Basket c. 20th century

This basket was crafted by the Tohono O’odham, or Papago people, and now lives at the Minneapolis Institute of Art. It’s woven with plant fibers, each strand carefully placed to create these striking geometric patterns. I can almost feel the hands that shaped it, patient and practiced, interweaving light and dark fibers to bring this vessel into being. Imagine the artist, gathering materials, prepping, and then, the rhythmic act of weaving, a meditative process repeating itself, line after line. See how the dark motifs seem to dance against the light background. Each vertical line is like a tiny brushstroke, a mark that builds to a larger pattern. The artist might have been thinking about their heritage, weaving stories and symbols into the very fabric of the basket. It reminds me a little of Anni Albers's weaving practice. I wonder what the basket held, what purpose it served in the community. Every artist draws from history, responding and creating something new.