Basket c. 20th century

This basket was made by Qwiqwidicciat, a Makah artist. Look at how it’s built from the ground up using natural materials. It's so tactile, it makes you want to touch it, doesn’t it? I can imagine Qwiqwidicciat sitting and patiently weaving these organic materials together. It’s almost like drawing or painting, except the hand movements are replaced by the rhythmic, repetitive act of weaving. See the way she has rendered stylized figures of animals and natural forms, such as birds and fish. It’s almost like they’re swimming around the basket! When I look at the top of this basket, the concentric circles of red, green, and blue, reminds me a bit of Frank Stella’s concentric squares, don’t you think? It reminds me of the interconnectedness of everything, how art informs art and inspires artists across time. Ultimately, weaving, like painting, offers a way of understanding and expressing our relationship with the world.