South Carolinian wins “genius” award.

Posted on September 28, 2008 by Ann Bartow

2008 MacArthur Fellow
Mary Jackson

Mary Jackson is a fiber artist whose intricately coiled vessels preserve the centuries-old craft of sweetgrass basketry and push the tradition in stunning new directions. A descendent of the Gullah community of coastal South Carolina, Jackson learned to make baskets at the age of four from her mother and grandmother, who passed on skills brought to the United States by their West African ancestors.

Read more here.

Below are photos of two of her sweetgrass baskets copied from this website:

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0 Responses to South Carolinian wins “genius” award.

  1. Eric says:
    September 28, 2008 at 5:49 pm

    I’m a big fan of these coastal baskets, and Ms. Jackson’s work is truly stunning. So I’ll have to bite my tongue and refrain from making the joke I otherwise might have about someone from South Carolina being dubbed a genius.

  2. Ann Bartow says:
    September 28, 2008 at 8:01 pm

    Thanks for the discretion. Y’all should come visit, and buy some baskets!