Salish Clam Basket

Marvin Oliver, Salish Clam Basket, 2008, glass, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Sharon Karmazin, 2021.28
Marvin Oliver, Salish Clam Basket, 2008, glass, basket: 17 3418 1819 14 in. clams, each approx: 2 144 144 12 in., Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Sharon Karmazin, 2021.28

Artwork Details

Title
Salish Clam Basket
Date
2008
Dimensions
basket: 17 3418 1819 14 in. clams, each approx: 2 144 144 12 in.
Credit Line
Gift of Sharon Karmazin
Mediums
Mediums Description
glass
Classifications
Subjects
  • Object — other — basket
Object Number
2021.28

Artwork Description

Marvin Oliver created this glass basket to resemble the open-weave clam baskets made by the Salish peoples of the Pacific Northwest Coast. The open form allows sand and water to pass through while retaining the clams. Oliver, from the Quinault Indian Nation of Washington state, incorporated Northwest Coast designs into his art, which ranged from carving and sculpting to glass and printmaking. Staying true to the original basket form, he nestled clear and opaque glass clams in the bottom. Likewise, Oliver paid tribute to the basket artists of the region by adding a glass etching of a Salish woman with her baskets.


This Present Moment: Crafting a Better World, 2022

Verbal Description

A large basket stands about seventeen inches tall and approximately nineteen inches wide. It is made from frosted white glass and mimics the shape of a Salish clamming basket. Sparsely spaced vertical and horizontal glass ribs weave and intertwine to create the basket’s shape. There are large gaps left between the intertwined ribs, theoretically allowing water to flow out while holding the clams inside the basket. 

At the bottom of the vessel sit thirteen glass clams. Some of the clams are made from the same frosted white glass as the basket. Other clams are made of clear glass. Occupying one large gap near the bottom of the basket, an etching in black ink stands out against the icy white sculpture. The etching depicts a woman on the shore with her clamming basket.

Works by this artist (10 items)

Barbara Kruger, Untitled (We Will No Longer Be Seen and Not Heard), 1985, 9 prints, photo-offset lithograph and screenprint, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Museum purchase, VR.1986.50A-I
Untitled (We Will No Longer Be Seen and Not Heard)
Date1985
9 prints, photo-offset lithograph and screenprint
Not on view
Barbara Kruger, Untitled (No), from the Untitled Portfolio, 1985, photo-offset lithograph and screenprint on paper, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Museum purchase, 1986.50H
Untitled (No), from the Untitled Portfolio
Date1985
photo-offset lithograph and screenprint on paper
Not on view
Barbara Kruger, Untitled (And), from the Untitled Portfolio, 1985, photo-offset lithograph and screenprint on paper, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Museum purchase, 1986.50A
Untitled (And), from the Untitled Portfolio
Date1985
photo-offset lithograph and screenprint on paper
Not on view
Barbara Kruger, Untitled (Will), from the Untitled Portfolio, 1985, photo-offset lithograph and screenprint on paper, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Museum purchase, 1986.50F
Untitled (Will), from the Untitled Portfolio
Date1985
photo-offset lithograph and screenprint on paper
Not on view

Exhibitions

Quilt featuring the portrait of a woman
This Present Moment: Crafting a Better World
May 13, 2022April 2, 2023
This Present Moment: Crafting a Better World showcases the dynamic landscape of American craft today.

More Artworks from the Collection

Franco Mondini-Ruiz, Crystal City, 2009, mixed media installation, including glass, crystal, silver, plastic, and ceramic objects, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Henry R. Muñoz III in honor of Debra Guerrero, 2013.48.1, © 2009, Franco Mondini-Ruiz
Crystal City
Date2009
mixed media installation, including glass, crystal, silver, plastic, and ceramic objects
Not on view
David Esterly, Thomas Jefferson's Letter Rack, 2017, limewood, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift from the collection of Candace and Michael Humphreys, 2023.55
Thomas Jefferson’s Letter Rack
Date2017
limewood
Not on view