Generational Basketmakers of the Cherokee

by Michael Davis, 2012   On a steamy summer day last summer, Jo Stealey and I drove to Cherokee, North Carolina to interview Geraldine Walkingstick, her daughter Mary Thompson and Mary’s daughter Sarah.  My first stop was the… Read More

Leona Waddell – 2016 NEA National Heritage Fellow

White oak ribbed basket in the hands of its maker, Leona Waddell.

NBO Lifetime Achievement Award honoree Leona Waddell has been named a recipient of a 2016 NEA Heritage Fellowship. The award is our nation’s highest honor in folk and traditional arts. “A revered leader in the white oak basketmaking community, Leona Trulock Waddell… Read More

Alice Ogden

Nesting Swing Handled Black Ash Baskets by Alice Ogden

Alice Ogden of Salisbury, New Hampshire, is a traditional black ash basket maker.

Recognizing A Lifetime of Artistic Achievement

NBO’s Lifetime Achievement Awards

A Measure of the Earth

Produced in conjunction with the exhibition “A Measure of the Earth: The Cole-Ware Collection of American Baskets” at the Renwick Gallery, Smithsonian American Art Museum. “A Measure of the Earth” celebrates the generous gift of seventy-nine baskets to… Read More

Selecting a White Oak Tree for Basketry

Finding the right tree is not easy, but time spent locating a good one pays off when the splitting begins. The best tree for splints is found in hollows, in rich bottomland soil or the lower part of… Read More

Scott Gilbert

White oak rod basket by Scott Glibert

The Basket Maker’s Catalog team is proud of the service and the top-quality products we’ve offered our customers over the past several decades; we’re especially grateful for the people we’ve met along the way. In 1982 Scott Gilbert… Read More