Philadelphia Museum of Art Craft Show (original) (raw)

Jackie Abrams — Brattleboro, VT | jackieabrams.com

I have been a maker, mostly of baskets, for over 30 years. I have perfected my skills and consistently challenge myself to create new works. Sitting in my studio with materials in hand is always a source of fulfillment, meditation, frustration, and satisfaction. My teaching and consulting work have enabled me to travel to many places - all over the U.S., Australia, and Africa. These journeys, especially in Africa, have had a profound influence on my work and on my life. I am learning to simplify things, to state what is important. This is what I continue to express in my work. My pieces speak of the cultures and in particular the women I have encountered. Their lives, their fabrics, and their colors inform the vessels I create.

Christine Love Adcock — Santa Barbara, CA | adcockstudios.com

Christine works with a variety of natural forms and fibers. Most of her materials are indigenous to the area in which she lives, and are hand gathered. Collaborating with her husband Michael, her work consisted of coiled & twined baskets, and hand-built plant fiber vessels fabricated from a variety of natural and dyed plant fibers, including date palm inflorescense, Torrey Pine needles, Colter Pine Cone scales, Jacaranda seed pods, Reed, Raffia, Dracaena Draco leaf (The Dragon Tree), Lecheguilla fiber (Spanish Dagger Agave). She prepares these materials in a variety of ways and adds color through dying with natural and commercial dyes. Her forms are contemporary and traditional, and her inspiration, first and last is the natural world.

Tristyn A. Albright — York, PA | tristynalbright.com

As a fiber artist I prefer working in the area of non-loom, using fiber art techniques that are not executed on a loom. In my work I am most enthusiastic about utilizing non-traditional materials like wire for its sculptural quality and beads for the overall texture they provide. With an obsessive compulsive love for detail in all facets of my art, I get a sense of accomplishment when I finish a vessel knowing how much time was consumed stringing the beads by hand. In the body of work I am currently working on I have begun to push the technique, spoke-wrapping also referred to as tinkering, in different directions and have begun to incorporate found objects.

David W. Fraser — Yardley, PA | fraserfiber.com

Tension and motion are two characteristics that I try to emphasize in my art, whether manifested in geometric or organic forms. Whereas in other art forms tension and motion may be evident only in the final visual or auditory product, the technique of ply-split braiding embraces tension and motion in the act of creation, a fact that I find reinforcing. Ply-split braiding involves parting the plies of a tightly plied cord and pulling a second cord through it. This technique proceeds slowly but allows the creation of vessel forms from cords that are inherently flexible, as the twisting of the split cord holds the splitting cord firmly in place. For most pieces I use waxed linen, because I favor the crisp surface that emphasizes the tactile structure.

Mary A. Jackson — Charleston, SC

Hand coiled seagrasses collected along the South Carolina Coast.

Marc Jenesel & Karen Pierce — Colorado Springs, CO | clay-n-fiber.com

This work is about relationships: how we relate to each others' work and to the materials. The one-of-a-kind sculptural vessels we create employ Raku pottery, basketry and metalworking techniques and incorporate clay, fiber, metal, semi-precious gemstones and other materials. Starting with a thrown and altered vessel, metal may be added, then the piece is glazed and fired Raku and metal leaf is applied to the inside. From this base, embellishments and spokes can be attached using metal or beads and waxed linen. A variety of fibers can then be dyed and woven onto the spokes and decorated with metal and other materials as desired. The challenge is to marry all of these different and subtly complex characteristics into an elegant, original, harmonious whole.

Stephen Kostyshyn — Cedar, MI | stephenkostyshyn.com

All pieces made of a combination of fiber, wood and clay. All pieces are hand assembled and woven. Accent weaving materials include red osier, birch bark, and palm. Some handles made of sumac. Clay parts made with traditional techniques using high fired stoneware with ash glazes.

Kari G. Lonning — Ridgefield, CT | karilonning.com

Baskets woven of artist-dyed rattan reed using commercial, waterfast dyes. The techniques used are multi-element twining and the artist's own "hairy" technique, where 100's of short pieces of reed are woven into the walls of the baskets, and a form of tapestry weaving to get patches of color. Double-wall constructions are woven as two separate baskets then joined together at the outer rim. All designs are original and all work is done by the artist.

Debora M. Muhl — Whitsett, NC | deboramuhl.com

I create sculptural basketry using the traditional technique of coiling with sweet grass (hierochloe odorata) as the core material. The stitches are waxed Irish linen or artificial sinew. Some of the work begins on a segment of prepared gourd and most recently the work is purely sweet grass and various ribbons. I design in the process of the work and each piece is a surprise in the end. It has been my intent to create a unique style in basketry, using this unique and fragrant sweet grass.

JoAnne Russo — Saxtons River, VT | joannerusso.com

My new work has evolved to combine skills I've learned throughout my life. In addition to basketry techniques, I'm stitching and adding sewing notions. As an avid observer of nature and incessant collector, I continue to use diverse materials and shape interesting forms. Using traditional basketry tools and materials to weave the basket, I then sew items onto the surface. I dye beads and ash splint, coil waxed linen over cord and sew hooks & eyes to create sculptural work, elevating a craft to an art.

Samuel Yao — Ann Arbor, MI

All my sculptural baskets are uniquely designed and hand woven with materials from palm trees. I collect most of the palm materials from the State of Florida. The palm tree fibers and the inflorescences are gathered from fallen fronds that have been blown down by the wind. There are many different varieties of palms used in my baskets. Each has a different texture, shape, color, and size that provide a unique combination and design for each piece. The palm seed fronds and the flower stalks of palm trees have wonderful form and texture, making them beautifully suited for baskets, as well as creating the exquisite basket art that you see.

return to top