Indian Holiday Market basketmakers featured in PMA show
While rooted in tradition, Sarah Sockbeson pushes boundaries
Age: 31
Hometown: Brooklin, Maine
Education: Deer Isle Stonington High School; Cosmetology School, licensed cosmetologist; Apprenticeship with Jennifer Neptune
Website: sarahsockbeson.com
Facebook: facebook.com/sarahsockbesonbasketry
Please describe your desire to honor your ancestors and preserve Wabanaki history as well as embrace the modern world and inspire future generations through your art.
For me, tradition and cultural values are a huge driving force in my life and career as an artist, because it is all intertwined. I feel I have a responsibility to honor my ancestors that have practiced the art of basketry long before I was alive and it’s immensely satisfying that I’m able to perform this tradition in nearly every way it was practiced years ago.
Not only is weaving a way for me to feel spiritually connected with my ancestors, it also allows me to respect and honor their memory, life’s work, creative innovations and the efforts they made in protecting and preserving our cultural traditions and knowledge over time.
Many of their innovations may have originated out of necessity, utility and survival, yet it does not diminish its value in a modern context or my desire to sustain these practices.
For any of our traditions to survive in the face of adversity is a very big deal, and therefore, I think, as a responsible and conscientious Native person, I am committed to educating and carrying on these important aspects of our culture, not only to keep them alive, but to contribute to a beautiful, complex and diverse art form.
Although I am able to perform this tradition in all the same ways my ancestors practiced the art, I take pleasure in infusing contemporary elements and colors, and creating my own modern renditions.
I also have an affinity to working with the material in a fine/small scale. This can be challenging yet produces a very detailed and intricate effect, as well as a modern and fresh approach to an old practice.
As Native People, we have a long history of being resourceful and utilizing materials we have available to us in creative ways. Our art has never stopped evolving and continues to change with the times, as we market our work to current audiences and acclimate to our current environments.
I see my role not only as an artist, but also as an educator, and as I have grown as a basketmaker, marketing my work successfully for over 11 years now, as well as working with various Native American museums, I have seen the immense need for education.
In recent years, I have attended larger Native American art shows outside of Maine. I have found in attending these markets, that many people (especially outside of New England) have never seen brown ash and sweetgrass baskets, and know little about Wabanaki people and culture.
In Maine, I think there is a higher percentage of people that know about these traditions, than the rest of the country, but there are yet, many more people, within Maine, that could benefit from learning about basketry and other native art forms.
It was through these observations that led me to create a photographic documentation of the traditional basketmaking process. I now bring this documentation on a large display banner to every show. It demonstrates all the stages of our ash and sweetgrass basketry process: from harvesting the tree and sweetgrass, to wood preparation and basket weaving.
With this display, I am able to actually provide the information to people in a visually appealing way; educating/sharing everywhere I go. Once someone realizes that the baskets are made from wood and as they become educated about the traditional processes, their eyes are opened and they are amazed.
Educating as many people as possible has become a welcome and fortunate side effect of participating in various art markets in and outside of Maine. This is a very important component to keeping our traditions alive, helping provide a deeper awareness outside our community, as well as establishing a sustainable market to other basketmakers trying to make a living practicing an old tradition.
I can only hope that by extending the web of educated persons, I will be in turn, encouraging future artists, as well as aid in the fostering of appreciation for contemporary Native art in today’s world.
As a child you heard stories about your great-grandmother Elsie Tomer weaving baskets. Do you have any of her baskets?
Unfortunately I do not have any baskets that she made and have not even seen one. Which is so very sad to me. I would really love to see her work and hope to someday do more research into potentially locating her pieces in museums, and tracking down any family members that may retain baskets she made.
The challenge is that most baskets from the early 1900s, and before, were not signed and the maker was rarely documented, if at all. My grandmother has told me that her mother had a bowl-shaped basket that was one of her signature styles and everyone called it the “Elsie Bowl.” I’m sure there are pieces that she made in the collections of some of our Maine museums, and I am eager to see one in person.
My grandmother had many opportunities to learn and I asked her why she never did, she said she would help her mother from time to time, but was not all that interested in it, she didn’t like how messy it was, and I think she saw how hard her mother worked and how she was not compensated fairly for her actual time and effort back then.
She said she sold many of her baskets for 25 cents which today would be less than $5. So I can see why the next generation would be discouraged from investing their time in basketry as a profession, and look for alternatives for work.
