For Immediate Release
For Further Information Contact:
Krista Bard or Susan Shain
Bard Strategies
(215) 735-7110
Philadelphia Museum of Art Craft Show Exhibitor Mary Jackson
Named a MacArthur Fellow
September 25, 2008 — Fiber artist Mary Jackson of Charleston, South
Carolina, longtime participant in the Philadelphia Museum of Art Craft
Show, was awarded an unrestricted "no strings attached" $500,000 "genius
award" from The John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation. Jackson
is one of 24 award winners or "fellows" who were nominated in
confidence, representing a wide range of disciplines, all "committed to
building a more just, verdant and preaceful world." The award is not in
recognition of past achievements or for a specific project, but rather
an investment in a person's originality, insight, and potential, with
the intended purpose of enabling recipients to exercise their own
creative instincts for the benefit of human society. As such, it is
considered one of the most prestigious awards in the world, from one of
the nation's largest foundations.
Mary Jackson's intricately coiled vessels preserve the centuries-old craft of sweetgrass basketry and push the tradition in stunning new directions. A descendent of the Gullah community of coastal South Carolina, Jackson learned to make baskets at the age of four from her mother and grandmother, who passed on skills brought to the United States by their West African ancestors. Developed originally as domestic and agricultural tools for cotton and rice production, sweetgrass baskets have traditionally taken such utilitarian shapes as storage containers and rice fanners. With masterful technique, Jackson translates these practical designs into finely detailed, sculptural forms. To maximize color contrasts, she incorporates other regional materials - strips of palmetto, long-leaf pine needles, and bulrush - into works that rise in rhythmic coils and demonstrate the remarkable strength and tension of her stitched constructions. As a founding member of the Mount Pleasant Sweetgrass Basket Makers' Association, she also leads efforts to protect the threatened wetland habitats of sweetgrass and ensure continued local access to these resources. While preserving the culture and history of her ancestors, Jackson infuses this inherited art form with a contemporary aesthetic and expressiveness all her own.
For more information about this wonderful award given to Mary Jackson, See www.macfound.org
Mary Jackson will be exhibiting her work at the 2008 Philadelphia Museum of Art Craft Show.
For more information, contact 215-684-7930, or email .
Founded in 1883, the Women's Committee of the Philadelphia Museum of Art is one of, if not the oldest organization of women in support of a cultural institution in the country. Over the years, the Women's Committee has raised millions of dollars, and their efforts have influenced every gallery and program in the Museum. Funds are raised through the annual Philadelphia Museum of Art Craft Show now going into its 32nd year (in conjunction with The Philadelphia Museum of Art Craft Show Committee); ArtWorks, a retail gallery in the Museum; Small Indulgences, a boutique show held annually; and gala openings of various exhibitions at the Philadelphia Museum of Art.
