Leah Danberg
biography |
portfolio | artists listing
b.1934, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
SELECTED COLLECTIONS
Joan Borinstein, Los Angeles, CA
Karen Johnson Boyd, Racine, WI
Sonny & Gloria Kamm, Los Angeles, CA
Donna Moog, St. Louis, MO
Charles A. Wustum Museum of Fine Arts, Racine, WI
SELECTED EXHIBITIONS
2008 Fiber Arts Explored II, del Mano Gallery, Los Angeles, CA
Fiber Arts Explored I, del Mano Gallery, Los Angeles, CA
Selected Works, del Mano Gallery, Los Angeles, CA
2007 All Things Considered, National Basketry Association, Gatlinburg, TN
Contemporary Baskets, Ohio Craft Museum, Columbus, OH
2006 ARTscottsdale, WestWorld, Art & Antiques, Scottsdale, AZ
Contemporary Baskets, del Mano Gallery, Los Angeles, CA
Basket: Northwest Connection, Tacoma Community College, Tacoma, WA
Sculpture Objects & Functional Art Exposition, Chicago, IL
1994-06 Contemporary Baskets, del Mano Gallery, Los Angeles, CA
The Art of Basketry, Thirteen Moons Gallery, Santa Fe, NM
2004 Contemporary Fiber, Wignall Museum/Gallery, Chaffey College,
Rancho Cucamonga, CA
Selected Works, del Mano Gallery, Los Angeles, CA
Celebrating Nature: Craft Traditions/Contemporary Expressions, Craft & Folk Art
Museum, Los Angeles, CA
Why Knot II, Nevada Museum of Art, Reno, NV
2003 The Inspired Vessel, Los Angeles Municipal Art Gallery, Barnsdall Art Park,
Los Angeles, CA
2000-03 Sculpture Objects & Functional Art Exposition, Chicago, IL
1998-02 Hot Tea!, del Mano Gallery, Los Angeles, CA
2001 Basketry Invitational, Crafts Alliance Gallery, St. Louis, MO
Knot That Small, del Mano Gallery, Los Angeles, CA
ABOUT THE ARTIST
Leah Danberg has been a fiber artist and basket maker since 1984. She studied with a number of renowned local and national teachers including Jane Sauer, Rosalie Friis-Ross, Judy Mulford, and Carol Eckert. Currently Director of the Los Angeles Basketry Guild, her work is in numerous private collections.
In the fiber arts, Ms. Danberg makes knotted sculptural forms of waxed linen, often incorporating text in the knotting. In the realm of basketry, she constructs her vessels primarily from the abundant natural plant material she collects in Southern California, using a variety of techniques. Her work has been exhibited at a number of galleries and shows.
Ms. Danberg holds a master’s degree in mathematics and is a retired computer systems analyst.
ARTIST STATEMENT
Fiber Arts Explored I, 2008
My baskets are made of feather boa kelp, which is a flat, ribbon-like kelp from Southern California. Kelp is an interesting material to work with in that it is strong and pliable when wet, but shrinks and darkens as it dries and becomes rigid. Since kelp is primarily composed of water, there is an enormous amount of shrinkage during the drying process. So there is always an element of surprise to the finished basket, both due to coloration changes and to shrinkage, which causes the open spaces in the weaving. Drying also often causes some distortion in the finished basket even though it is worked over a form
I collect kelp during the warm summer months, after it has washed up onto the beach. Tumbling in the surf causes the kelp to tangle into large, heavy clumps, which I untangle on the beach to make it manageable to bring home. The only processing I do is wash the kelp in fresh water, to remove the salt and sand, then I lay it out to dry in the sun. Quick drying is important to keep the kelp from deteriorating. When I am ready to weave a basket, I soak the kelp just long enough to make it pliable, clean off the leaves (of which there are many and hence the name “feather boa”), and get to work. I often dry the finished basket in the oven at low heat, to make sure it dries quickly.
This show represents a new direction in my kelp baskets, both in terms of the larger size and the more architectural shapes.
