5 Contemporary Basket Artists You Need to Know:
The art of weaving and basketry is ancient in its origins, but many artists have developed traditional techniques to create beautiful, contemporary works of art. Below are some wonderful leading artists in the world of contemporary weaving and basketry. A mixture of materials, colors and textures permits artists to create beautifully unique pieces of fine artwork for homes, museums and public venues. To read more about Matt's contemporary basketry work, take a look at his process and about his artistic journey.
1. Kari Lonning
Based out of Ridgefield, Connecticut, Karli Lonning has been making baskets for now over forty years. She uses commercial textile dyes to color her natural rattan reeds that she uses for her contemporary baskets. With a mixture of textiles and weaving techniques, her artwork is colorful, textural and unique.
You can find her artwork in many places around the country and world. From the White House craft collection and the Smithsonian to the Mint Museum in Charlotte, North Carolina, Karli's work is in numerous private and public collections. She is even featured in the United States Embassy in Bangkok, Thailand. |
2. Gina Telocci
Gina's work begins with the selection of her materials. Using earthy and found materials like driftwood, roots, willow and plants, these pieces are beautifully created. Living and working out of New Mexico, Gina Telocci utilizes ancient processes of basketry, sewing and weaving to produce her sculptures.
These beautiful creations are found in homes and collections across the United States, including public and private installations. |
3. Debra Muhl
From Emmaus, Pennsylvania, Debora Muhl is a basket artist who is a self taught weaver who uses the ornate coiling technique of sweet grass to make beautiful sculptural baskets. These contemporary baskets use traditional technique to create modern and abstract baskets. Though they are often forms of devolved vessels, these pieces have an elegance of intentional disorder.
Debora's artwork can be found in the permanent collections of the Mint Museum in Charlotte, North Carolina, the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston as well as the Museum of Decorative Arts in Paris, France. |
4. Karen Gubitz
Inspired by nature, Karen Gubitz utilizes her self-taught weaving skills to turn natural fibers into beautiful woven pieces of art. She hand-gathers all of her weaving materials from her Harvest Hill Prairie farm in Western Illinois. Having completed her studies at the School of the Art Institute in Chicago, Illinois, Karen has over twenty years of experience.
To see more of Karen's work, visit her in her studio in Oak Park, Illinois. A long term resident of Chicago, she has lived, worked an sold art across the area and is a part of many public and private collections around the country. |
5. Matt Tommey
Matt has been weaving baskets for over twenty years. When he started weaving in college while at the University of Georgia, he used primarily found objects in the woods and made functional baskets. Over time, he developed his artwork to where it is today. From function to beauty, Matt's employs different weaving materials and techniques to push the boundaries of basketry.
You can find his work at his studio in Asheville, North Carolina's River Arts District as well as in private collections across the United States. Read more about Matt's artistic journey here. |