F R O M T H E S T A C K S
In the
Tapestrymaker’s
Mode
s t o r y r y
F o l l o w i n g a s o l o e x h i b i t i o n o f h i s w o r k a t t h e U
n i v e r s i t y o f
C h r is t in e K a m in s k y
S '
.
*
.
F l o r i d a , G a i n e s v i l l e , t h e w e a v e r J a m e s B a s s l e r w a s t h e s u b j e c t
o f a n a r t i c l e i n t h e A u g u s t / S e p t e m
b e r 1 9 8 2 i s s u e o f A m
e r i c a n
C r a f t b y f i b e r a r t i s t N
a n c y M
e r r i t t a n d p o t t e r J a c q u e l i n e
B a r t l i n g W
a r d t h a t i l l u m
i n a t e d h i s e a r l y l i f e a n d s o u r c e s o f
i n s p i r a t i o n , i n p a r t i c u l a r a p r o f o u n d l y i n f l u e n t i a l s o j o u r n i n
M
e x i c o . A m
o n g t h e p r o c e s s e s B a s s l e r t h e n e m
p l o y e d t o c r e a t e
h i s t a p e s t r i e s w e r e S t r i p w e a v i n g , i k a t a n d b a t i k .
S in c e t h e 1 9 8 0 s , B a s s le r ’s t a p e s t r ie s h a v e
b e c o m e i n c r e a s in g ly c o m p le x , i n c o r p o r -
a tin g t e c h n iq u e s o f t h e N a v a jo a n d a n c ie n t
A n d e a n c u lt u r e s —b u ild in g h is r e p u t a t io n
f o r f o c u s in g o n th e p a s t.
T h e r e c ip i e n t o f m a n y h o n o r s , B a s s le r
w a s e le c t e d a F e l l o w o f t h e A m e r ic a n C r a f t
C o u n c il in 19 9 8 a n d in t e r v i e w e d f o r S m ith -
s o n ia n ’s A r c h i v e s o f A m e r ic a n A r t in 2 0 0 3 .
W i d e l y e x h ib it e d , h is w o r k is in n u m e r o u s
m u s e u m c o lle c t io n s a s w e l l a s in t h e C o t s e n
A m e r ic a n M a s t e r s T e x t i l e C o lle c t io n .
T o d a y B a s s le r is r e p r e s e n t e d b y th e J a n e
S a u e r G a lle r y in S a n ta F e a n d th e G a il M a r -
tin G a l l e r y in N e w Y o r k C i t y . D is m is s in g
a n y n o t io n th a t h e liv e s e n t ir e ly in t h e p a s t ,
B a s s le r , u s in g s h o p p in g b a g s f r o m T r a d e r
J o e ’s , s p u n a n d w o v e a p a p e r b a g , c o m p le t e
w i t h h a n d le s , t h a t t h e M a r t in G a l l e r y r e -
c e n t ly d is p la y e d a t t h e I n t e r n a t io n a l T r ib a l
a n d T e x t i l e A r t s S h o w in N e w Y o r k . T h e
a r t is t c a n b e s e e n o n film in o n e o f № 0 n e w
e p is o d e s o f t h e
p b s
s e r ie s
Craft in America,
s c h e d u le d t o a ir o n O c t o b e r 7 .
J a n e S a u e r s a y s “J im ’s w o r k h a s th e in -
t e g r i t y a n d d e p t h t h a t f e w e v e r o b t a in a n d
h e h a s s u s t a in e d t h is l e v e l o f m a k in g f o r
o v e r 4 0 y e a r s . D e d ic a t e d t o t h e p a s t a n d th e
f u t u r e , J im is t r u ly a n a t io n a l t r e a s u r e .”
+
T o v i e w t h e e n t ir e A m e r ic a n C r a f t a r t ic le ,
v i s i t u s a t a m e r ic a n c r a f t m a g .o r g .
Tucked away on the
sixth floor of 72 Spring
Street in New York
City is the American
Craft Council library,
one of the largest collec-
tions in this country
of craft, art and design
books documenting
the studio craft move-
ment from the 1940s to
the present. The over
14,000 volumes include
the Council’s 67-year
publishing history-all
past issues of
Craft
Horizons
and American
Craft. We’d like to
share some of this amaz-
ing past as we dig
through the stacks. If
you happen to be in
the city, come in and
say hello—the library
is open to the public.
