American basketry is as culturally and technically diverse as the country’s inhabitants. Baskets can be coiled, crocheted or composed of interlaced elements that travel over and under one another, as in a woven cloth. They can be made using local grasses, copper wire, celluloid film, porcupine quills or tubular bugle beads. They can take the form of utilitarian vessels or abstract shapes.
Across traditions, techniques and styles, women have forged new and sometimes interconnected paths as innovators and mentors. Mia’s Unexpected Turns: Women Artists and the Making of American Basket-Weaving Traditions chronicles experiments in basketry — all made by American women artists from the 1800s to the present day — that explore the boundaries between utility and whimsy, weaving and sculpture.
The works seen in this exciting exhibition are drawn primarily from Mia’s permanent collection along with select loans. While some of the artists sought to maintain proper relationships with materials and environments, and others prioritized strengthening bonds with ancestors and communities, all balance individual artistic expression with centuries-old traditions.
Photography provided by Minneapolis Institute of Art
Unexpected Turns at Mia
Robert and Marlyss White Gallery
March 11–October 24
Free exhibition
