Spring 2012 NBO Quarterly by National Basketry Organization, Inc.

Letter from the editor

Presidentâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s page

New Faces Book Review

4-6 7

Terminology 8-13 Pat Hickman Wendy Durfey

14-20 21-13, 26-27

Calendar 24-25 National Basketry Organization

INSIDE

quarterly review | Spring 2012

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

WWW.NATIONALBASKETRY.ORG

letter from

NBOBOARDMEMBERS 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 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: Wendy Durfey

(Green): Untitled 16.25” x 13” x 3” Archival paper, silk, waxed linen acrylic Photography by Rand & Rawson (Purple): Untitled 5.5” x 5” x 2.5” Archival paper, silk, waxed linen acrylic Photography by Rand & Rawson

NBO Quarterly Review Editor Michael Davis Graphic Designer Tami Warrington tjwarrington@yahoo.com page 2

the editor

Traditions & Innovations VII October 8 - 13, 2013

Fellow Members: Please note that the dates for the 2013 conference have been changed due to a conflict with a religious holiday. I hope that this change does not inconvenience any of you and that you begin planning to attend our Biennial Conference at Arrowmont. New Faces introduces you to Anne Mette Hvidaa Hjørnholm from Denmark. Anne is one of the many talented artists we met in Poland last fall at the Worldwide Wickerfest Competition. Willow is the material of choice in this area and she puts it to dramatic use in creating large sculptural pieces as well as baskets. Wendy Durfey is one of our featured artists who well deserves to be included in this issue of the Quarterly Review. I have wanted to feature her work for a long time but she felt that while serving as a board member (6 years) she did not want it to seem as if NBO was promoting her work. Wendy’s artistic journey began by loom weaving and has evolved into her sensual silk fusion baskets. Many other baskets juxtapose woven panels onto the body of her vessel which creates an innovative and striking design solution. The other feature is the work of Pat Hickman, an Internationally recognized artist who spent many years collaborating with Lillian Elliott on numerous sculptural baskets. These two artists are historical figures in the basketry movement. Lillian would build the frames or armatures for the pieces and Pat would cover them in gut. Katherine Hunter has written an insightful and in depth article on Pat’s work. This is the second in a series that she is writing for NBO and her next article will feature Terrol Dew Johnson, a Native American activist from the Tohono O’odham tribe who creates stunning contemporary basketry. I would be remiss in not thanking Flo Hoppe and Cynthia Taylor for all the educational and extremely informative articles they have produced on basketry techniques and terminology, not only for this issue, but for all their years of committment to this project. The series will continue with informative articles in every other issue of the NBO Quarterly Review. In closing I ask that you let me know what you think of the articles and the magazine as we encourage your input. Also, remember that your donations are tax deductible and we continue to gather monies for our challenge grant. We have close to thirty-three thousand dollars in matching funds to date and the board and I thank all of you for your support. Check out our grant graphic on page 7. Old man winter seems to have left town and my fruit trees are in glorious boom. Enjoy the Spring! Regards to all, ichael Davis M Co-Founder NBO Executive Director of Special Projects

The beautiful Arrowmont campus in the Fall. Spring 2012 • www.nationalbasketry.org

president’s PAGE M

y grandfather told me I had “itchy feet.” I love to wander. Often, the search for baskets guides my travels. Baskets and their makers are everywhere and over the years baskets have proven a gateway into local history, natural science and new connections. When my feet started to itch in February, I noticed an exhibit in Susi Nuss’s always wonderful calendar page which lists everything that is going on: Ongoing through March 16, 2012 Grass Roots: African Origins of an American Art Cape Fear Museum, NC So I decided to head to Wilmington, North Carolina. As a destination, it met a number of criteria: •

I had never been there.

•

It was south of Boston and hence the days would be longer.

•

There were dog-friendly beaches.

•

And there would be baskets, lots and lots of baskets.

So I loaded up the dogs and off we went. After a couple of days, we reached Wilmington, a lovely city sitting in the southeast corner of the state. It has parks, a battleship, bona fide Spanish moss dripping from lovely old trees and well tended older homes. The museum is located near City Hall. The long gallery was full of baskets made in the local Gullah tradition with sweetgrass, bulrush, palmetto and pine needles. Baskets from West Africa were interspersed to show the connections in both design and technique. People all over the world have made, and continue to make, baskets with whatever they have at hand. Many of the men and women who became slaves in the Carolina rice plantations came from the rice-growing areas of West Africa where their baskets are made by coiling grasses. These new slaves knew how to cultivate rice, and they knew how to make baskets to use in processing and storing rice. The plants they found on this side of the Atlantic were different, but a grass is a grass and soon they were replicating the baskets they had made in Africa with the native sweetgrass (Muhlenbergia filipes) that grows right behind the dunes and with bulrushes (Juncus roemerianus) from the marshes. Palmetto fronds (Sabal palmetto) strip easily into stitching material. Later they incorporated long pine needles to add color. Perhaps they learned to use the pine needles (pinus palutris) from the Native Americans. Basket makers worldwide are notorious for “borrowing” ideas and materials from each other. As the slaves adapted to their new world, the culture we know as Gullah developed along the coastal areas. Early Gullah baskets are most often practical. The large tray-like fanner baskets are used to throw rice into the air to separate the chaff from the hull, for example. But clearly others were more ornamental such as the step-sided lidded baskets that mirror the architecture of African buildings and shrines.

was well established in Mt. Pleasant, South Carolina, which is just down the road from Wilmington. And that road is part of the story. Local lore claims that one Ida Jefferson Wilson who was living and working on the Boone Plantation had a disagreement with the manager and marched out to the side of Route 17 to sell her baskets from an old sheet spread on the ground. Her husband came shortly thereafter and built her a stand. Other families followed and Route 17 became known as basket alley. When I drove south down Route 17 towards Charleston the road was torn up with construction and none of the basket stands were open. Still too cold. Mt. Pleasant has grown into an upscale suburb of Charleston. I didn’t find any basket makers until I headed for the touristy part of Charleston. There in the historic market, mixed in with the scented candles were basket makers making and selling baskets. Once again my belief that people who make baskets love to talk was confirmed. I was told the basket making families were having difficulty getting the materials. The sweetgrass in Mt. Pleasant is now in the backyards of big houses in gated communities or in parks where plants were not to be molested. One man told me he just goes “pulling” and pays the fines. A woman told me she has a secret spot in Florida. Business has been good, especially since maker Mary Jackson won a MacArthur Foundation Genius award, another woman told me, but people still don’t realize how long it takes to make a basket and cheap imitations have been brought in from overseas. Sound familiar? Another of their concerns, which is echoed time and again across the country among those working in historic traditions, is that their children and grandchildren are not interested in learning the family trade. All the while they talked, they poked holes and pulled through strands of palmetto linking the grass and pine needles row to row. They showed me how they tied decorative knots of pine needles and how they started the base. I pulled out my waxed linen and showed them how I make bumps while twining. It was fun. Needless to say, several baskets followed me home. The conversations and concerns of the basket makers in South Carolina followed me as well, partly because they are the same ones I hear all over the country. The materials are being lost to development and disease. The skills and techniques are not being handed on as they once were. When it comes to basketry, we are a wealthy nation with many traditions from which to draw … the wood splints of New Hampshire, the willow and yucca of Arizona, the spruce roots of Alaska. There is no end to the places my travels can take me! As president of the NBO, I can even call it “work.” And as president of the NBO, I would love to start a conversation about these issues. What can we do as a national organization to make sure our “basket wealth” is both appreciated and preserved? Send me your thoughts at l.russell@nationalbasketry.org