I think that is why it is a real testament to the people that did choose to persevere and carry on a tradition despite there being little reward for their labors. I also don’t think people realized the significance and how easily the knowledge could be lost when the next generation chose not to learn or was intentionally not taught.
Especially during the early 1900s, conformity and assimilation were the real enemies of our culture, traditions and diversity. Many well-meaning parents chose not to teach their children the language and other elements of our culture, in an effort to try to protect them from discrimination and prejudice.
I think these are some of the driving forces for my desire to carry on, share and educate, because there is a real value in these traditions beyond anything monetary and I want to do my part to keep these things alive for our future generations.
I also found out that my great-great grandmother (my dad’s father’s grandmother) was a basketmaker and I actually have a picture of her weaving a basket. The image is in the (UMaine) archives; her name was Agnes Saulis White Pooler.
While basketweaving wasn’t passed directly to your generation in your family, you developed as an artist. Could you describe this — was it with other basketmakers? In school art classes? Both? Other? How did you develop your artistic skills?
I have been an artist my entire life and art is something that I apply to everything that I do as a person. I think art can take on many forms and I can honestly say there is nothing in this world I would rather spend my time doing, than simply creating.
Growing up, I aspired to be an artist, in some form or another, as my profession. I loved drawing, painting, sculpting, weaving/knitting with various fibers, beading, sewing, cooking and anything that allowed me to get creative.
Throughout grade school and high school I had some really amazing art teachers (nonnative) that encouraged me, challenged me and really nurtured my abilities, which definitely strengthened my desire to pursue art as a career.
Our cultural art and especially baskets have always fascinated and intrigued me, and I’ve always felt a strong connection and draw to it on a deeper level, yet did not have anyone left in my family that carried the knowledge on.
After high school I was living on Indian Island with my grandmother and sought out the information of basketmaking from another tribal member. I was lucky enough to have found an amazing teacher in Jennifer Neptune, and I began apprenticing with her in around 2003. She was very willing and eager to share the traditional knowledge with me.
As soon as I started working with ash and sweetgrass I found an amazing medium like no other. Brown ash is a very special material in particular, and it has qualities like no other wood. There are so many things you can do with it. You can twist, bend, dye, cut as fine as a piece of thread, and it is still durable, very strong once woven, and takes dye wonderfully well.
One of the first things I was taught was how to prepare my material and although this is a very time-consuming and labor-intensive process, it is also one of the most important aspects one must master. I think it also may be a deterrent to many new weavers just getting started, because it takes more hard work than many anticipate. It is also very messy, and it takes years to produce a basket that would be considered “presentable.”
For me, though, it only makes weaving that much more fun and satisfying, once the hard work is done and over with, the fun part begins, which is the weaving. However, to master the skills it takes to market your work successfully, it takes a lot of patience, practice and perseverance.
When you ultimately are able to create something that exceeds your expectations, it makes the entire process all the more gratifying.
I apprenticed with Jennifer for about a year and then started creating baskets on my own and have been weaving for about 12 years now. I like to take inspiration from many of the older-style antique baskets, but adapt them to my own design aesthetic and incorporate modern elements to create a contemporary overall look to the end product.
As native basketweavers we are a very small community and are all connected through a shared love of what we do and appreciate being the keepers of this important knowledge and carrying it on for the good of our culture. I think being a part of this small group also pushes, inspires and encourages us, as we watch each other grow and innovate the art form.
We participate in many of the same events and sometimes get together to work on projects and explore new ideas and materials. Although there is a certain amount of competition between us (because we all share the same market) I think it is a healthy amount that I would describe more as a deep appreciation for each other and for the unique offerings each person brings to the table, as well as a driving/ inspiring force to be better at what we do, and further our art form.
The success of one is the success for all. I’d say we all have a very special relationship to each other as basketmakers, even within all four tribes of Maine. I love to see my fellow basketmakers attain success, because not only does it help the art of basketry gain recognition, it also serves as a positive example of the determination of our community members.
I think as an artist there is always the desire to push boundaries and innovate, no matter what medium you choose to work with. For me, I really like to use bold, modern colors in my baskets as I love the contrast between old and new, contemporary and traditional, natural and unnatural.
I was also was a painter before I started working with ash and sweetgrass, so color has always been something I enjoy experimenting with. Being a painter, I wanted to find a way to combine my paintings with my basketry, and so I created many pieces in which I paint on birchbark with acrylic paint (usually a Maine landscape scene) and attach to the cover of a basket, coordinating the colors (of nature) in the painting with the basket.
