Ionia

Mary Merkel-Hess's sculptural baskets recall the natural landscape in her native Iowa. The thin paper rods and reeds, used throughout her work, mimic the tall grasses and cultivated fields found throughout the state. Here, Merkel-Hess tightly gathered the reeds at the base, leaving the upper section loose. She painted the organic materials a bright red, which emphasizes the spaces between the reeds at the top. Though the reeds are not free moving, they give the impression of tall grasses blowing in the wind.