There is an article with photo of Mary Makuta with her baskets in the Home & Away Section of the Sunday, Oct. 31, 2010, edition of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. The article describes Mary’s baskets and how she got started weaving them.
Article in St. Louis Post-Dispatch
October 29, 2010
I am a basketmaker, designer and teacher of basketry using hand-pounded black ash on specialized molds to weave my custom Shaker and Nantucket baskets and basket purses. The Nantucket and Shaker style baskets I design and weave are unique, particularly in the Midwest United States.
Nantucket basketry originated in the 1800′s off the island of Nantucket by the lightship crews using very hardy materials for long-lasting and durable baskets.
Shaker basketry originated in the 1700′s by the Shaker community originating in New York and spreading to a few other communities. Shaker baskets are known for their precise cutting and evenness of their weave and the style of their furniture and other goods exemplifying simplicity, order and balance for which the Shaker community is known worldwide. Although Shaker basketry ended over a hundred years ago, through the work of Martha Wetherbee and Nathan Taylor as told in their book “SHAKER BASKETS,” the lost art of the techniques of Shaker basketry can be learned and enjoyed by basketweavers and art lovers today.
