 7 feet (See page 17). The concept was inspired by

his grandmother’s fabric quilts with memories of family associated

with each panel. This was a new

art form that merged basket and fabric traditions. Terrol described the process:

“I had six months to create a large installation piece. I wanted to combine textures and styles so I started with a panel of Passamaquoddy porcupine stitch, using 1” ash weavers from Maine. The process reminded me of Claire Gabriel who taught me that stitch. Once I made that mat, the concept of a quilt was clear. I gathered materials from each of the artists in the exhibition. Theresa sent me brown ash from Maine; Lisa sent cedar from Washington; Julia sent redbud from California; Pat sent water grass from Oregon. I made the trays of bear grass and yucca. Two weeks before the exhibition, I moved into a studio in the Customs House in New York City, weaving and experimenting and examining the Smithsonian’s collections whenever I needed to learn more about techniques.”

Subsequently, Terrol has woven 5 variations of the quilt, sometimes commissioning Tohono O’odham weavers to create trays for him. Each quilt symbolizes community.

Gourd Baskets Terrol’s signature work over fifteen years is a series of baskets with gourds that are natural or cast in bronze. “...I decided to apply traditional techniques in new ways as by weaving on top of gourds...” The distinctive gourds have open sections that are partially filled with rows of woven bear grass, parallel and horizontal or curved, concentric and undulating. They convey a wonderful sense of tranquility and rhythm. (See cover illustration of “Bronze Gourd.”)

Ursula Huber of the Amerind Foundation Museum described one gourd as an “...egg-shaped form, opened as if two hands were holding a precious center...” That precious center could be water, with rows of grass suggesting ripples caused when a stone is dropped into water. The surfaces, smooth and woven, quietly express the spirit of water. In the desert environment, precious water has inspired motifs since ancient times.

Back Basket: Form Over Function 20” x 18” Lacewood, aged bear grass, waxed nylon

Left Basket: Bark Basket 9” x 6” Pine wood, bear grass, waxed nylon

Middle Basket: Sweet Sensation Basket 9” x 16” Bubinga wood, aged bear grass, Maine sweetgrass

Right Basket: Bark Basket 12” x 10” Bird’s eye maple wood, aged bear grass, waxed nylon

Photographer : Robin Stancliff

All baksets made in 2007



Terrol explains that Nature inspired him to cast a natural gourd into bronze:

“Hiking 250 miles through the grasslands from Mexico to Arizona, I saw huge rocks rising out of the earth randomly. The grass flowed constantly in ripples, brushing the rock again and again. The unbreakable rocks were softened by the grass. The contrast was important. I like the pairing of opposites: hard and soft, smooth and textured, solid gourd and open work weaving. I wanted a bronze gourd to resemble the rocks...cast a large gourd in bronze, worked to get a nice patina, then wove using traditional basketry materials on top of the bronze. It reflects my connection to tradition as well as the diversity of contemporary life. This piece [bronze gourd basket] walks in two worlds, just as many Native people do...”

Bark Baskets

The “bark basket” was another innovative concept, a collaboration with New York architects Benjamin Aranda and Chris Lasch. The goal was to explore new materials, construction possibilities and traditional weaving. While the architects designed patterns that could be assembled to create baskets, Terrol experimented with handmade paper but preferred wood veneers such as bobinga, lace wood, and eucalyptus.

The pattern pieces were sewn together with waxed linen or waxed nylon, favoring natural colors. Rows of traditional bear grass were added between abutting panels. The concept is versatile; the final form can be changed by increasing or decreasing the number of panels. The baskets are elegant and contemporary. Other design experiments combined glass and steel with weaving materials. The exhibition debuted fourteen baskets at the Artists Space in Soho, New York City.

Basketry and Native Foods FestivalsSince 1998, TOCA has sponsored festivals for baskets and culinary arts, a natural pairing because baskets have always been used as containers to parch, gather, winnow and store foods as well as to hold liquids for daily and ceremonial purposes. Festivals were hosted by the Heard Museum until 2007, when the festival returned “home” to the new Tohono O’odham Nation’s Himdag Ki: Museum & Cultural Center in Topawa.

In 2009 the festival highlighted cooking demonstrations with invited chefs using tepary beans, prickly pear, cholla cactus buds, corn, pumpkin, agave nectar and saguaro seeds. TOCA’s Desert Rain Gallery and Cafe also opened in Sells, capital of the Tohono O’odham Nation, with traditional and contemporary menus.