SELECTED COLLECTIONS
Joan Borinstein, Los Angeles, CA
Karen Johnson Boyd, Racine, WI
Sonny & Gloria Kamm, Los Angeles, CA
Donna Moog, St. Louis, MO
Charles A. Wustum Museum of Fine Arts, Racine, WI
SELECTED EXHIBITIONS
2008 Fiber Arts Explored II, del Mano Gallery, Los Angeles, CA
Fiber Arts Explored I, del Mano Gallery, Los Angeles, CA
Selected Works, del Mano Gallery, Los Angeles, CA
2007 All Things Considered, National Basketry Association, Gatlinburg, TN
Contemporary Baskets, Ohio Craft Museum, Columbus, OH
2006 ARTscottsdale, WestWorld, Art & Antiques, Scottsdale, AZ
Contemporary Baskets, del Mano Gallery, Los Angeles, CA
Basket: Northwest Connection, Tacoma Community College, Tacoma, WA
Sculpture Objects & Functional Art Exposition, Chicago, IL
1994-06 Contemporary Baskets, del Mano Gallery, Los Angeles, CA
The Art of Basketry, Thirteen Moons Gallery, Santa Fe, NM
2004 Contemporary Fiber, Wignall Museum/Gallery, Chaffey College,
Rancho Cucamonga, CA
Selected Works, del Mano Gallery, Los Angeles, CA
Celebrating Nature: Craft Traditions/Contemporary Expressions, Craft & Folk Art
Museum, Los Angeles, CA
Why Knot II, Nevada Museum of Art, Reno, NV
2003 The Inspired Vessel, Los Angeles Municipal Art Gallery, Barnsdall Art Park,
Los Angeles, CA
2000-03 Sculpture Objects & Functional Art Exposition, Chicago, IL
1998-02 Hot Tea!, del Mano Gallery, Los Angeles, CA
2001 Basketry Invitational, Crafts Alliance Gallery, St. Louis, MO
Knot That Small, del Mano Gallery, Los Angeles, CA
ABOUT THE ARTIST
Leah Danberg has been a fiber artist and basket maker since 1984. She studied with a number of renowned local and national teachers including Jane Sauer, Rosalie Friis-Ross, Judy Mulford, and Carol Eckert. Currently Director of the Los Angeles Basketry Guild, her work is in numerous private collections.
In the fiber arts, Ms. Danberg makes knotted sculptural forms of waxed linen, often incorporating text in the knotting. In the realm of basketry, she constructs her vessels primarily from the abundant natural plant material she collects in Southern California, using a variety of techniques. Her work has been exhibited at a number of galleries and shows.
Ms. Danberg holds a master’s degree in mathematics and is a retired computer systems analyst.
ARTIST STATEMENT
Fiber Arts Explored I, 2008
My baskets are made of feather boa kelp, which is a flat, ribbon-like kelp from Southern California. Kelp is an interesting material to work with in that it is strong and pliable when wet, but shrinks and darkens as it dries and becomes rigid. Since kelp is primarily composed of water, there is an enormous amount of shrinkage during the drying process. So there is always an element of surprise to the finished basket, both due to coloration changes and to shrinkage, which causes the open spaces in the weaving. Drying also often causes some distortion in the finished basket even though it is worked over a form
I collect kelp during the warm summer months, after it has washed up onto the beach. Tumbling in the surf causes the kelp to tangle into large, heavy clumps, which I untangle on the beach to make it manageable to bring home. The only processing I do is wash the kelp in fresh water, to remove the salt and sand, then I lay it out to dry in the sun. Quick drying is important to keep the kelp from deteriorating. When I am ready to weave a basket, I soak the kelp just long enough to make it pliable, clean off the leaves (of which there are many and hence the name “feather boa”), and get to work. I often dry the finished basket in the oven at low heat, to make sure it dries quickly.
This show represents a new direction in my kelp baskets, both in terms of the larger size and the more architectural shapes.