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A Measure of the Earth

Nicholas R. Bell, with a foreword by Henry Glassie

A Measure of the Earth provides an window into the traditional basketry revival of the past fifty years. Nicholas Bell’s essay details the longstanding use of traditional fibers, such as black ash, white oak, willow, and sweetgrass and the perseverance of a select few to harvest these elements—the land itself—for the enrichment of daily life. Drawing on conversations with basketmakers from across the country and reproducing many of their documentary photographs, Bell offers an intimate glimpse of their lifeways, motivations, and hopes. Lavish illustrations of every basket in the exhibition convey the humble, tactile beauty of these functional vessels.

 

$35hardcover
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Product Details

Co-Publisher
Copublished with University of North Carolina Press
Year Published
2013
Pages
192 pp.: Ill (174 color, 5 black-and-white)
ISBN
  • Hardcover: 978-1-4696-1528-8
Dimensions
9 3411 14 in.

Exhibitions

Media - 2011.47.38 - SAAM-2011.47.38_3 - 88797
A Measure of the Earth: The Cole-Ware Collection of American Baskets
October 3, 2013December 8, 2013
A Measure of the Earth: The Cole-Ware Collection of American Baskets explores the revival of traditional basketry in America during the past fifty years through works by sixty-three contemporary basketmakers.