Exhibition

Introduction | Bamboo | Baskets | Tea Ceremony
Basket Makers | Conclusion

Contemporary basket makers are well aware of the shifting consciousness about baskets among the publicóa willingness to view baskets as art objects even as they continue to serve utilitarian functionsóand are eager to experiment with formal transformation in their creations. Perhaps, what allows basket making to escape conventional classifications of art is that the makers consider themselves to be artists and artisans, not one or the other. Ultimately, the expressive vocabulary of individual makers harmoniously coexists with the long tradition of Japanese basketry, with the organic warmth and flexibility of the material, and with our basic desire for the enrichment of our surroundings.