After the Civil War, of course, things changed but many of the former slaves stayed on the large plantations and continued to make baskets. Like their basket making counterparts the Shakers and the native tribes in the West, they found that there was growing market for their baskets and they started making “fancy” baskets to fill orders for large merchandisers and for the tourists. Around 1900 a small cottage industry comprised of a group of families

www.nationalbasketry.org • Spring 2012

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Above: Danfoss Universe Tunnel The tunnel is made in the park in 2005 together with Marianne Nielsen. It is made on an iron skeleton on which 3 tons of willow are placed and woven. The Tunnel is 11 meters long by 6 meters wide and 3 meters high. Photography by Anne Mette Hvidaa Hjørnholm

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Right Top: 40 cm x 40 cm x 35 cm Crowberry roots on a willow frame Photography by Anne Mette Hvidaa Hjørnholm

Right Bottom: 80 cm x 54 cm (bottom diameter). Crowberry roots and willow Photography by Anne Mette Hvidaa Hjørnholm

Spring 2012 • www.nationalbasketry.org

T r a d i t i o na l

f r am e

b as k ets

–

pas s i on

an d

j ob

New Faces Anne Mette Hvidaa Hjørnholm

Written by: Anne Mette Hvidaa Hjørnholm

y life with baskets started 25 years ago, although my basketmaking was more of a hobby than a profession. My formal education is as a textile designer - I graduated in 1989 from the Danish Design School in Copenhagen. For several years, I tried making a living by weaving and designing rugs and furniture textiles, but as the Danish textile industry was outsourcing production to Eastern Europe, this turned out to be a dead end. While searching for alternatives, I started looking further into basket making. I have always seen myself as a person deeply rooted in handicrafts, so doing just design work was not very appealing to me – I needed a hands-on approach to creating artwork. I have no formal education as a basket maker, but have attended many courses over the years, both in Denmark and abroad. Through continuous work with the willow, and by growing my own willow, I have gradually worked my way to where I am now, actually being able to make a living from working with willow. Today, my working life is a combination of teaching, making works for exhibitions, arts and crafts fairs, and coordinating the garden department of the National Show, a

large agricultural exhibition. All these jobs result in providing me with a reasonable income. I transfer a lot of my skills from fabric design and weaving into my baskets. The manner in which I approach both subjects are very similar. While I was weaving, I often chose a simple technique, and by changing the colors and materials found lots of designs and variations. The surface structure was very important. All these considerations are vital to me in my basket making. Additionally, I spend a lot of time gathering and harvesting willow, roots, bark, grasses etc. This means that I spend a lot of my time outside all year round. Although I endure a lot of hard manual labor in my workshop and in the willow field, I have a privileged life. I have many opportunities to visit other basket makers, attend basket festivals, and teach basket making in interesting places here in Denmark and abroad. I am constantly on the lookout for inspiration to apply to my work. It may be the form of the material itself, shapes found Continued on next page

www.nationalbasketry.org • Spring 2012

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Top Left: Tall Organic Sculpture 105 cm x 70 cm x 40 cm Willow and willow bark Photography by Anne Mette Hvidaa Hjørnholm Top Right: Frame basket with willow bark 80 cm x 75 cm. x 45 cm White willow and willow bark Photography by Anne Mette Hvidaa Hjørnholm Bottom: 3 Dimensions 60 - 80 cm. in width x 35 - 50 cm. high Willow, with a center wooden piece, which is a branch from a tree. Photography by Anne Mette Hvidaa Hjørnholm

in ceramics, fruits or nuts, just to mention a few. Sometimes all I need is a special curve of a branch or an interesting surface of a tree trunk to inspire me and begin a basket. The shapes of framed ribbed baskets never cease to fascinate me. They encourage me to keep experimenting with different sizes and shapes of the hoops that form the basis of the basket. It may be just small differences in the hoop sizes which lead to a completely different basket. I use mostly willow for basic construction – the other materials can then be twined, neatly or chaotically woven, to fill out the shape of the basket. I generally use willow that is 3 or 4 years old for the hoops, but hazel, elm, or wild rose branches may also be used successfully. Ideas for new shapes often occur to me while I am working with the hoops. At this point, I try to picture the overall and final shape of the basket. I ask myself, ” Should I make this handle high or low, this basket round, oval or D-shaped so that it will hang on the wall?” When the hoops are in place, I construct the final frame. Once the frame is in place, there is no haste – the basket can be left alone for a while, while I am working on another, and I return later to fill out the frame. This makes the frame baskets a very relaxing type of basket to create. I am often working on more than one basket at a time. Other basket types with a woven rim can be a lot more stressful, as you have a shorter time to finish them before the stakes dry out.

shape and the function. I am always trying to improve my skills. Additionally, I do sculptures that are organic forms in a smaller scale and very much like sculpture I made in Poland, in a larger scale like the tunnel I made together with another basket maker at “Danfoss Universe” in Denmark – we used 3 tons of willow, and it took a month to complete! In the summer of 2011, I attended the 2nd International Wicker Festival and Competition in Nowy Tomysl, Poland. There were 70 participants from 30 countries, weaving side by side for two days. It was so great to be part of this energetic work spirit and see what the other participants were making. This summer, I will be teaching in Stowe, Vermont at the basketry festival. At Stowe, I will be teaching 3 workshops: Frame baskets, French Open Market Baskets, and Sculptural Work using a chaotic (random) weave. I am really looking forward to this experience – another great opportunity for cultural exchange through the use of willow!

w w w . h jo r n h o lm.dk

I do make a large variety of different baskets other than frame baskets. They are utilitarian baskets for shopping, laundry, firewood and picking mushrooms. These baskets may be done very traditionally but always with great attention to the

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Spring 2012 • www.nationalbasketry.org

Book Review Reprint of Wicker

Reviewed by: Jim Widess

Basketry

by Flo Hoppe Schiffer Publishing; Size: 8.5” x 11” 209 photos, 169 patterns Index;168 pp soft cover $24.95 ISBN: 978-0-7643-4080-2

In the summer of 1985, Shereen LaPlantz, publisher of The News Basket, organized the first National Basketry Conference in Mendocino, California. There I met Flo Hoppe for the first time. Flo was just then perfecting her teaching style and we agreed that current basketry instructions in English were sorely inadequate and that instruction books for crafts must be thoroughly illustrated with step-by-step instructions. Through her experiences with her students, her thorough knowledge of her materials and techniques and her skills as an artist, Flo was more than capable of writing and illustrating a book on weaving inspiring round reed baskets. We encouraged her to share much of her knowledge to create a major reference work, with step-by-step tutorials, for anyone wanting to learn to weave wicker basketry. Wicker Basketry is the most comprehensive basketry instruction book published in English. For the beginning basketmaker, the wealth of information can be overwhelming and daunting. There is so much information, incredible photographs of weaves and an intense gallery of examples of what you can create. The beginner only needs to skip, immediately, to page 91 and begin with the stepby-step “Baskets to Learn From.” The first 90 pages can be consulted later when he or she has the skill to add variations to Flo’s well thought-out tutorials. To weave these attractive pieces, one must be well versed in technique and must understand the weaving material with all of its idiosyncrasies. And one can only learn this through much practice and repetition. Any skill, whether learning to play a musical instrument or learning to weave a basket, requires discipline and practice. Baby steps. You start with simple exercises and slowly build up the complexity. You have to follow a pattern of increasing difficulty to train your brain and your fingers to react with reflex without conscious effort.

