February Issue 2001
A Sampler Of Woven Arts From Allanstand Shop In Focus Gallery
In Asheville, NC, the Folk Art Center's Focus Gallery, The Southern Highland Craft Guild's Allanstand Shop will display extraordinary examples of fiber art and basketry by Guild members through Feb. 22. For over a century, Allanstand has been showcasing the finest in regional hand-craftsmanship, and since 1980 the shop has been housed at the Folk Art Center. For this exhibition, A Sampler of Woven Arts From Allanstand, shop staff invites ten currently producing artists who work in fiber, eight of whom are basket weavers, to participate in this special Focus Gallery display of highly collectable fine craft
Works by these ten artists can be found in private and corporate craft collections and in prominent galleries throughout the U.S. The two artists working in fabric are Jean McNeely Martin (Penrose, NC), a specialist in traditional weaving patterns and Suzanne Gernandt (Asheville, NC), who weaves and prints fabric with ever-changing innovations. In this show, Gernandt shows double-woven linen pieces with "pockets" along a grid where handmade paper is inserted while on the loom. Each woven piece is then put through a "beetling" process that involves pounding the material between two pieces of metal. The linen is rendered shiny and flat, creating an ancient look, and the paper is visible through the loose weave. Jean McNeely Martin weaves traditional overshot patterns, requiring the use of multiple shuttles on the loom. Her use of authentic old patterns, with names like "Robert E. Lee, Cup and Saucer" and "Tennessee Blazing Star," contrast with her use of bright, present-day thread colors, lending a contemporary appearance to an age-old process.
Each of the basket weavers in the exhibition has made a mark of distinction in their field, beginning with the famed Billie Ruth Sudduth (Bakersville, NC), whose work earned her the 1997 title of "North Carolina Living Treasure." Her bold and graceful rattan pieces are sought by basket collectors for her original interpretations of traditional basket styles. She authored the 1999 release Baskets: A Book for Makers and Collectors, and her work is found in the Smithsonian's Renwick Gallery. Patti Quinn Hill (Weaverville, NC) enjoys taking risks with traditional basketry techniques, and goes beyond our expectations of what a basket looks like. Although she works in limited production, her designs and craftsmanship are of the highest quality. Her elegant art-baskets were recently featured in a solo exhibition at Blue Spiral I Gallery in Asheville, NC. She teaches several basketry styles at John C. Campbell Folk School, Arrowmont School of Arts and Crafts, Appalachian Center for Crafts, and private workshops. Hill is known for her amazing double-walled and spiral baskets and a unique body of work woven with hand painted or marbled paper.
Marilyn Sharp (Black Mountain, NC) also works with paper and has brought attention to the remarkable possibilities using paper rush as a weaving material. Her ti-twining method is adapted from a Northwest Native American technique. Bonnie Jean Bertlshofer (Brevard, NC) who works in rattan combined with locally harvested woods, teaches at John C. Campbell Folk School and is a charter member of the North Carolina Basketmakers Association.
White Oak basketry is also represented in this show by four highly celebrated basket weavers. George McCollum (Athens, TN) isn't satisfied with just making beautiful baskets from wood he's harvested himself; to top that, he weaves the smallest baskets possible. Some are no bigger than an acorn on the tree from which they were made, yet as carefully crafted as any other. New member Edgar Shelton (Murphy, NC) will also display some amazing split oak baskets both large and small. Retired and focused on basket weaving, Shelton travels around the country, bringing his oak splits along, weaving wherever he goes. Kathleen and Ken Dalton (Tellico Plains, TN) of Coker Creek Baskets have over thirty years' experience with white oak basketry and played a key role in reviving the recognition and prestige of traditional oak basketry during the 1970s and 80s. Their baskets are well-known worldwide; one was presented to President Reagan in the 1980s, and their work is found as far away as the Folk Art Museum in Tokyo Japan. This august selection of Guild members reflect the caliber of work found regularly at Allanstand Shop at the Blue Ridge Parkway's Folk Art Center.
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