Profiles of Featured Members.
In my meticulous woven sculptures and installations I use plant materials that I forage locally to inspire a sense of wonder while examining human relationship with nature. Through my work, wood, bark, and grasses morph from raw material into carefully considered weavings in a single sculpture, inviting the viewer to see the process of transformation […]
Somayeh Salehi (b. 1984) is an Iranian multimedia artist, craft researcher, and academic who creates conceptual and functional works by blending traditional Iranian arts with contemporary themes. Her primary focus lies in reviving forgotten techniques of Iranian women’s handicrafts through an ecological lens and sustainable design. By weaving together childhood memories, cultural heritage, and ecological
I am a basket weaver of over sixty years who specializes in coiling pine needles usually on a gourd base. One of the most important things in my creative process is the fabrication of smooth flowing coils which move and undulate with and around the pieces. Sometimes I start with a precise idea or plan,
My weaving practice is an act of searching for forms that don’t exist yet. My baskets are based on mathematical rules, but organic in form, near-life but not alive, referencing living matter in color and form while resisting any specific taxonomy. The colors that I use are often inspired by meat, organs, and bone, but
Katie Shulman is an artist, organizer, arts administrator and educator from Washington, DC. She lives, makes art and builds community in Detroit, Michigan. Katie holds an MFA in Studio Art from Syracuse University and a BFA in Fine Art from The Penny W. Stamps School at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor. Her work
B. Jean Larson (b. 1993, Southeast Iowa) is an emerging artist and researcher who focuses on the intersections of utilitarian textile craft, queer theory, and posthumanism. By reappropriating and reclaiming traditional textiles, they question ideas of uselessness and usefulness in systems that consume objects, people, and land. As their most important metaphor, B. Jean thinks
Drawing inspiration from traditional basket weaving, I create textile sculptures using plastic waste as my primary medium. This series explores the intersection of the ancient twining technique with contemporary, discarded materials. These sculptures and baskets are made from plastic yarn repurposed from Amazon envelopes, reflecting themes of consumption and sustainability. My work challenges viewers to
Martha Bird is a Minnesota-based studio artist who specializes in sculptural basketry. Blending traditional techniques with contemporary practices, she creates large-scale conceptual forms. Bird’s work draws from her professional expertise and life experiences to explore the human body, manifestations of trauma, and concepts of resilience, energy, and growth. A meditative and grounding aspect to her
Working with paper using traditional and contemporary basketry techniques, Lynne creates sculptures and vessels that are driven by concepts. Her work is often very personal, expresses current affairs or address issues she is pondering. Color is an important element in her art and working with paper allows her to control the color, texture, pattern and
Rose Covert uses natural materials to weave sculptural forms. Using reimagined basketry techniques, Rose creates woven landscapes that twist and travel around themselves. Her work is evocative of the natural world they are created from. They hold an element of dance and movement in their shapes and pull the viewer in with their dynamic tensions. Rose