NEW 2 0 12 CHALLENGE GRANT $75,000 Current total: $32,300

HALF WAY THERE!

Fortunately, Flo Hoppe is an experienced teacher and understands the sequences her students must go through to acquire the skills of a basketmaker. And she also understands that acquiring a new skill is enhanced when beautiful, engaging baskets are the result of each step in the learning process. The twenty-four “Baskets to Learn From” are the quintessential expression of a teacher who loves her students as much as she loves her field. So precisely do the instructions follow one another that it is no surprise I have had numerous customers who have come back to my shop with their first oval basket. They could just have finished a course of study with Flo in person - the same look of accomplishment I’ve witnessed when Flo has had the opportunity to come to Berkeley to teach.

Donations are greatly appreciated. Help NBO reach our fund raising milestone once we achieve the halfway mark, we receive half of the Challenge Grant.

Thank you! www.nationalbasketry.org • Spring 2012

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More French Randing Variations: Blocks, Zigzags, & Floats This is the 24th in a series of articles researched as part of NBO’s Basketry Terminology Research Project

his article concludes our series about French randing. As we kept digging for examples, analyzing baskets, and looking at weave structures from different perspectives, we were a bit amazed by all the variations that could be classified under “French randing”. The names we’ve chosen for the types presented in this article are mostly descriptive, based on the visual appearance of the weave: French-randed block weave; zigzag French randing; and French randing with floats. For more background information, review our previous basketry terminology articles, “Herringbone French Randing” (NBO Quarterly Review, Fall 2011) and “English Randing and French Randing” (NBO Quarterly Review, Spring 2011), where we discussed basic French randing, twill French randing, rightslant and left-slant French randing, the use of color with French randing, and the more complex Herringbone French Randing.

Plate 1: Family Treasure, Willow Baby Basket The dominant side weave of this willow basket is French-randed block weave. The piece has served as a baby basket for many generations in the family of Joanna Schanz (12 Feb 2012). It is believed that the basket came from Europe in the 1840’s when Amana colony people settled in upper state NY (now part of Buffalo). The warps on this basket have been doubled which adds strength to the block weave. A row of 3/1 four-rod wale is worked over the doubled warps below and above the block-woven section. Above this waling, the pair of warps are divided and crossed in an open-worked section. The warps are regrouped for the top waled section below the border. Photography by Joanna E Schanz

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Plate 2: Log Basket In White And Buff Willow Maker: Sally Goymer The different colored blocks moving upward diagonally to the right are a major design feature for this basket woven in white and buff willow. The color sequencing for the side-weaving technique, 2/2 French-randed block weave, is illustrated in Figure 1. This image appears in The Complete Book of Basketry Techniques by Sue Gabriel and Sally Goymer (London: David & Charles, 1991, p. 91). Reproduced with permission. Photography by Ben Braster

Figure 1: FRENCH-RANDED BLOCK WEAVE (2/2)

Blocks An interesting variation on French randing is block weave, a textural weave structure where the weavers are worked over and under groups of warps and densely packed (covering the warps) creating visual “blocks”. All the examples we have seen are willow and have over-two blocks (the weavers skip over two warps and then under two warps to create the pattern). While it’s possible to have only one section of block weave, it is more common to have multiple sections. The blocks of one layer offset the blocks of the previous section; like a mason building a brick wall. The alternation stabilizes the side weaving, and adds to the design element especially when color is introduced. Block weave is used as a side weave and is often combined with other weaves as seen in Plate 1: “Family Treasure: Willow Baby Basket”.

French-Randed block weave 2/2 requires half the number of weavers as warps and the total number of warps must be divisible by four. Weavers are begun in alternate spaces and each weaver is worked in an over-two/under-two stroke one row at a time. Packing the weavers tightly not only enhances the visual appearance, but also gives a stronger over-all structure. The addition of color makes the blocks more visible and adds to the design possibilities. We have chosen to illustrate the technique with two colors of weavers in order to more clearly show the structure of the weave and represent one of the design possibilities. This particular sequence of coloration produces blocks that move upward diagonally to the right, as seen on Sally Goymer’s basket “Log Basket In White And Buff Willow” (Plate 2). The technique is illustrated in Figure1: French-Randed Block Weave (2/2). To show that the total number of warps is a multiple of four, we have labeled them: A B C D, A BC D, etc. The bottom layer of blocks has been created by working the dark weavers over Warps A & B and under Warps C & D. The next layer of blocks offsets the first layer with the dark weavers worked over Warps B & C and under Warps D & A. The third layer of blocks shows the working method for creating the 2/2 block French randing. As with other right-slant French randings, all the weavers are worked left-to-right and successive weavers are added to the left. Because the weavers are so densely packed, the upward slant of the weave structure is not noticeable. Notice that the weavers in this third layer are also worked over or under warp groups AB and CD, just like the first layer of blocks. In our illustration the end of the first weaver (light colored) is anchored behind Warp D, and has been worked to the right in the over-two/under-two stroke. The second weaver (dark colored) was started two warps to the left, anchored behind Warp B, and worked to the right with the same o2/u2 stroke. Only Warps B and D are the starting points for the weavers for Continued on next page

www.nationalbasketry.org • Spring 2012

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Plate 3: A Little Tradition Maker: Jo Campbell-Amsler Material: Smoked willow, white willow, and found root with stone Dimensions: 10” H x 14”W Techniques: Stake & Strand techniques of 3-rod wale, 4-rod wale, 2/2 French-randed block weave. Jo Campbell-Amsler draws on traditional techniques, but adds non-traditional elements in this work of art. The use of light and dark weavers and alternation of colors that create the arrow pattern in the 2/2 block-woven sections add interesting design elements to the piece. Photography by Jo Campbell-Amsler

Plate 4: English-Randed Block Woven Basket Maker: Susan Dirsa As shown on this willow basket, when the weaving is densely packed, the English-randed block weave looks quite similar to French-randed block weave. Photography by Flo Hoppe

this block layer. The third weaver is also started two warps to the left (also behind a warp D) and will be worked to the right as indicated (going over warps A & B and under Warps C & D). After completion of the first row, the weaving is rapped down and the second row of over-two/under-two French Randing is continued in sequence, one weaver at a time. When the entire section is completed and packed tightly, the completed blocks will be one color to the outside and the opposite color on the obverse surface. In our illustration, the alternation of light and dark has been switched in order to keep the over-all block pattern building upward diagonally. Jo Campbell-Amsler has reversed the coloration sequence to create the arrow block pattern in her basket titled “A Little Tradition” featured in Plate 3. The page 10

use of color greatly expands the design possibilities for block weave. Christoph Will illustrates many different two-color design variations for block weave, what is translated as “full willow cube weave”, used by German basketmakers (Will [1978] 1985,p.47) and also shows some willow back-carrying baskets with this weave structure (p.123). Block weave can also be created with English randing and will have a similar appearance. See Susan Dirsa’s willow basket (Plate 4). With English-randed block weave, each weaver is worked individually from butt-to-tip with the over-two/under-two stroke before the next weaver is inserted. Subsequent weavers are added to the right and also worked left to right as illustrated in Figure 2: English-randed block weave (2/2).

