Yorkton area basket maker Morley Maier has had a piece selected for the most recent edition of Dimensions.
Dimensionsis the Saskatchewan Craft Council's biennial, open, juried, touring exhibition which encourages and rewards excellence in hand-crafted work. The juried show allows crafters to submit up to two pieces of artwork from Saskatchewan craftspeople and artists.
Maier鈥檚 piece is called 鈥楧ogwood and Cranberry Basket鈥�.
鈥淭his very old, European style of 鈥楩rame鈥� basketry is sometimes referred to as 鈥榝armer-made鈥� because its simple construction and readily available materials allowed ordinary folks to make strong and useful containers,鈥� noted Maier鈥檚 artist statement on the piece.
鈥淭his basket is woven with Red Osier Dogwood.
鈥淭he frame and ribs are willow.
鈥淭he handle is Highbush Cranberry.
鈥淭hese native shrubs are common throughout much of our province.鈥�
The statement went further detailing the creation process.
鈥淭he materials needed to make this kind of basket are gathered in the fall after the plants have become dormant. The thicker stems are used for frames and ribs.
鈥淭he new growth is used for weaving. After the materials are harvested they are sorted by size, bundled and frozen.
鈥淧rior to use they are thawed and steamed for two or three minutes. Steaming is not meant to soften the weaver but rather to prevent the bark from cracking.
鈥淔inished baskets are treated with food-safe light mineral oil.鈥�
This is the third time Maier has entered Dimensions. He has also received two SCC awards; the Merit Award and the Award for Excellence in Functional and Production Ware.
鈥淢y baskets have been selected each time I have entered,鈥� he told Yorkton This Week.聽 鈥淚 feel very fortunate to have been selected again this year.聽
鈥淭here were 130 entries from 100 very skilled professional craftspeople from throughout the province.聽 The jurors were asked to choose only 35 to be part of the show.鈥�
Maier noted that just because he had been selected in the past, he wasn鈥檛 sure if the latest effort would be chosen.
鈥淥ur province has a great number of people doing wonderful things in a wide variety of media,鈥� he said.聽鈥淲hile I like my basket, I also had a chance to have an online look at the other entries.聽Amazing works, all of them!聽
鈥淚 would certainly have understood if my basket had not been selected.聽
鈥淚n the end, when I make a basket I hope that I will like it.聽If it makes me happy, there is a chance it will do the same for others.鈥�
This year the show has taken on an added dimension for those involved as well.
鈥淒imensions usually only travels within our province,鈥� explained Maier.聽
鈥淭his time it will travel to some other cities in Canada.聽鈥淚 think that this change has added some interest and excitement.鈥�
Maier lives and farms near Yorkton, Saskatchewan. He has been making willow baskets for about 15 years.
鈥淭he baskets he makes are the traditional ribbed baskets that were originally made by Aboriginal people and Ukrainian/European settlers around Yorkton and wherever materials were available,鈥� notes his artist bio. 鈥淭his historical and cultural connection is important to Morley and is intentionally reflected in the work that he does . . .
鈥淢y preference is to make baskets that can be used as they were first intended; as containers to carry or store things. While some of the baskets I make might be considered decorative, most are 鈥榳orking鈥� baskets that most people will actually use. I hope that the baskets I make reflect and respect the history and traditions of willow basketry in our province. Most people would agree that there is a rustic natural quality to willow baskets that they find instinctively warm and appealing. I try not to do things with my baskets that would interfere with that.鈥�
