When one thinks of a basket, artistic expression and sculpture might not be the first thing that comes to mind. 

A trip to the Textile Center in Prospect Park might change that perspective.

 “Basketry Now” is a biennial art exhibition of work from members of the National Basketry Organization (NBO) and features pieces that will make people rethink what a basket can be. Pieces shown were selected by one judge, Gyöngy Laky.  

Founded in 2000, the NBO is a nonprofit organization with roughly 700 members that seeks to spread awareness of the art of basket making. Members range in skill level, and are located all across the world.

The biennial exhibition, formerly called All Things Considered, is designed as a sample of the types of basketry practices that make up the work of NBO members, both sculptural and functional.

Its name was changed for the 2019 exhibition to better reflect its mission, said Ann Coddington, vice president of NBO. But due to the pandemic, the event paused after the 2019 showing. 

This year marks the return to a juried exhibition and also marks the 25th anniversary of NBO.

Coddington said she was excited and relieved that Basketry Now could be held again after such a long hiatus.

“A lot of people don’t really know what’s happening in the art form, so it’s really important for us to hold exhibitions to showcase that, and help people understand what we’re all about,” Coddington said.

The exhibition, which opened on July 29 and runs through Oct. 18, features 68 pieces from 64 artists that were selected based on the approach, concept, design, and technical skill of the work, Coddington added. 

Bonnie Zimmer, one of the artists featured in the exhibit and a member of NBO since it was founded, said she felt a strong sense of community among her fellow artists when they gathered at a reception for the exhibition on Aug. 7.

 “I feel like it was kind of a family reunion of sorts,” Zimmer said.

Zimmer, an Indiana-based artist who has worked with fiber material in various art forms—from dyed reeds to discarded window netting—has had her work featured in the basketry exhibition several times in previous years. Her current work focuses on the relationship between humanity and the natural world by combining found materials like plastic with more natural fibers.

Zimmer’s piece on display for Basketry Now, “Dreams of Reciprocity,” uses curved willow branches, milkweed, and other found materials to create a vessel that evokes beehive-like imagery. Using copper wire and a netting technique invented by fishermen, she combines the found objects into a singular, unified form, and sews on milkweed pods with waxed linen threads.

Zimmer said her work emphasizes the importance of “baskets that hold ideas,” and noted that she and the other artists in the exhibition are using their work to transcend traditional ideas about basket making. 

Coddington’s work was also featured in the exhibition with an anthropological lens. Her current work is primarily woven sculptural forms that resemble the shape of a female body, including the piece called “Maiden” on display in Basketry Now.

The piece reflects her exploration of ideas of the feminine form since the beginning of President Donald Trump’s administration that brought a wave of misogyny and legislative changes to women’s health care and bodily autonomy. 

“I like the way that the word, ‘maiden’ refers both to the feminine, but also something being made,” Coddington said.

Because the exhibition will be open into October, Coddington said she hopes that University of Minnesota students will get a chance to explore the work on display and perhaps delve into basketry on their own. 

“I think it’s a type of making that’s vital right now, in such a digital, technological world,” Coddington said. “Basketry is a technology that has never been mechanized. Every basket you see has been made by human hands, even the two dollar things you see at Walmart.”

NOTE: A previous version of this story was published with several errors. The exhibition artist's name was incorrectly written as Anne Coddington, professor at Eastern Illinois University; her name is spelled Ann Coddington and her title is professor emerit. The story also incorrectly stated that 2025 was the first exhibition since 2019; it was the first juried exhibition since 2019.  The story also incorrectly said the exhibited pieces were selected by judges; the selections were made by one judge, Gyöngy Laky.