Basketry, Woebegone Basketry Guild Curator's Statement

The Woebegone Basketry Guild is comprised of twenty-four exceptional basketmakers: exceptional in their basketry expertise as well as in their persons. Spread throughout the country, the members of this email guild support each other with their business savvy, their basketry knowledge and connections, and their personal sensitivities to each other. Much has been shared and passed around, from recipes and jokes to gallery and equipment recommendations to cancer details and therapies.      The heart of the connection is a collective love of basketry, its materials, and all its permutations. Individually, the work reflects unique personalities and preferences. Together, the group’s basketry speaks a common language of honesty, involvement, strength, flexibility, creativity and courage.      These dedicated artists and enthusiasts, bound together by more than their love of basketry, bring this age-old craft boldly into the 21st century. The members of the Woebegone Basketry Guild present a range of basketmaking techniques, materials and styles, incorporating the traditional as well as the nontraditional. They also present an expression of community, and all the significance and wisdom that evolve from it.

Judy Dominic February 2003

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