Please describe how you learned that your pieces were being included in the “You Can’t Get There from Here: The 2015 Portland Museum of Art Biennial” and what this means to you.
I was first contacted by the curator, Alison Ferris, and was asked if I would like to be a part of this exhibit. I was really not sure what to expect since I had not worked with contemporary art museums in the past.
Most of the exhibits I have been a part of have been specifically Native American art exhibits. I am very excited and honored to have been chosen to be included in this particular exhibition at the Portland Museum of Art. I think it is another step forward having our Native American, traditional, cultural art showcased as fine art, as I see the top-quality works as such.
This is something that I have personally been working to accomplish. Although I am practicing a traditional art form, I would like to change the mindset of our work being viewed as merely traditional “craft.”
As our baskets continue to evolve and we push the boundaries with new innovations, as well as our baskets being seen in a contemporary art exhibit, it may help people view our work in a different context and hopefully aid in our creations being considered as fine art and rival to other contemporary works.
Although I do consider myself a contemporary Maine artist, I’m also proud to be considered a Native artist as well. I think we, as Native artisans, have a unique perspective, having a foot in both worlds (so to speak) and it’s something to embrace as well as a great opportunity to share art that is important to our culture and heritage with new audiences.
How do you develop ideas for baskets? What’s your favorite part of basket-making process?
Today I harvest and prepare all my own material from scratch (with some help with the labor from my boyfriend, Nick). To make my baskets, it requires a great deal of gathering, and I personally go out into the forest and select the brown ash tree, selection being an art unto itself.
Nick cuts down the tree and pounds the tree until the growth rings split and then we split the wood and process it down into finer and finer pieces depending on the project. The wood can be stored indefinitely in the right conditions. Usually I store the pounded growth rings, and take out what I need for a few projects at a time.
Everyone has a different process and many will take a day or days where they will just prep a bunch of material, splitting and gauging, and dying various colors all at once, and then they have all the work out of the way and they can just take out pieces of wood as they go and choose to what to weave as they go. I have a different approach (I think) than many.
When I embark on a new project I start by creating design concepts, so I usually pick out my block (aka mold or shape). Then I start thinking about color combinations. Some of my ideas come from nature, plants, animals, birds, home decor, fashion, etc. Color is really a driving force in my process. I see color combinations everywhere and I’m always looking for original color schemes that will harmonize well with the material.
I usually have an initial design in my head, which I will sometimes sketch with colored pencils or marker, to get an idea if the colors will work well together. I also have to think about pattern in this process.
We have a few basic traditional weave patterns that we use frequently, one is a curl (which is round), a porcupine (or point), a ribbon curl, and a simple plain (flat or plaited) weave. There are an innumerable color and pattern combinations you could potentially create.
So once the design concept is generated, I then begin to prep all my material based on that design. I usually will create almost a kit of materials for myself, then dye them. After I dye, I organize and sort my materials into different categories based on size and then I can get started on the weaving.
I will usually create four to six kits at once, so the prep work is done and I can focus strictly on weaving for a time. This is my favorite part, assembling the designs and witnessing (my) plan come into fruition. What has been particularly rewarding is seeing a large tree become small intricately woven pieces of art.
Once I learned all the attributes of the material, various traditional techniques involved, as well as having the ability to be my own boss, do what I love on a daily basis, and continue an important cultural tradition, there was no other thing I wanted to dedicate my time to.
Being a basketmaker and educating about our cultural traditions has become my life. I am first and foremost an artist, but I also feel a responsibility to honor my ancestors and fill a positive role in my community by continuing and sharing our cultural heritage.
I can only hope future generations will also be as fortunate as I have been, to be able to practice this art form and make a living doing something they love on a daily basis. I think there is something deeply and profoundly satisfying to perform an art that has been passed down from generation to generation, (even if it skipped a couple in my case) and for it to still have relevance in the modern day is even more spectacular.
Is there anything else you would like readers to know about you, your art or the Maine Indian Basketmakers Holiday Market?
I would like to encourage people to attend this market even if they are not necessarily a Native art collector, because I think education about our people, our culture and our art is very important. I think it is the key to understanding many of the issues that face Native people today.
When I attend this show, I am not just there to sell my work, I am also there to educate and be a resource for people wanting to learn more.