2008-2010 “THE WALK HOME”The work at TOCA was all consuming, and Terrol requested a sabbatical. A remarkable individual, Terrol was not about to relax; rather, this was an opportunity to lead a nationwide project. He walked 3,000 miles across the United States, starting in Maine, with his niece and nephew to promote diabetes awareness and physical activity for health. The message was to keep moving on foot, by canoe, bicycle, even horseback! Their route linked native communities to share the message of healthy commitments. Upon his return, TOCA re-organized with Terrol as President and CEO, and Tristan Reader as Special Projects Director.

To conclude our interview, I asked Terrol “How do you balance all that you do? When do you weave? What is in the future?” Terrol responded:

“After ‘The Walk’ I learned to set priorities. Now I have more balance in my work and life. Work is busy. Together we are planning a Basket and Native Food Celebration for 2013...Weaving? My own weaving is seasonal; I start in March to weave for the Santa Fe Fair in August. Weaving put me on the map as an artist. I earned the title ‘basket weaver.’ I am rooted in weaving, but I want to do anything creative. [laughing] No one can predict what I’ll do next, or what opportunity might come along! I do know that I have much more to do. I feel blessed and fortunate...Finding time to weave in my very busy life is very important. Weaving is something I love...with time for dreaming. The sky is the limit!”

For Terrol Dew Johnson, baskets have the power to express feelings, hope and the future, to foster fellowship and pride, and to change the world.

Knot Basket, 2006 2 yards in diameter Cedar bark, willow, grapevine on steel Photography by Terrol Dew Johnson


I knew that I had found something very special when I walked into Ben Higgins’ Basket Shop in Chesterfield, Massachusetts in 1975. The smells of the pounded white ash, the woven ceilings, and the weather recordings on the walls all spoke to me. I left my inner-city teaching career

behind. Mr. Higgins took me on as an apprentice, four days a week, for six months.

Ben’s wife, Gladys Higgins, worked with me every Friday, teaching me to make twined baskets of reed. I found one basket book, “Basketry: Weaving and Design” by Mrs. Edwin Lang, published in 1925. I bought a few tools, and my living room became my studio. It was the start of my basket career. My first national show was in 1976 at an American Craft Council show in Rhinebeck, New York.

f e a t u r e d a r t i s tj a c k i e a b r a m s

Talking Sisters 12” and 15” heightCotton paper, copper wire, acrylic paint and mediums, encaustic waxPhotography by Jeff Baird


Dani (daughter) and I collecting sand in the Kalahari Desert

Since then, I have always made baskets, selling them at craft fairs, museums, shops, and galleries. Along the way, there have been grants and awards, recognitions and rejections. All are part of the ‘basket business.’ One of my proudest accomplishments was being the ‘founding mother’ of North Country Studio Workshops, an advanced level craft conference held every two years. It continues today.

As I look back on my basket career, spanning over 35 years, I truly realize how fortunate I have been. I have had some fabulous teachers along the way, including Lissa Hunter, John McQueen, John Garrett, Dorothy Gill Barnes, and Shereen LaPlantz. Inspired by the knowledge they so generously shared, I have experimented and adapted to develop my own style of making baskets.

My work has always been intertwined with my life. When my daughters were young, and I was growing much of our own food, garden baskets seemed like the basket to be making. Ten acres of property in central Vermont provided black ash trees, vines, and barks. As my life changed over these years, my baskets have changed as well. Eventually, making functional baskets felt limiting. I created my first architectural series in 1988, inspired by my childhood in New York. Most importantly, I started to explore color and techniques, forms both symmetrical and sculptural, using common basketry materials in unusual ways.

I knew that the way to learn about color was to use color. I explored and experimented, weaving structures with a loom, making paper, combining painted paper with my other techniques. In 1990, I used painted cotton paper as a basket material. What a discovery! It allowed me to return to my basket ‘roots’ while exploring other aspects of basketry: color, form, texture, and surface design. I continue to use this material today.

When my teenage girls wished I wasn’t home quite so much, in the mid-90’s, I started traveling to teach basketry. I love to teach, encouraging people to develop their skills and to explore their own creativity. My life has been enriched by the people I have met along the way. I have lifelong friends scattered about the country.

My teaching has taken me all over the world. In 2001, I was offered the first of six teaching expeditions to Australia. The colors and

textures of this sunburned country continue to affect my work. The sands of the Red Centre and the dots and lines of

Aboriginal art frequently appear in the pieces that I create. And the people have become my friends.


