Read Pottery and Baskets: c.1100–c.1960
Questions:
Anasazi cylinder jars:
- What do you think they could have been for?
- What could the patterns and motifs symbolize? Does this give us any clues about their usage?
Homework: draw a vessel for carrying/displaying/protecting a valued possession. What this possession is will be a secret, and then we’ll try to figure what these items are based on the vessel’s appearance and what we know about the person.
Questions:
Anasazi cylinder jars:
- What do you think they could have been for?
- What could the patterns and motifs symbolize? Does this give us any clues about their usage?
Louisa Keyser:
- What could the patterns and motifs symbolize?
Gullah rice basket
Baleen basketry, Karl Toolak:
- Is this a valid “traditional” craft since it was commissioned in the early 1900’s by a non-Native American? The birch bark basket on the right is the traditional basket craft of the Inupiat of Alaska.
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General Questions:
- What do skillfully formed and beautifully decorated functional items tell us about a culture? (Not completely consumed with survival, had time to develop and practice a craft and to teach it, enjoyed working with their hands…)
- Who do you think may have made these vessels? (Men, women, a particular community craftsperson, an elder?…)
- What natural materials from their environments did the artists and craftsmen use to create these functional containers?
- What is the benefit of baskets over ceramic jars? (for nomadic tribes, baskets are lighter and won’t shatter if dropped or bumped in transit…)
…of ceramic jars over baskets? (Ceramic jars might be better for keeping pests out, for carrying water…)
- Why do collectors prefer pottery that was signed by the artist? (Shows who made it, authenticity, art by a known artist may be more valuable than art by an anonymous one…)
- Why are these artifacts valuable today?
- Do you think the desires of the modern market have influenced those who practice and sell objects made by traditional techniques?
- What do skillfully formed and beautifully decorated functional items tell us about a culture? (Not completely consumed with survival, had time to develop and practice a craft and to teach it, enjoyed working with their hands…)
- Who do you think may have made these vessels? (Men, women, a particular community craftsperson, an elder?…)
- What natural materials from their environments did the artists and craftsmen use to create these functional containers?
- What is the benefit of baskets over ceramic jars? (for nomadic tribes, baskets are lighter and won’t shatter if dropped or bumped in transit…)
…of ceramic jars over baskets? (Ceramic jars might be better for keeping pests out, for carrying water…)
- Why do collectors prefer pottery that was signed by the artist? (Shows who made it, authenticity, art by a known artist may be more valuable than art by an anonymous one…)
- Why are these artifacts valuable today?
- Do you think the desires of the modern market have influenced those who practice and sell objects made by traditional techniques?
Useful resources:
Homework: draw a vessel for carrying/displaying/protecting a valued possession. What this possession is will be a secret, and then we’ll try to figure what these items are based on the vessel’s appearance and what we know about the person.
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