Zigzags Zigzag French randing is a decorative open-worked weave structure where the slant of the basic (1/1) French randing reverses with each row of weaving. The back and forth movements led to our choice for the technique’s name “Zigzag”, but other terminology is known including: “French Lace” (Schanz, 2 Feb. 2012), and “Zamba” (Burns 1998, p.31). Joanna Schanz’s basket “French Lace” (Plates 5a & 5b) is a stunning example with this weave structure. Doubling the weavers (doubleslewing) enhances the decorative effect. We have illustrated the working method in Figure 3: Double-Slewed Zigzag French Randing. In our illustration there is a single row of right-slant over-2/under-1 twill French randing (worked with dark weavers), which sets a foundation for Spring 2012 • www.nationalbasketry.org

Plate 5a and 5b (detail): French Lace Maker: Joanna E. Schanz. Material: Buff willow and barked willow Dimensions: 8” x 11” x 8” side height. The decorative feature of this basket is the open-worked section of double-slewed zigzag basic French randing. The side-weaving techniques are as follows: the lower section (unpeeled willow) is worked tip-to-butt in an over-two/under-one twill French randing (also known as “mock wale”) ending on the outside. A single row of four-rod wale (2/2) tops that French-randed section. Then, in peeled willow, is a single row of over-2/under-1 twill French randing that transitions into double-slewed zigzag basic (1/1) French randing. The zigzag French-randed section is capped by two rows of four-rod wale (2/2), just below the top border. Photography by Joanna E. Schanz

Figure 2: ENGLISH-RANDED BLOCK WEAVE (2/2)

Figure 3: DOUBLE-SLEWED ZIGZAG FRENCH RANDING

Figure 3a: Beginning the Double-Slewed Basic (1/1) Right-Slant French Randing

Figure 3b: Reversing the Weavers To Work Left-Slant Basic (1/1) French Randing

Figure 3c: Reversing the Weavers To Work Right-Slant Basic (1/1 French Randing

www.nationalbasketry.org • Spring 2012

the double-slewed zigzag weave. The addition of the second set of weavers (light colored) begins with the second right-slant row as illustrated in Figure 3a: Beginning the Double-Slewed Basic (1/1) Right-Slant French Randing. The over-one/ under-one weaving stroke is left-to-right, while the progression of active weavers for this right-slant row is right-to-left. Although we do not show the ends of the weavers, please realize that the ends of all weavers exit to the outside of the basket after working their over-1/under-1 stroke. Upon completion of the right-slant row, the slant is reversed as illustrated in Figure 3b: Reversing the Weavers To Work Left-Slant Basic (1/1) French Randing. Each pair of weavers turns tightly around a warp as they begin the over-one/under-one stroke upward to the left. Progression of weavers for every left-slant row is left-to-right. The direction and slant changes again with the next row as illustrated in Figure 3c: Reversing the Weavers To Work Right-Slant Basic (1/1) French Randing.

Floats French randing can also be embellished with “floats”. Floats are structural or non-structural materials which, for some portion of their length, are unattached to a basket body and “float” over a basket’s side weaving, adding a decorative element (Law and Taylor, 1991, p. 264). The movement of the weavers creates all the floats that we are presenting in this article.

One of the simplest decorative French randing finishing techniques is French randing ending with diagonal floats. Basic (over-1/under-1) French randing is a good solid foundation for the floats, and if that section is also started with a single row of over-two/ under-one twill French randing, it is easier to hide the ends of the diagonal end-floats. The visual appearance will change depending on the warp spacing, the height of the French-randed section and the distance spanned before the ends are tucked. For right-slant French randing, the further to the right, the longer the float will be and the more slant to the diagonal. (A left-slant French randing can also be finished with floats). We have chosen to illustrate the technique with “over-two floats”. When the desired height to the French-randed section has been reached, each weaver is laid down diagonally over the previously woven basic French randing (covering two warps to the right) and its end tucked into the weaving and behind the next warp at the bottom of the French-randed section. See Figure 4: Basic (1/1) French Randing Ending With Diagonal Over-Two Floats. French randing with crossed floats is achieved by crossing the diagonal endfloats of one French-randed section with the diagonal beginning-floats of the next French-randed section. These floats also can be worked over any number of warps and the angle of the crossing and visual appearance changes depending upon the selected working methods. We have illustrated the technique with Continued on next page

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Plate 6: Willow Basket With Crossed Floats The side of this basket of unknown origin is woven with three sections of French-randing. The weavers of the mid-section begin with an over-3/under-1 stroke and then transition to basic (1/1) French randing and end with overtwo diagonal floats. The weavers of the upper section start with over-two diagonal floats that cross the floats of the mid-section and are worked under one warp above the crossing. A single row of 3/1 twill French randing is also worked in this upper section, which nicely borders the decorative mid-section. Photography by Flo Hoppe

Figure 4: BASIC (1/1) FRENCH RANDING ENDING WITH DIAGONAL OVER-TWO FLOATS

FIGURE 5: FRENCH RANDING WITH CROSSING OVER-TWO FLOATS

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over-two floats for both the lower and upper French-randed sections. See Figure 5: French Randing With Crossing OverTwo Floats. Notice how the ends of the weavers of the upper French-randed section are slipped into the weaving and anchored behind warps at the base of the basic French-randed section beneath it. The upper weavers are worked upward diagonally to the right, floating over two warps (and the woven basic randing) and crossing on top of the diagonal floats of the mid-section before going under one warp above. This same float-crossing technique created the decorative Frenchranded midsection of the “Willow Basket with Crossed Floats” featured in Plate 6. We conclude this article with a more complex French-randed float technique, bordered French randing, a technique where the ends of the weavers of a French-randed section are interwoven in a “floating” decorative edge. The downward and upward movements are reminiscent of two-step techniques for working warp ends to create simple borders at a basket’s rim.

Creating this ornamental bordered-edge on a French-randed section is a two-step process with each step worked from leftto-right, but each successive weaver is to the right. (Which is different than the basic right-slant French randing). We have illustrated a simple decorative edging that is worked over basic 1/1 French randing in Figure 6: Bordered French Randing. It begins with working the first weaver upward, crossing over Warp A, and then turning it downward and going under Warp B and the unworked ends of the next two weavers, Weaver 2 and Weaver 3, as illustrated in Figure 6a. It exits angling diagonally to the right - floating on top of the already woven basic French randing. In Figure 6b: Continuing the First Step of Bordered French Randing, Weaver 2 has already been worked with a similar over/ under movement, but it also crossed over the turned-down Weaver 1 in its over-one stroke, before it went under Warp C and was angled downward under Weavers 3 & 4. Notice that as the weaving progresses, starting with Weaver 3, the weaver crosses over the next warp (Warp C) and also the two previously turned-down floating Spring 2012 • www.nationalbasketry.org

FIGURE 6: BORDERED FRENCH RANDING

We hope that these descriptions of some of the decorative French randing techniques will serve as inspiration and broaden the understanding of some of the working methods used by basketmakers around the world. We welcome suggestions and photos for possible use in future articles. We wish to thank Joanna Schanz for her assistance with this article. Our next basketry terminology article will investigate more variations on randing weaves.

