Basket c. 20th century

This basket at the Minneapolis Institute of Art, made by an anonymous artist, it's hard to say exactly when, is all about process. It's all woven material, thin and somehow strong. It feels good to imagine the maker constructing it in their hands. The texture is so important here; I can almost feel the give and take of the weaving. The way the surface catches the light, it's not about hiding the process, but about showing it off. Look at the rim of the basket, and how the dark stitching holds the edge so strongly. It reminds me of a drawing line, how it contains and defines a shape. This basket reminds me a bit of some of the work of Sheila Hicks, who uses weaving as a kind of sculptural painting, building up color and form with fiber. Like Hicks’s work, this basket shows that art isn’t always about perfect objects, but about the conversations we have with materials.