Baskets are extraordinary. Did you know that the preparation that must happen before the artist can even begin to weave requires many hours of physical labor and a lot of patience—to harvest the materials, create the dyes, and more.
This basket was made by Helen Bradley Smith. Learn more about Smith in her own words and from the Coe's chief curator Bruce Bernstein—click here.
Helen Bradley Smith (Cherokee), Basket, c. 1975-83.
Rivercane, black walnut and butternut root dye, 12 x 9 x 9 in. NA0348
A Sneak Peek...
While the Coe Center continues to practice social distancing, Collection Manager, Samantha Tracy has been keeping an eye on the Coe and its collection.
Samantha has been able to work on inventory and rehousing and even had the opportunity to create a display of a few framed works from the Coe collection.
This smiling frog sculpture carved by the late Walter Harris (Gitxsan) provides a moment of relief right now. Sunning with its belly up to the sky and its tongue sticking out, the refined simplicity of this work adds to its power to evoke a pure, emotional response.
Harris was a leading figure in the resurgence of Northwest Coast art forms in the 1970s and '80s and a hereditary chief of Kispoix. Ted Coe met Harris during the opening ceremonies of Coe's exhibition of Sacred Circles at the Nelson Gallery in Kansas City.
Read Coe's story about how he acquired this piece and the significance it held for him.
The Ralph T. Coe Center for the Arts is a private operating 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. Contributions are tax-deductible to the extent of the Internal Revenue Code. Please donate online or mail checks to the Ralph T. Coe Center for the Arts, 1590 B Pacheco Street, Santa Fe, NM 87505. Your support creates connection. Thank you.
Ralph T. Coe Center for the Arts | 1590 B Pacheco Street, Santa Fe, NM 87505