Top: Ben Higgins and Jackie Abrams – 1975 Photographer UnknownMiddle: Dani and Rose, my two daughters, in the garden Photography by Jackie AbramsBottom: Seattle Red Urn 7” x 11” x 11” Cotton paper, acrylic paint and mediums, waxed linen thread Photography by Jeff Baird

continued on page 26....


Top Left: Ode to a Grecian Bowl 8” x 12” x 12” Cotton paper, acrylic paint and mediums, waxed linen thread Photography by Jeff BairdMiddle left: Tange, a Himba Woman 16” x 10” x 10 Cotton paper, copper wire, acrylic paint and mediums, traditional metal Himba beads, sand from Namibia Photography by Jeff Baird

Middle right: A Woman of Consequence 17” x 11” x 11” Cotton and mulberry papers, copper wire, acrylic paint and mediums Photography by John PolakBottom right: Star Pillow 4” x 8” x 8” Cotton paper, acrylic paint and mediums Photography by Jeff Baird

CALENDAROFEVENTSConferenCeS & reTreaTSJuly 15 - 21, 2012 Convergence 2012 Long Beach Long Beach, CA The Handweavers Guild of America www.weavespindye.org - (678) 730-0010

July 18 - 21, 2012 Kentucky Basket Association Convention Paroquet Springs Convention Center Shepherdsville, KY www.thekentuckybasketassociation.org (502) 641-1398

July 18 - 21, 2012 Tennessee Basketry Association Convention Airport Hilton - Alcoa, TN www.tennesseebasketryassociation.com (865) 428-1454

August 2-5, 2012 Missouri Basketweavers Guild Convention St. Louis Marriott West - St. Louis, MO www.unionpoint.net/mbg/2012convention.html (314) 821-3824

September 7-9, 2012 Camp Tuck-A-Basket Interstate Center, Bloomington, IL www.llbwa.com ~ (815) 732-7181

September 13-16, 2012 Central Pennsylvania Basket Weaver’s Guild Eisenhower Hotel and Conference Center Gettysburg, PA www.basketry.homestead.com/Odyssey2012.html

September 23-26, 2012 Misti Washington Gourd and Basket Guild “Gourd and Basket Creative Cruise” a board the Golden Princess Vancouver B.C. to Los Angeles, CA www.baskets-gourds.com/Calendar.html

October 5-7, 2012 Northwest Native American Basketweavers Association’s Gathering Hosted by the Muckleshoot Tribe at Emerald Downs in Auburn, WA www.nnaba.org ~ (206) 962-7248

October 5-7, 2012 Willow Harvest Weekend Joanna Schanz ~ Amana Arts Guild Amana, IA www.amanaartsguild.com

October 17-21, 2012 AMB Annual Convention Causeway Bay, Lansing, MI www.michiganbasketmakers.com ~ (231) 876-0669

October 17-21, 2012 Tidal Twinings Retreat Columbia Basin Basketry Guild Camp Magruder, Rockaway, OR www.basketryguild.org/retreat

exhibiTS

Ongoing - July 29, 2012 Texture & Tradition: Japanese Woven Bamboo Denver Art Museum, Denver, CO www.denverartmuseum.org ~ (720) 865-5000

Ongoing - August 12, 2012 HGA ~ Small Expressions Long Beach Museum of Art, Long Beach, CA www.weavespindye.org ~ (678) 730-0010l Ongoing - September 29, 2012 “Willow Knot” Basket Exhibit Philip Dickel Basket Museum Gallery - Village of West Amana, IA www.broomandbasket.com ~ (319) 622-3315

Ongoing - June 1, 2013 Basketry Treasured Arizona State Museum, Tucson, AZ www.statemuseum.arizona.edu ~ (520) 621-6302

Ongoing - April 1, 2014 Woven Identities Museum of Indian Arts & Culture Santa Fe, NM www.indianartsandculture.org ~ (505) 476-1250

June 14 - July 7, 2012 NEW FIBER WORK by Polly Jacobs Giacchina The Next Door Gallery 963 San Diego, CA www.studiomaureen.com ~ 619-233-6679

June 16 - August 11, 2012 Grass Roots: African Origins of an American Art Ellen Noel Art Museum of the Permian Basin Odessa, TX www.noelartmuseum.org

July 19 - August 11, 2012 Fiber OPTIONS: Material Explorations Maryland Federation of Art’s Circle Gallery Annapolis, MD www.mdfedart.com ~ (410) 268-4566

July 20, 2012 – February 3, 2013 40 under 40: Craft Futures Renwick Gallery, Washington, D.C. americanart.si.edu/exhibitions/archive/2012/renwick40/

August 3, 2012 - October 7, 2012 Tracing the Steps: The Diversity of Fiber Visions Art Museum, San Diego, CA www.visionsartmuseum.org ~ (619) 546-4872

August 9 - September 20, 2012 Northwest Basket Weavers Vi Phillips Guild Basket Show Schack Art Center, Everett, WA www.nwbasketweavers.org ~ www.schack.org

October 25, 2012 - February 24, 2013 BAM Biennial 2012: High Fiber Diet Bellevue Arts Museum, Bellevue, WA www.bellevuearts.org ~ (425) 519-0770


NBO QUARTERLY REVIEW

SUBMISSION DEADLINES

Spring - March 1 Summer - June 1 Fall - September 1 Winter - November 15

SUBSCRIPTIONSNBO Quarterly Review is complementary to members of the National Basketry Organization. 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.

page 24 Summer 2012 • www.nationalbasketry.org www.nationalbasketry.org • Summer 2012 page 25

MarkeTS & ShowSJuly 7, 2012 Native American Festival and Basketmakers Market College of the Atlantic, Bar Harbor, ME www.abbemuseum.org ~ (207) 288-3519

July 21-22, 2012 Tribes of the Dawn Land Cultural and Heritage Days Indian Township, just North of Princeton, ME www.grandlakestream.org/events.htm

August 18-19, 2012 SWAIA Santa Fe Indian Market 2012 Downtown plaza, Santa Fe, NM www.swaia.org ~ (505) 983-5220

August 23-26, 2012 The 28th annual American Craft Exposition Henry Crown Sports Pavilion, Evanston, IL www.americancraftexpo.org

September 8-9, 2012 White Oak Craft Fair The Arts Center of Cannon County Woodbury, TN www.artscenterofcc.com ~ (615) 563-2787 or 1-800-235-9073

September 15, 2012 Goods From the Woods® “Up North” Marketplace IRA Center, Grand Rapids, MN www.GoodsfromtheWoods.org

September 21- 23, 2012 Common Ground Country Fair, Unity, ME Participation by Maine Indian Basketmakers Alliance www.mofgs.org

November 2-3, 2012 American Indian Arts Marketplace at the Autry The Autry in Griffith Park Los Angeles, CA www.theautry.org/series/intertribal-arts-marketplace

November 2-4, 2012 Sculpture Objects & Functional Art Fair ~ SOFA Chicago Festival Hall, Navy Pier, Chicago, IL www.sofaexpo.com ~ (800) 563-7632

November 8 - 11, 2012 Philadelphia Museum of Art Craft Show Pennsylvania Convention Center, Philadelphia, PA www.pmacraftshow.org ~ (215) 684-7930

CaLL To enTrYAugust 31, 2012: Deadline for Entry Fiberart International 2013 Society for Contemporary Craft and the Pitts-burgh Center for the Arts www.fiberartspgh.org/guild/node/10

September 13, 2012: Deadline for Entry CraftForms 2012 Wayne Art Center, Wayne, PA Exhibition Dates: November 30, 2012 – January 26, 2013 www.wayneart.org ~ (610) 688-3553

workShoPSJune 19 - July 10, 2012 Four Tuesday Sessions Not Your Mother’s Laundry Basket! The Art of Basketry Instructor - Barbara Shapiro Osher Lifelong Learning Institute at San Francisco State University www.campusce.net/sfsu/ ~ Debra Varner (415) 817-4243

July 8-20, 2012 Pat Hickman ~ Structure & Skin Penland School of Crafts, Penland NC www.penland.org ~ (828) 765-2359

NBO Members will teach at Arrowmont in 2012 July 8 - 14 Lanny Bergner

(meshworking in 3-D) August 5 - 11 Jo Stealey (sculptural

paper - part I) August 12-18 Jo Stealey (sculptural

paper - part II) August 12-18 Jackie Abrams (baskets) October 7-13 JoAnn Kelly Catsos (baskets) www.arrowmont.org ~ (865) 436-5860 NBO Members will teach at Sievers in 2012 July 22-27 Jackie Abrams

