Exhibition Reception
Friday, June 1, 5:30 – 8:00 PM
The evening will also feature open studios by the current resident artists. Beer generously provided by Buffalo Bayou Brewing Co.Hands-on Houston: Baskets in the Garden
Saturday, June 2, 11:00 AM – 3:00 PMCurator Talk with Jo Stealey
Saturday, June 2, 3:30 – 4:30 PM
Houston Center for Contemporary Craft is pleased to present Rooted, Revived, Reinvented: Basketry in America, an exhibition chronicling the history of American basketry, from its origins in Native American, immigrant, and slave communities to its presence within the contemporary fine-art world. Visitors will delight in the variety of colors, patterns, shapes, and textures of the baskets on view, which range from traditional to highly unconventional and explore diverse cultural histories.
Historical baskets were rooted in local landscapes and shaped by cultural traditions. The rise of the industrial revolution and mass production at the end of the 19th century led basket makers to create works for new audiences and markets, including tourists, collectors, and fine-art museums. Today the story continues. Some contemporary artists seek to maintain and revive traditions practiced for centuries, while many combine age-old techniques with nontraditional materials to generate cultural commentary. Others challenge viewers’ expectations by experimenting with form, materials, and scale.
Divided into five sections—Cultural Origins, New Basketry, Living Traditions, Basket as Vessel, and Beyond the Basket—the show explores the variety of meanings and stories baskets convey through the artists’ selections of materials, techniques, colors, designs, and textures. HCCC Curator Kathryn Hall commented, “We are excited to partner with the National Basketry Organization and the University of Missouri to provide this in-depth look at the history of American basketry, which unites tradition and process with innovation and design. Basketry is a craft practice that, while recognized universally for its function, maintains distinct identities and ties to various regions and groups of people, giving woven objects the unique power to connect communities and ideas.”
Rooted, Revived, Reinvented: Basketry in America is a collaborative endeavor between the National Basketry Organization and the University of Missouri, curated by Jo Stealey and Kristin Schwain and generously sponsored in part by the National Basketry Organization; University of Missouri; the Windgate Charitable Foundation; the Center for Craft, Creativity, and Design; and numerous private donors.
The exhibition is supported in part by Anne Lamkin Kinder and by Sara Scholes Morgan and Bill Morgan.
For further details, please visit https://americanbasketry.missouri.edu.
Image credits: (1) Kate Anderson, “Lichtenstein Teapot/Girl with Ribbon,” 2005. Waxed linen, stainless steel. 9” x 10.5” x 2.” Photo by Joe Johnson. (2) Joanne Segal Brandford, “Shoulder,” 1986. Bamboo, paint. 10.5” x 16” x 9.” Photo by Joe Johnson. (3) Shan Goshorn, “They Were Called Kings,” 2013. Arches watercolor paper, archival inks, acrylic paint. 13.5” x 9” x 9” each (set of three). Photo by Joe Johnson. (4) Dorothy McGuinness, “Satellite,” 2012. Watercolor paper, acrylic paint, waxed-linen thread. 12.5” x 16” x 12.” Photo by Joe Johnson. (5) Leon Niehues, “Bentwood Sphere,” 2015. White oak; brass and stainless mini-machine screws; natural, walnut-hull dye. 20” x 17” x 16.” Photo by Joe Johnson. (6) Ed Rossbach, “Mickey Mouse Coil Basket,” 1975. Synthetic raffia, sea grass. 6.375” x 9.125” x 9.125.” Photo by Joe Johnson. (7) Lois Russell, “Magic Bus,” 2012. Waxed linen. 9.25” x 11.5” x 10.5.” Photo by Joe Johnson. (8) Amanda Salm, “Showered with Laughter,” 2008. Natural brown horse-tail hair; artist-dyed, white horse-tail hair with natural dyes, including indigo, madder root, onion skins, and grape leaves. 23.5” x 22” x 7.” Photo by Joe Johnson. (9) Jane Sauer, “At Last,” 1999. Waxed linen. 21” x13” x 8.” Photo by Joe Johnson. (10) Lisa Telford, “Evening Out,” 2007. Red and yellow cedar bark. 5.5” x 3.125” x 8.” Photo by Joe Johnson. (11) Leona Waddell, “White Oak Egg Basket,” 2004. White oak (quercus alba), brass pins. 10” x 13” x 9.” Photo by Joe Johnson. (12) Dawn Nichols Walden, “Ties That Bind” (from the “Random Order Series”), 2010. Cedar root, cedar bark, bear grass. 44” x 25” x 15.” Photo by Joe Johnson.
