Mary A. Jackson

Mary A. Jackson (American, b. 1945)

Mary Jackson was raised in Mt. Pleasant, SC, and learned the Gullah art of sweetgrass basketry from her mother when she was four years old. Mastering the traditional coiled forms of functional baskets, she introduced new shapes and non-traditional materials, like pine needles and palmetto, to create contrasting patterns. Awarded a 2008 Macarthur Fellowship, 2008 US Artists Fellowship, and a 2010 NEA National Heritage Fellowship, her first exhibition was at the Gibbes Museum in 1984. Widely collected, she utilizes traditional techniques to create contemporary, elegant works of art.

Important Source Material:

Lauria, Jo and Steve Fenton. Craft in America: Celebrating Two Centuries of Artists and Objects. New York: Clarkson Potter/Publishers, 2007, p. 273.

NHS