Willow Work: Viki Graber, Basketmaker

Abstract

Folklorist Jon Kay made this short documentary for the exhibition, "Willow Work: Viki Graber, Basketmaker." The exhibit explored the work of Viki Graber a willow basketmaker from Goshen, Indiana. Viki learned willow basket weaving at the age of twelve from her father, who was recognized by the National Endowment for the Arts as a 2009 National Heritage Fellow. Where once her family plied their talents to make utilitarian workbaskets, Viki makes baskets for collectors and to sell at art shows and galleries. While using the same tools and methods as her great-grandfather, Viki's keen sense of color and innovative designs have elevated her family's craft to a new aesthetic level. Sponsored by the Indiana University College of Arts and Sciences as part of their Fall 2015 Themester @Work: The Nature of Labor on a Changing Planet, the exhibition and the video were on display at the museum from August 18 through December 20, 2015.