(Hexagonal Weaves) August 2-5 Jo Campbell-Amsler

(Willow Garden Art) Sept. 2-5 Flo Hoppe (Japanese

Hexagonal Weave) Sept. 3-6 Mary Hettmansperger

(Mixed Metals Jewelry ) Oct. 24-28 Jo Campbell-Amsler (Willow Harvest & Weave) Sievers School of Fiber Arts, Washington Island, WI www.sieversschool.com ~ (920) 847-2264

NBO Members will teach at JC Campbell Folk School in 2012 July 15-21 Pattie Bagley

(Fun and Functional Basketry)

July 22-28 Nancy Gildersleeve (Teneriffe Needle Weaving for Pine Needle Basketry)

Sept. 2-8 Peggie Wilcox (Scottish Baskets with an American Twist)

Oct. 26-28 Pati English (Breast Cancer Ribbon Basket)

Nov. 30- Pattie Bagley Dec. 2 (Miniature Baskets)

www.folkschool.org ~ 1-800.FOLK.SCH

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

page 26

In 2005, I had my first opportunity to work in sub-Saharan Africa, helping to develop sustainable fair-trade micro-craft industries. These many journeys, to Ghana, Namibia, and Uganda, have had a profound influence on both my life and my work. I’ve learned that a simple life is just as rewarding as a more complicated life. I’ve learned that joy, good spirits, and appreciation can be found anywhere, even in a one-room home. I’ve learned that I am comfortable spending time with these women in their villages, being dusty, letting them laugh at my social gaffes. When it is not totally frustrating, it is very, very good.

I want my pieces to reflect the cultures I have encountered, and the lives that I have been allowed to share, even briefly. I have simplified my techniques. I work directly and intuitively with the materials and techniques in different ways, and let the pieces speak with their own spirit and energy.

The pieces in the “Women Form” series are woven vessels, covered with encaustic wax, textured acrylic mediums and paints, or sands and earth. The forms speak of connections and relationships, shared stories, and ways in which women live and learn. Some of the women stand alone, either in strength or in sorrow. Others rejoice in the company of other women - daughters, sisters, mothers, friends. Each shape is visual collection of her experiences.

My newest series, “Spirit Women,” are coiled and stitched, using the time-honored technique of coiling found almost universally in African societies. I use the materials at hand, including recycled fabrics and plastic bags. The core materials are visible, an important part of the piece, reflecting the often unseen inner core of each woman. Each coil captures the experience of the moment. The form develops a shape, coil by coil, experience by experience. These experiences are the threads of our lives that hold us together, give us form, making each of us the person we become.

Last year, glassblower Josh Bernbaum and I were invited to exhibit our collaborative work at the Brattleboro (VT) Museum & Art Center. It was an amazing challenge, combining our two very different materials and techniques. I learned a lot about glass, and Josh learned a lot about baskets. We created seven pieces, each one blending our technical skills with aesthetic considerations. A reviewer called our show “a true gem.”

I will, of course, continue to make baskets. Working in my studio brings me a deep satisfaction. I will continue to travel and to teach, and to share time with people with common interests. And I will continue to help develop micro-craft industries. What else could I possibly do?

My work can be seen at two booths at the Philadelphia Museum of Art Craft Show this year (November 8-11, 2012). At one booth I will be exhibiting my own work. At the other, I will be showing collaborative work with Josh Bernbaum, a glassblower.

w w w . j a c k i e a b r a m s . c o m

Top: Grounded 12” x 10” x 10” Scraps of fabric (from Ghana, Japan, India, Bali), waxed linen thread Photography by John Polak

Bottom: Esi and Her Sister 15”and 16” height Cotton paper, Ghanaian fabric and beads, copper wire, acrylic paint and mediums Photography by Jeff Baird

continued from page 23....


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exhibitionupcoming

June – September 29“willow knots and found objects” Philip Dickel Basket Museum Gallery 618 8th Ave, West Amana, IA 52203

Monday – Saturday • 10:00 to 4:00 Sundays • 11:30 to 4:00

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NEW2012CHALLENGE GRANT

Donations are greatly appreciated.

$75,000Current total: $48,000

willow Purse basket by Katherine Lewis 9” x 6.5” x 10 Cultured barked willow & buff willow. Braided leather strap. Photo Credit: Joanna E. Schanz

NBO Quarterly ReviewPO Box 277Brasstown, NC 28902

Anne Scarpa McCauley Arlene K. McGonagle

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