A Basket for My Mother

2024, Coiled waxed linen thread over jute

Basketry is a medium that is little thought of. It is a craft that is rarely considered an art form and is even referred to in derogatory ways. “Basket Case” referring to someone as insane, or  “Oh yeah are you taking underwater basket weaving”? Referring to a college course as an outlandish and easy-to-take college class. Coil baskets are labor-intensive; the sea of blue is a series of tight coils, each part touched by my hand.

This basket, when eventually finished, will go to my mother. In this context, this peace symbolizes the complex relationships mothers and daughters can have. The tangled mess with time and hard work and love, coming together to create a tightly woven bond. 

The jute at the top was originally a tangled mess I had resigned to lugging around, too scared to cut the jute for fear of not having enough. My eldest brother then dedicated an hour or so to untangling the mess and creating a system to use while I work to keep the jute in order. I couldn't bear to undo his work to display this piece in its original form, and the work he put in, and I feel that adds to the meaning and symbolism of this piece for me