Figure 6a: Beginning Bordered French Randing

Figure 6b: Continuing the First Step of Bordered French Randing

Figure 6c: Step Two: Completing the Bordered French Randing

weavers which are on either side of this warp (Weaver 1 & Weaver 2), before it makes the turn and is worked downward under the next warp (Warp D) and the next two unworked weavers (Weaver 4 & Weaver 5). [That movement is shown completed for Weaver 3.] The pathway for Weaver 4 is marked with the arrow. Upon the completion of this first step, all weavers come out diagonally to the outside of the basket and there it a narrow scalloped edge at the top of the Frenchranded section. The decorative “floating border” is created with the second step, illustrated in Figure 6c: Completing the Bordered French Randing. Each floating diagonal weaver is worked horizontally to the right OVER the next two downward-slanting floating weavers and then turned UP and worked under the third weaver. As illustrated: shaded Weaver 1 crosses horizontally over diagonally-floating Weaver 2 and Weaver 3 and then is worked UP and under diagonally-floating Weaver 4. Weaver 2 is worked with the same over-2 (crossing over Weavers 3 & 4) and up under Weaver 5. The pathway for Weaver 3 is shown with an arrow crossing over Weavers 4 & 5 ending up under Weaver 6. When this step is finished for all the weavers, the ends are trimmed and the “floating border” is complete. This is the working method that was used for the basket featured in Plate 7: “Chinese-Inspired Rattan Basket with Bordered French Randing”.

www.nationalbasketry.org • Spring 2012

Plate 7: Chinese-Inspired Rattan Basket with Bordered French Randing Maker: Flo Hoppe The major design feature of this basket is French-randed side weave with the decorative floating border worked in dyed flat-oval reed. Natural round reed in three-rod wale is twined below and above the French-randed section which begins with o2/u1 twill French randing that transitions to basic (1/1) French randing, and then has a single row of o3/u1 twill French randing. Above that row are two rows of basic French randing that form the foundation for the floating border Photography by Flo Hoppe

Selected References Burns, Hilary. Cane, Rush, and Willow: Weaving with Natural Materials. Buffalo, NY: Firefly Books, 1998, p.31. Duchesne, R., H. Ferrand, and J. Thomas. La Vannerie L’osier. Nouvelle édition. Paris: J.-B. Baillière, 1981, pp.85, 87. Gabriel, Sue and Sally Goymer. The Complete Book of Basketry Techniques. London: David & Charles, 1991, pp.90-3. Schanz, Joanna. Correspondence with the authors. 12 Feb. 2012. Law, Rachel Nash and Cynthia W. Taylor. Appalachian White Oak Basketmaking: Handing Down the Basket. Knoxville: U. of Tennessee Press, 1991. Will, Christoph. International Basketry: For Weavers and Collectors. Translated from the German by Edward Force. Exton, Pa.: Schiffer, 1985, pp.17,123. Originally published as Die Korbflechterei. Munich: Calwey Verlag, 1978.

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“Basketry as art is our main focus.” Joanne Segal Brandford

Pa r t 2 :

Pa t H ick ma n by: Catherine K. Hunter, Museum and Education Consultant

at Hickman was chosen as the second subject in this series because she was a student and colleague of

Joanne Segal Brandford. Professor Emeritus of the Art Department, University of Hawaii, Pat now lives and works in the Lower Hudson Valley, New York. She twice received NEA Individual Artist’s Grants. In 2005, Pat was elected a Fellow of the American Craft Council. She was President (2008-2010) of the Textile Society of America. Pat has exhibited widely, and her work is in major collections including the Oakland Museum, the Honolulu Academy of Arts, The Cleveland Museum of Art, and the Renwick Gallery, Smithsonian Institution. For a complete resume and links, please go to www.pathickman.com. The genesis for this article was an exhibition “Pat Hickman: Traces of Time” at the University Art Gallery (715 Purchase Street, New Bedford), University of Massachusetts Dartmouth, College of Visual and Performing Arts. The catalogue, an illustrated interview of Pat Hickman with Lasse Antonsen, Curator, is available for $10 plus $5 s/h from LAntonsen@umassd.edu. Continued on next page

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Top Photo: Mnemonics 10’ x 16’ x 3” Wall piece of suspended, mahogany-dyed, curly, gut castings Photography by George Potanovic, Jr.

Spring 2012 • www.nationalbasketry.org

Basket with Lid 6” x 5” x 5” pine needles and raffia Photography by Rand & Rawson

Pat Hickman. Photography by Frank Vitale

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at Hickman is a prominent conceptual fiber artist who creates forms we have never seen before. Her work is even more challenging as her signature material is unfamiliar – gut or hog casing. Pat thoughtfully offers titles, clues to her silent communication; titles suggest metaphors; metaphors reveal stories. Pat Hickman is an artist and storyteller. It is rewarding to look and listen.

1960s Pat’s study of ethnographic textiles and textile history began in Turkey. With a BA degree in English Language and Literature from the University of Colorado (1962), her first job was teaching English in a Turkish girls’ school. Living in a foreign country without knowing its language can be a solitary experience; however, Pat intuitively discovered the rich visual language of art, architecture and textiles. She began to learn to weave at the Applied Fine Arts Academy in Istanbul and discovered the silent communication of “oya”, an intricate, decorative needlelace edging found mostly on scarves.

1970s - 1980s There was great excitement about the fiber medium in the early 70s, when artists in the San Francisco Bay Area were merging traditional craft and scholarship with art. A graduate of the University of California, Berkeley, with a Master’s Degree in Design and Textiles (1967), Joanne Segal Brandford taught textile history and textile studio techniques in Cambridge, MA, where Pat was her student and studio-mate. After a few years, Pat moved west to study non-loom textiles with Lillian Elliott at the California College of Arts & Crafts, and to study textiles and design including textile history with Ed Rossbach at the University of California, Berkeley. Pat’s Master’s thesis exhibition (1977) was based on ancient Peruvian textiles, especially scaffolded textiles, while her research and subsequent curatorial interests included ethnic wedding dress, especially Anatolian costumes and customs in Turkey, gut and fishskin textiles of Alaska, and Turkish oya. The following excerpts are from Pat’s essay “Turkish Needlelace: Oya” written in 1983 (In Celebration of the Curious Mind: A Festschrift to honor Anne Blinks on her 80th birthday, Interweave Press). Pat described oya flowers with the acute awareness of an ethnographer and artist. Her observations deftly integrate rural traditions, innovations in urban centers, the cultural message of this textile art, the wordless communication of art, and the importance of time as a cultural concept.

