Curated by Judy Zugish
October 20 – January 5, 2023
Behind each of the handworks you see before you is a whole story in woven basketry. We are witnessing and celebrating a timely chapter – the art of basketmaking.
Please take your time, look closely at these pieces. Begin to absorb what each is made to be, but also what plant, or bark, or collected material is part of the object. See that forest and garden, paper, branch, and woodland have been thoughtfully collected, skillfully prepared, extracted, sometimes exploited to create artful objects. Follow their lines, absorb the pockets of light, get lost in the details of stitch, marvel at the strength of construction. See the fusion of material; consider the challenges of execution.
Such is the bubbling complexity of materials grown and harvested; such is the wonder of knowing them well and extracting the qualities of strength and beauty. Such is the rich heritage of basketmaking, especially from our region that we honor. And such are the rich character driven artworks drawn upon a standard of excellence.
When we first began to plan a showcase of today’s basketry, my brain was happy! Happy to show off the talents of Pacific Northwest basket makers, to introduce the viewer to a rich range of technique, material, imagination, and form. To remind us all, the “store” of our imaginations will ignite in our hands.
Courageous baskets are the pieces of content I was hoping for, and I am deeply satisfied the viewer will see exciting, diverse, original, and eloquent examples of the tremendous growth and reach in the basketry of our time. It is keenly meaningful that we give audiences just tuning in to basketry a chance to awaken to the contributions in the field today.
Walk round, remember, from Raw to Refined – set your mind along the paths these talented hands have landscaped.
And thank you so much for joining up with our imaginations! Every viewer is a collaborator, for you inspire creations.