The Paine Art Center and Gardens is opening up a new exhibition starting this Saturday that showcases the art of Native American basket weaving and preservation efforts.
Titled “Weaving a Legacy: Ho-Chunk Black Ash Basketry,” more than 100 works of Ho-Chunk basket makers will be on display at The Paine, located at 1410 Algoma Blvd. in Oshkosh.
A wide range of basket styles will be showcased with pieces ranging from the early 1900s to the modern day.
Along with displaying these Native American works, the exhibition is also bringing light to preserving the art of basket making.
An invasive insect called an emerald ash borer has become a threat to basket makers who use black ash trees to create their pieces. With rising numbers, the insects have destroyed many of these trees in the Upper Midwest.
This exhibition stands as the only one devoted to this issue.
Ho-Chunk basket making using black ash fully emerged in Wisconsin by the 1820s. Designs for baskets were inspired by Native traditions of hand-woven twill and wool, and later incorporating European trade goods into their works.
Creation and demand for baskets expanded with the growth of the tourist industry through the decades. Designs and uses for baskets evolved over time as well to mirror specialties of the artists who made them. These baskets now have over 50 different shapes and functions including picnic baskets, hampers and funerary urns.
Modern and contemporary works of Ho-Chunk basket making stem from a belief in individuality and uniqueness. This exhibit features artists who have had their works showcased and major museums in the U.S., like the National Museum of the American Indian and the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
The curator for this exhibition is Ho-Chunk artist Tom Jones, a photography professor at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Jones has collected and studied thousands of these baskets for over a decade.
The display is organized by the Museum of Wisconsin Art in West Bend, the leading institution in showcasing and preserving the work of artists in the state.
“Weaving a Legacy: Ho-Chunk Black Ash Basketry” opens up to the public Saturday March 15. For more information about The Paine and the different events and exhibits it hosts, visit www.thepaine.org.