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“Needlelace is most commonly of familiar flowers, hundreds of species – of growth patterns closely observed – plum flowers, daises, mimosa, even fleeting wild flowers. Oyamakers have converted something from nature into another medium. The lack of sweet fragrance, the feel, the texture are the only clues that the ‘imitation’ is a step removed from the real...Some of the threedimensional oya flowers, stiffened, appear to be almost like miniature baskets turned over, connected together, each holding, defining, an airy volume, a netted membrane around air-nets stretched over tiny, briefly captured spaces... There used to be a meaning attached to oya, for those who understood. Without saying a word, in complete silence, a woman with her needlelace ‘message’ could convey her own feelings, refer to her family, to something very personal...A woman could announce that she was pregnant before it was obvious, by wearing her ‘good news’ headscarf-tiny filled, stuffed netted forms secretly shared her surprise...A blue headscarf with tiny blue needlelace flowers to ward off the evil eye could be worn by a child whose health was thought susceptible. Innovations are found in oya from urban centers...from the Aegean region where flowers can measure 4” in the widest dimension...As a quick substitute for slower made needlelace, shiny glass or plastic beads are carefully strung in patterns to resemble blackberries or raspberries, so perfectly colored and textured to be edible...A most playful contemporary embracing of today’s materials can be seen on a scarf with foam strips cut and stitched on flowerlike...Oya making has changed in this innovative use of new materials – a few bits of valueless synthetic sponge, closely associated with other things, a semblance of modernity. It would be applauded by the young, bemoaned by their grandmothers – a transition almost too sudden to comprehend in a lifetime.” Oya illustrates a long cultural tradition that continued to change and renew itself. Pat appreciated that, as an outsider, she could never fully grasp the original essence or spirit of oya; however, she caught glimpses of the value and meaning of this unpretentious art. Thus, Pat’s story as a conceptual fiber artist began with her study of oya. After graduation, Pat taught a section of Ed Rossbach’s textile history class. She included Alaskan textiles because waterproof garments made of animal intestines intrigued her. Imagine internal organs being used for external protection! The beauty of the delicate, translucent, waterproof garments was unexpected. Simultaneously, Pat experimented with hog casings purchased from a delicatessen in Oakland. On a research trip to Alaska to learn

directly from native people, Pat interviewed native makers about their process of working with seal and walrus intestines and with fishskin for making waterproof parkas. She guest curated an exhibition and wrote the catalogue “Innerskins/Outerskins: Gut and Fishskin” at the San Francisco Craft and Folk Art Museum (1985). Pat continued teaching in the Northern California Bay Area, collaborating with colleague and mentor Lillian Elliott for 11 years. Together they experimented with a variety of techniques, textile structures, and materials. Lillian built basketry reed structures in their collaborative work; Pat provided the skin membranes in their art baskets.

1990s When offered a full-time teaching position in the Art Department at the University of Hawaii, Pat seized the opportunity and shaped a fiber program over 16 years. Early in the decade, Pat won a competition for a Public Art commission to design entrance gates for the Maui Arts & Cultural Center. Her successful design proposal honored the humble and functional net. The technique of netting was culturally integral to the island community with stories about nets, netted sub-structures in traditional feather capes and essential fishing nets. The completed project translated full-scale, over-sized nets of polystyrene cloth into cast metal. Pat’s web site has a video link to two YouTube videos about the design process, the risks, casting in metal and installation. Pat described the significance of the project and its challenges:

Spring 2012 • www.nationalbasketry.org

Oya Turkish printed headscarf with red pepper needlace edging Photography by Pat Hickman

Middle Left: Dry Notes ( Collaborative Work with printmaker, Allyn Bromley 12” x 18” x 2.5” Gut, lead, computer generated symbols Photography by George Potanovic, Jr.

www.nationalbasketry.org • Spring 2012

Middle: Silent 62” x 66” Gut, rusty nails Photography by Neil Alexander

Middle Right: Pat Hickman, 2009 Applying gut to 174 year old rusty elevator door at the Garnerville Arts & Industrial Center (an old calico factory), Garnerville, NY (cover of catalog, New Bedford) Photography by Ned Harris

Bottom Left: Linger Installation; dimensions variable Gut shells molded over, then removed from river teeth Photography by George Potanovic, Jr.

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Vesicle 29” x 13” x 10” Gut (hog casings), knotted netting Photography by Brad Goda

“My gates made reference to Nets of Makail’i, Nets of the Pleiades, referring to that constellation, as for Hawaiians, stars represent the knots of suspended nets. During the rainy season, when these nets in the sky open, blessings pour down upon the earth, through the eyes or openings of the nets. It is a time of renewal, when wars cease, games are played, and nets are mended – to me an appropriate reference for an arts and cultural center. The gate commission on Maui created a desire on my part to transform materials, from fiber to metal, to think and work bigger than ever before. The opportunity to have work in fiber cast in metal and the magic, the alchemy, of transformation raised questions for me regarding hard vs. soft materials, questions of permanence and of value placed on choice of materials in the art world.” Pat was also curator for an important exhibition “Baskets: Redefining Volume and Meaning” (1993) at the University of Hawaii Art Gallery. The catalog combined eloquent essays by Laurel Reuter, Ed Rossbach and Pat on the evolution of baskets as an art form with thoughtful statements by eleven participating artists. The group included, among others, Joanne Segal Brandford, Lillian Elliott, Ed Rossbach, and Katherine Westphal. In 1994, the deaths of two of her closest friends – Lillian Elliott and Joanne Segal Brandford – can only be described as a turning point in her life and work. The loss brought a heightened awareness of time, death and impermanence into Pat’s work. In response, she created “Malignant” (1994), a tangled assemblage of knotted netting in gut circling and supporting itself while invading foreign materials (reed sticks) suggest the invasion of cancer and illness. To honor the historical impact of her colleagues on the fiber art movement, Pat continues to serve on a committee to award the Brandford/Elliott Award for Excellence in Fiber Art biennially to an emerging fiber artist. Please link to http://brandford-elliott-award.com/.

2000s Pat moved to the lower Hudson River Valley, New York, in 2006. Her studio is located in the Garnerville Arts & Industrial Center, a renovated pre- Civil War era (built in 1838) calico factory. Assimilating to the new home and studio, Pat introduced local artifacts into her work including abandoned railroad plates and iron railroad spikes from the woods by her house, near the train tracks. The themes of time, memory and history are literally presented by castings in gut of these artifacts. The castings – translucent and resilient – give new life and form to anonymous yet historical artifacts. Pat comments on her use of animal membrane, metaphors and themes:

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Spring 2012 • www.nationalbasketry.org

“My signature material continues to be animal membrane, a translucent, permeable, inner skin, close to life. This hog casing or gut is altered, becoming an exterior planar skin or a linear structural component. It is malleable when wet, picking up the mark of a wire net, an old nail, or a bed frame abandoned in the bush. The rusted metal is already changing, deteriorating. When these elements are brought together, each receives aspects of the other – the gut takes the form of the metal, the rusted metal leaves its stain on the gut. What is ephemeral suggests what is lasting – vellum or parchment, penned by an ancient hand. Playing with these materials, I explore memory, loss, aging, mortality – calling attention, bringing them to mind.” (2008) A photograph (see page 17) of Pat applying gut to a rusty elevator door at the 175 year old calico factory near her studio is very intimate, suggesting the “laying on of hands” of a healer. Her experienced hands are touching and transforming one material into another. Pat reminds us that for an artist, “Hands are the most sophisticated tools that we have today...” She accepts that fiber art techniques and processes are laborintensive, adding that the observer should not feel burdened with an awareness of the time invested. Rather, Pat clearly values quiet time a nd labor: “Quiet time is essential to my work; my excessive, obsessive labor is a slowing down of time, a stepping out of the urgent pace of daily life. Out of seemingly nothing – a thin thread, a scrap of paper, a rusty nail – something emerges, makes a statement, holds brieﬂy what cannot be captured: light, breath, time, impermanence, mortality.” (Ripples Exhibition, University of Tasmania, Launceston, 2008) A compelling work of gut is “Light Passage” (1995; 8’ 3” x 40” x 2”), an assemblage of molds of many door hinges. The translucent gut glows with an inviting filtered light, the natural parchment color of gut. The title invites the viewer to cross its sensory threshold, as in liminal space, passing from one world to another, raising questions. Communication is a prominent theme, as titles refer to written and silent communication. A related theme is the power of attention and memory. “Dry Notes” (1996; 12” x 18” x 2.5”, when shown open) is a book of gut pages, an ancient manuscript of parchment with new computer generated symbols printed by Allyn Bromley. “Mnemonics” (2009; 10’ x 16’ x 3”) is a wall piece of suspended, mahogany-dyed, curly, gut castings that resemble Asian calligraphy. (The word mnemonics refers to devices used to assist memory.) “Silent” (2011; 62” x 66”) is a wall piece composed of rows of rusty nails encased in strips of gut, with repeating clusters in the familiar grouping of five with four vertical and one diagonal. The piece appears to be a metaphor for written communication as the installation resembles a paragraph.

