Sewn Together - 1964 & now

At a neighborhood New Year's Eve gathering I learned that an avid sweetgrass basket collector and author lived across the street from me. I told her about the three sisters and their stand in Mt. Pleasant where a group of plein air painters gathered last summer (detailed in a previous blog post). From what I could see her collection consisted of tiny creations, many of them made from pine needles. As it turns out, that was only the tip of the iceberg.

On my way out the door Laura Crosby handed me a manuscript and looking through the pages one photo caught my attention. It was taken by her father, Eugene B. Sloan, in 1964. I'm happy to say his photo is the basis for my latest collage of painted papers and color copies. In the young girl's hand is a large missionary bag and in her other hand is cash after presumably selling a basket. A Proud Moment.

​Text from the 2019 Catesby Center Advisory Board listing. "A native South Carolinian, Laura Sloan Crosby is an artist, author, and advocate for the arts - particularly the arts and crafts indigenous to South Carolina. 
... In addition to weaving her own baskets, she is an avid collector of Lowcountry sweetgrass baskets. The Crosby Collection resides at McKissick Library at the University of South Carolina where baskets from her collection were included in the Row Upon Row and Grass Roots exhibits."

​It is gratifying indeed to discover connections that are sewn together.