Let Me Tell You A Story was created for an invitational exhibition at La Quinta Museum, January 2017 - April 2017. This work represents basket weavers who lived and worked in the Coachella Valley during late 1800's into the mid 1900's. Eight faces, representing these women, compose the Book which is hand made and attached to the canvas. All design elements, snake skin, and canvas cut outs of butterflies and lizards embellish the work as symbols used in the baskets created by these women. The following statement accompanies the work:
Let Me Tell You A Story
This is a story of the responsibility to tell a story. I was tapped on the shoulder and inspired by a mother who claimed a previous life as a tribal member, tapped on the shoulder when, as a basket weaver myself, I learned about Native weavers, tapped on the shoulder by the invisible hand of the tribal weavers , given the responsibility to tell the story. The story that took place across the land, the story of an art form passed from mother to daughter, of cultural history, artistic vision, and innovation; the story of women working with natural fibers producing utilitarian containers. The story of women who honed their basket making skills from childhood, developing a close relationship with their natural environment, creating vessels designed to carry burdens. But the story changed and the burden shifted with the influx of settlers who appropriated the land. It shifted as the basket makers became domestic employees in settlers’ homes. The art and skill of basket making came close to being sacrificed to the advance of the settlers’ alien civilization. Eventually the settlers recognized the skill and artistry required to create these beautiful baskets, and tribal women began to create baskets for the Curio Trade. This is the story of innovation as the basket weavers recognized how to have their designs appeal to a non-native consumer, utilizing traditional techniques, relying on what their mothers’ and culture taught while developing artistic expression within the baskets. Their baskets became emblems of heritage, statements about cultural evolution, sought after by collectors, dealers, museums. What started as an art created out of necessity evolved into a form of expression. Today we see their spectacular basketry¸ but we do not see them. This is the responsibility to tell their story.
Let Me Tell You A Story was created for an invitational exhibition at La Quinta Museum, January 2017 - April 2017. This work represents basket weavers who lived and worked in the Coachella Valley during late 1800's into the mid 1900's. Eight faces, representing these women, compose the Book which is hand made and attached to the canvas. All design elements, snake skin, and canvas cut outs of butterflies and lizards embellish the work as symbols used in the baskets created by these women. The following statement accompanies the work:
Let Me Tell You A Story
This is a story of the responsibility to tell a story. I was tapped on the shoulder and inspired by a mother who claimed a previous life as a tribal member, tapped on the shoulder when, as a basket weaver myself, I learned about Native weavers, tapped on the shoulder by the invisible hand of the tribal weavers , given the responsibility to tell the story. The story that took place across the land, the story of an art form passed from mother to daughter, of cultural history, artistic vision, and innovation; the story of women working with natural fibers producing utilitarian containers. The story of women who honed their basket making skills from childhood, developing a close relationship with their natural environment, creating vessels designed to carry burdens. But the story changed and the burden shifted with the influx of settlers who appropriated the land. It shifted as the basket makers became domestic employees in settlers’ homes. The art and skill of basket making came close to being sacrificed to the advance of the settlers’ alien civilization. Eventually the settlers recognized the skill and artistry required to create these beautiful baskets, and tribal women began to create baskets for the Curio Trade. This is the story of innovation as the basket weavers recognized how to have their designs appeal to a non-native consumer, utilizing traditional techniques, relying on what their mothers’ and culture taught while developing artistic expression within the baskets. Their baskets became emblems of heritage, statements about cultural evolution, sought after by collectors, dealers, museums. What started as an art created out of necessity evolved into a form of expression. Today we see their spectacular basketry¸ but we do not see them. This is the responsibility to tell their story.