January 15, 2021
The art of basket weaving is as ancient as civilization itself, and as much a part of Southern culture as bourbon and barbeque, particularly with the Gullah/Geechee sweetgrass tradition in the South Carolina Lowcountry (and the most famous living weaver, Mary Jackson, leading the modern charge).
Even now, eons after the first examples appeared in places such as Egypt and China to hold grain, textiles, foodstuffs, and more, basketry is still very much a practical art form. And there is perhaps no better time than the start of a new year in the middle of a pandemic to consider avoiding plain old plastic tubs and acquiring instead a few new (environmentally friendly!) woven options to corral the same kinds of stuff in your own home.