Continued on next page.

Center: Downriver Ravages (detail) 8”4” x 5’8” Gut, rust, metallic art stick, copper wire, staples Photography by George Potanovic, Jr. Garlic 22”x 25” x 21.5” Palm sheaths, waxed linen, gut, metallic art stick Photography by Brad Goda

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A second large work of gut resembles a wall quilt. “Downriver Ravages” (2011; 8’4” x 5’ 8”) was assembled with overlapping gut castings, natural and mahoganydyed, of rusted railroad plates. The latter could be a metaphor for time; built in the 19th century, the railroad significantly changed people’s experience with travel time. The title also suggests a response to Hurricane Irene that damaged the calico factory complex. Although the castings of storm-pitched railroad plates are arranged in an artful manner, the array does not offer the comfort associated with a fabric quilt. In 2011 Pat introduced a new material from disintegrating trees found in Maine at the Haystack Mountain School. “River Teeth” (2011; 75” x 12’ wide) is an installation of intriguing, weathered, wooden shapes mounted on the wall with specimen pins. The shapes are cross-grained, pitch-hardened, pointed masses where branches once joined the tree’s trunk. When trees decay in a river, these shapes survive and resemble teeth. In planks of wood, the masses are called “knots”. (The term “river teeth” is credited to author David James Duncan.) Installations of “River Teeth” are not guided by a grid; rather, they are arranged in pleasing linear and circular patterns. The shapes, sometimes reminiscent of Neolithic tools, have stories to tell as witnesses to history, defying time and destruction. The material is another metaphor for Pat’s obsession with permanence and impermanence. As one might expect, Pat created “Linger” (2011; 10’ x 5’ x 6.5’) by suspending gut castings of river teeth, literally a visual memory of the surviving river teeth.

While this article features works of gut and river teeth in the exhibition, I would be remiss to omit other work and other media. After the gate commission on Maui, Pat began to cast small works in metal. “Gone” (1998) and “Ordnance” (1998) were cast in bronze from fullscale models of nets in gut; the latter resemble ash covered archeological relics as portions were burned and lost in the casting process. “Sheath” (2002) and an oversized bulb of “Garlic” (2001) were made with Hawaiian palm sheaths and were made to look like metal by rubbing the gut skin covering them with a bronze metallic art stick – good fakes! “Cocoon Walk” (2010) combines golden silk cricula cocoons, colorful staples and spaced dyed thread. “Vesicle” (1999) is a suspended large knotted cocoon form with gut as both structure and skin. Excluded completely from the exhibition were Pat’s works with color. There is much more to know. Take time to look and listen; the stories will unfold.

Top Right: Light Passage 8’3” x 40” x 2” Gut molded over door hinge units Photography by Brad Goda

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Bottom Left: River Teeth variable sizes Wooden river teeth covered with gut, installed with pins for mounting insects Photography by Neil Alexander

Pa t H ick ma n Spring 2012 • www.nationalbasketry.org

a t

We nd y Du rfe y

asketry allows many options for creating curves and complex shapes in three dimensions by utilizing the widest range of materials and applications. I consider my work to be a combination of a traditional craft and a contemporary art form. I view the finished piece, not as an end in itself, but as a beginning for another basket. Thus, the creative process continues.

Born in Guelph, Ontario, I graduated from the University of Guelph with a Bachelor of Arts degree. In 1980 I learned to weave on a loom and joined the Guelph Handweavers & Spinners Guild where I have been an active member for the past 32 years. I completed the Ontario Handweavers and Spinners Weaving Certificate course at Sheridan College, Oakville, Ontario. I was on the NBO Board of Directors from 2004 to 2010. I spent 15 years weaving clothing, scarves, shawls, table runners and rugs on a full time basis, selling to craft stores and attending craft shows such as the One of a Kind Show in Toronto. I also taught loom weaving in my Rockwood studio. In 1995, I took a basketry workshop, instantly fell in love with it and ultimately changed my medium, now weaving only baskets. Rather than weaving flat material, I was intrigued by the complexity of three dimensional pieces. My textile background is reflected in my basketry work. Left: Ocean Portals 20.5” x 5” x 5” Silk, archival paper, wire looping, plymer clay, beads, cherry base Photography by Wendy Durfey Right: Machu Pichu 13” x 4” x 4” Silk, archival paper, cherry base, bronze metal clay, beads Photography by Wendy Durfey

At the beginning of my basket-making career, I made traditional and functional baskets with traditional materials such as hand dyed reed, cane and black ash. Eventually, I expanded my material list with sweet grass, birch bark, cedar bark, cattails, bamboo, wire, metal and archival paper. I have taken many workshops from some wonderful basketry artists throughout the United States and Canada. I have attended every NBO Conference since Ghost Ranch, New Mexico in 2002. My work has been inspired by the colorful paper Continued on next page.

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Left: Spiral Windows 11.5” x 6” x 6” Silk, archival paper, acrylic, wire, beads, wood base Photography by Wendy Durfey

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Right: Collared II 16” x 8” x 8” Cane, reed, bamboo, metal, cherry base Photography by Wendy Durfey

Spring 2012 • www.nationalbasketry.org

baskets of Jackie Abrams and the intricate wire baskets of Marilyn Moore. I have exhibited in many juried exhibitions in North America. I have been teaching silk fusion basketry at various locations such as the Stowe Basketry Festival, NBO Conference and Metchosin International Summer School of the Arts, British Columbia. In 2003, I enrolled in a 3 day workshop with Karen Selk, founder of Treenway Silks. The topic was silk fusion. The terms “silk fusion” and “silk paper” are generally used interchangeably. Silk tops or rovings are used either dyed or undyed. Silk fusion is a process that bonds silk fibers into a type of “felt” which can be very thin or quite thick. Technically, it is not a felting process in the traditional manner (wool felts because it has scales that open up when wet or agitated and then clings to itself producing a felted fibre). Silk, on the other hand, is very smooth and has no scales to cling to each other. The silk needs a little help to fuse itself together. There are various adhesives on the market that can be used to bond the silk fibers together. Most silk fusion is made into a flat fiber using screening to hold the fibers together. Layers of silk fiber are placed between the screens and then the adhesive is applied. Today, many fiber artists are using this method for wall hangings, quilts, etc. On the second day of the workshop, I carried my pasta machine to class and received some odd looks. I began to cut my sheets of silk fusion, made the previous day, into 1/4 inch strips. These were woven into a basket. I further experimented with the technique of silk fusion merging watercolor paper and silk into my basketry. Now, I weave the basket using watercolor paper and apply the silk directly to the basket. The texture of the woven basket is seen under the colorful silk layer. It is a subtle effect. This technique has pointed me in a whole new direction of basket making. Many people comment that some of my

