Sidney and Lois Eskenazi Museum of Art

About this Work

Basketry is a Native American art form found in communities throughout the continent. Baskets are created through a number of different methods including wickerwork, twining, and coiling. Some baskets are decorated with geometric designs, others with figurative depictions. Some are further elaborated with feathers, shells, or beads. Baskets were and continue to be used for daily needs, within ceremonial celebrations, and also as objects of trade. 

The American southwest is often recognized for the astonishing arts created by its native communities, among them basketry. This Western Apache basket, created with the coil technique, is of a form known as an ollas. This form was both used by the community itself, mostly for storage of food goods, and as a trade good.