JoAnne Russo

b. 1956, Winsted, Connecticut

SELECTED COLLECTIONS

Kamm Teapot Foundation, Sparta, NC
Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, TX
Boston Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, MA
Charles A Wustum Museum, Racine, WI
Fuller Craft Museum, Brockton, MA
Peabody-Essex Museum, Salem, MA
Racine Art Museum, Racine, WI
Tipperary Olympic Memorial Committee, Nenagh, Ireland
Worcester Art Museum, Worcester, MA

SELECTED EXHIBITIONS

2005-08   Hot Tea!, del Mano Gallery, Los Angeles, CA
2008        Selected Works, del Mano Gallery, Los Angeles, CA
2007        Sculpture Objects & Functional Art Exposition, Chicago, IL
                Baskets: No Boundaries, Jane Sauer Gallery, Santa Fe, NM
                Beyond The Basket, del Mano Gallery, Los Angeles, CA
                Connectivity: Basketry Invitational, Cervini-Haas Gallery, Scottsdale, AZ
2006        Basket Invitational, Snyderman-Works Gallery, Philadelphia, PA
                Solo Show, Thirteen Moons Gallery, Santa Fe, New Mexico
                5th International Fiber Biennial, Snyderman-Works Gallery, Philadelphia, PA
                Basket (R)evolution, Fuller Craft Museum, Brockton, Massachsetts
                ARTscottsdale, WestWorld, Art & Antiques, Scottsdale, AZ
2005-01   Annual Basketry Invitational, GalleryMateria, Scottsdale, AZ
2005         Magnificent Extravagance; Artists & Opulence, Wustum Museum, Racine, WI
                Connectivity: Basketry Invitational, Cervini-Haas Gallery, Scottsdale, AZ
2004        Baskets As Art, Flinn Gallery, Greenwich, CT
2003       Nature of Craft, Craft Alliance, St. Louis, MO
                Baskets Now, National Basketry Organization, Yeiser Art Center, Paducah, KY
                At the Edge of the Field: Contemporay Basketry in America, Northern Michigan University
                Art Museum, Marquette, MA
2002        Contemporary Baskets – small works, del Mano Gallery, Los Angeles, CA
2001        Woven Constructions, Craft Alliance Gallery, St. Louis, MO
2000–05    Annual Basket Show, Dane Gallery, Nantucket, MA
2000        The Art of Craft, Hood Museum, Dartmouth College, NH
1999-05   Contemporary Baskets, del Mano Gallery, Los Angeles, CA
1999        American Basketmaking: Tradition and Innovation, Arrowmont School of Arts & Crafts,
                Gatlinburg, TN
                Holiday Collectibles, American Crafts Gallery, Cleveland, OH
1998        Baskets, Society of Arts & Crafts, Boston, MA
                Green Mountain Visions, Works Gallery, Philadelphia, PA
1995-00    Annual Juried Exhibits, League of New Hampshire Craftsmen

SELECTED PUBLICATIONS

2007        Basketry with a Point, Peabody-Essex Connections, March/April
2006        500 Baskets, Lark Books,
2000       The Art of Basketry, Lonning, Kari, Sterling Publishing, NY
                Baskets: Tradition and Beyond, Leier, Peters and Wallace, Guild Publishing, WI
                Beautiful Things, Guild.com, Guild Publishing, WI
1999       Shuttle, Spindle and Dyepot, Spring
1996-97   "Directory of Traditional Crafts", Early American Life Magazine

ABOUT THE ARTIST

JoAnne Russo made her first basket in 1984 while living in York, Maine. As she started gathering information on this craft, she learned the history of basketmakers in the Mount Agamenticus area of York, where an entire community once made their livelihood from basketmaking. They would work all winter producing baskets, then sell them from horse-drawn carts as far south as Boston. That same year, while giving a basketmaking demonstration at the York Historical Society, Russo met Raymond Weare from Cape Neddick, Maine, the last to learn from the Agamenticus basketmakers. Their traditions would have been long forgotten if not for Raymond Weare's interest. He, in turn, was eager to share it with Russo. Raymond showed her how to select a proper ash tree, pound the growth rings off the tree, carve rims and handles with traditional tools, and weave a basket. The time involved in this process is considerable, and preparing basket splints from one tree can easily take weeks. Her first baskets were very functional, work types (bushel, market and pack baskets) similar to those made by the Agamenticus basketmakers.

ARTIST'S STATEMENT

When people see my baskets for the first time, they remark on how detailed and precise they are. It seems second nature for me to work this way. I remember watching my mother and grandmother knitting and crocheting sweaters, mittens and afghans. My grandmother taught me how to crochet before I could read. All my stuffed dogs were outfitted in sweaters and hats, and all the shades in our house had intricate pulls I had crocheted out of string.

While in grade school, I was taught how to sew. My aunt showed me how to cut out patterns, measure precisely and sew with the skill of a tailor. She instilled in me the patience to do the job right; mistakes were ripped out and the work done again.

Before I started making baskets, I collected both antique and contemporary ones from the Indian tribes in Maine. Made to sell to tourist, they were called fancy baskets as they were detailed with dyed ash, twisted into curlicues. Many were in the shapes of strawberries, blueberries and ears of corn and dyed accordingly. Through the use of the curlicue and other embellishments, they transformed the utilitarian basket into an object d'art. In my work, I try to integrate the traditional form into a contemporary object to create a basket that has the feel of being both old and new.