Top Left: Lace Shawl 11” x 11” x 4” Silk, archival paper, wire, bamboo Photography by Wendy Durfey

Top Right: Lace Shawl II 11” x 11” x 4” Silk, archival paper, wire, polymer clay, beads Photography by Wendy Durfey

baskets resemble raku. As a former loom weaver, I am drawn to the intense colors and the sheen of the silk fiber. I draw a lot of my inspiration for basketry shapes from pottery. Japanese and North American basketry designs have influenced my work. The technical background of my loom weaving experience is expressed in my work. I constantly refer back to loom weaving

Bottom: Tea Pot II 10” x 6” x 6” Silk, archival paper, bamboo, polymer clay, wood base Photography by Wendy Durfey

patterns to insert designs in sections of the basket. Silk fusion covers most of the basket; but the design pattern is left exposed. This juxtaposition of the silk fusion and the woven design creates a connection of traditional weaving with the contemporary look of the colorful silk fusion. Whenever I am at a craft show or exhibition, people always comment Continued on page 26.

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CALENDAROFEVENTS Conferences & Retreats April 12-13, 2012 9th Annual Weavers Teach Weavers Gathering, Northwest Indian College ~ Cooperative Extension Ruth Solomon rsolomon@nwic.edu ~ 360-392-4239 www.nwic.edu/content/conferences-and-events April 13 - 15, 2012 Ozark Basketry Spring Retreat Big Springs Lodge, Van Buren, MO www.jchoatebasketry.com ~ (573) 251 3648 April 19 - 21, 2012 Stateline Friends Weaving Retreat Kuhlman Center, North Richmond, IN www.statelinefriends.com ~ (937) 456-6067 April 21 - 22, 2012 Baskets and Gourds Containers of our Culture Mill Creek Conference Center, Visalia, CA www.calgourd.com ~ (559) 627-5430 May 18 - 20, 2012 Tradition / Innovation Fiber Artisans Conference Conference of Northern California Handweavers Oakland Convention Center, Oakland, CA www.cnch.org May 18 - 20, 2012 Ky Gourd Society 18th Annual Gourd Art Show www.kygourdsociety.org ~ (502) 463-2484 June 1 - 3, 2012 Willow Weekend 2012 Entiat, WA ~ 509-784-1877 www.dunbargardens.com/willow_weekend_2012.pdf June 1 - 3, 2012 Bluegrass Area Basketmakers Seminar Lake Cumberland 4-H Education Center, Jabez, KY www.babasketmakers.org ~ (859) 987-3708

NBO QUARTERLY REVIEW

SUBMISSION DEADLINES Spring - March 1 Summer - June 1 Fall - September 1 Winter - November 15 page 24

June 4 - 10, 2012 Stowe Basketry Festival Round Hearth at Stowe, VT www.roundhearth.com ~ (800) 344-1546 June 11, 2012 Starved Rock Weaving Day Starved Rock State Park, Utica, IL www.llbwa.com ~ (815) 732-7181 June 21 – 23, 2012 2012 PA Gourd Fest Smucker Gourd Farm, Kinzers, PA www.pagourdsociety.org ~ (717) 354-6118

Exhibits Ongoing - April 24, 2012 Woven : 6 Contemporary Fiber Artists Mercy Gallery, Richmond Art Center Loomis Chaffee School, Windsor CT www.loomischaffee.org ~ (860) 687-6030 Ongoing - April 28, 2012 Contemporary Visions of Surface Design:Textile as Painting / Painting as Textile Mobilia Gallery, Cambridge, MA www.mobilia-gallery.com ~ (617) 876-2109

June 21 – 26, 2012 Willow Gathering 2012 Luther College, Decorah, IA www.willowridgebaskets.com ~ (319) 465-5376

Ongoing - May 31, 2012 Twisted Path II: Contemporary Native American Art Informed by Tradition Abbe Museum, Bar Harbor, MI www.abbemuseum.org ~ (207) 288-3519

June 22 – 24, 2012 Weavin’ in Winona 2012 Winona State University Tau Conference Center, Winona, MN www.weavinwinona.com ~ (507) 451-8571

February 7 - June 17, 2012 Knitted, Knotted, Twisted & Twined The Jewelry of Mary Lee Hu Bellevue Arts Museum, Bellevue, WA www.bellevuearts.org ~ (425) 519-0770

July 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, 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

Ongoing - July 29, 2012 Texture & Tradition: Japanese Woven Bamboo Denver Art Museum, Denver, CO www.denverartmuseum.org ~ (720) 865-5000 Ongoing - November 25, 2012 Sleight of Hand Denver Art Museum, Denver, CO www.denverartmuseum.org ~ (720) 865-5000 March - April 2012 FiberPhiladelphia 2012 Various locations in and around Philadelphia, PA www.fiberphiladelphia.org March 2 – April 14, 2012 Outside/Inside the Box ICE Box Project Space Crane Arts Building, Philadelphia, PA www.cranearts.com ~ (215) 232-3203

NBO 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.

Featured Artists New Faces Interviews Reports Reviews Calendar of Events News and Notables

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

And as always your letters and opinions are welcome.

SUBSCRIPTIONS

Spring 2012 • www.nationalbasketry.org

CALENDAROFEVENTS March 2 – April 12, 2012 Distinguished Educators The Grey Area, Crane Arts Building, Philadelphia, PA www.cranearts.com ~ (215) 232-3203 March 2 – April 28, 2012 8th International Fiber Biennial Snyderman-Works Gallery, Philadelphia, PA www.snyderman-works.com ~ (215) 238-9576 April 2 – September 29, 2012 “Willow Knot” Basket Exhibit Philip Dickel Basket Museum Gallery Village of West Amana, IA www.broomandbasket.com ~ 319-622-3315 July 20, 2012 – February 3, 2013 40 under 40: Craft Futures Renwick Gallery, Washington, D.C. americanart.si.edu/exhibitions/archive/2012/renwick40/ October 25, 2012 - February 24, 2013 BAM Biennial 2012: High Fiber Diet Bellevue Arts Museum, Bellevue, WA www.bellevuearts.org ~ (425) 519-0770

Markets & Shows April 20 - 23, 2012 SOFA New York - International Sculpture Objects & Functional Art Fair Park Avenue Armory, New York, NY www.sofaexpo.com ~ (800) 563-7632 April 19 - 22, 2012 Smithsonian Craft Show National Building Museum, Washington, DC www.smithsoniancraftshow.org ~ (888) 832-9554 July 7, 2012 Native American Festival and Basketmakers Market College of the Atlantic, Bar Harbor, ME www.abbemuseum.org ~ (207) 288-3519

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

WORKSHOPS May 18 - 19, 2012 Miniature Wire Basket with Marilyn Moore San Juan County Textile Guild - San Juan Island, CA www.sjctextileguild.org/workshops.html June 10 - 16, 2012 Baskets And Surfaces Instructor: Jackie Abrams Snow Farm The New England Craft Program www.snowfarm.org ~ (413) 268-3101) June 22 - 24, 2012 Twined Baskets: New Uses Of An Old Technique Instructor: Lois Russell Snow Farm The New England Craft Program www.snowfarm.org ~ (413) 268-3101) 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 April 8 - 14 Matt Tommey (baskets) 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

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

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