“Butterfly Dream”
by Sadie Marks, Hopi
Alternate Views
Description: Coiled basketry tray, diameter 46.2 cm (18.2 inches), ASM catalog no. 2013-137-1 . Juror Andrew Higgins provided this detailed description:
This impressive basket is woven with yucca (Yucca elata), devil’s claw (Proboscidea parviflora), banana yucca root (Yucca baccata) on a beargrass (Nolina microcarpa) foundation. Yellow highlights appear to be dyed yucca; the source of the yellow has yet to be determined.
The basket begins in the center with a closed stitch of a yellow butterfly outlined in black. It changes to a wheat or open stitch technique that displays the foundation, while a whirlwind design extends outward bordered in red. This technique continues to display motion, while using contrasting bleached and unbleached yucca.
Next Ms. Marks masterfully changed her coiled technique back to a closed stitch and created a stacked chevron or diamond design in a black, green, yellow and red palette. Then, she stitched an open coiled zigzag, giving the basket another dimensionality. She then masterfully finished the basket with a unique open stitch technique in a diamond net pattern, while incorporating pairs of embroidered black widow spiders, birds, and butterflies. The rim coil is close stitched with widely spaced devil’s claw lashing.
About this Award: Any medium is eligible. This special acquisition award is open to all works on display at the Fair; they need not be entered in the Friday competition to win. The winner of this award is announced on Saturday at noon. Winning artworks become part of the museum’s permanent collections.
Jurors’ Comments:
Andrew Higgins: We chose a basket by Hopi artist Sadie Marks, who lives on the Tohono O’odham reservation. She uses Tohono O’odham materials to make her baskets, while almost always incorporating Hopi motifs. It’s fascinating that she has been able to do this so successfully. We do not own a Sadie Marks basket, and that has been on our wish-list. Some other artists mentioned that this is one of the largest baskets they have seen Sadie make in several years. I first saw this basket from far away, and it looked alive. Closer up, it was truly stunning. Sadie started the basket with a beautiful butterfly, and then created a whirlwind out if a very tight open-stitch technique, back to a closed-stitch, coiled, to a stacked chevron or diamond design, with different plant materials—banana yucca, devil’s claw. Around the basket she has spiders, birds and butterflies. Overall the basket is really stunning. It’s an amazing example of so many elements tied into one, and it works so beautifully. We are honored to have Sadie’s basket in our museum; it’s going to look wonderful in the vault for all the public to see.
Diane Dittemore: We are very happy to have such a fine example of Sadie Marks’ work for our permanent collections. I used to see her submissions to Tohono O'odham Community Action’s juried competition when they were hosting annual basketry celebrations and I made a mental note at the time that she should be represented at ASM.
Kay Hendricks: What blew that basket out of the water for me were the colors—the red highlights and the lacy effect from the different types of weaves. It seemed to be a perfect synthesis of Hopi and Tohono O’odham basketry traditions, with the butterflies, birds and spiders important to both tribes.
Paddy Schwartz: The gorgeous basket that was the winner this year was a marvel of technique and grace, having a wonderfully delicate but intricate amalgam of patterns. I especially enjoyed the use of the Hopi iconography such as the little yellow butterflies done with traditional Hopi yucca preparation techniques. All in all, a fine basket visually and technically.
Susan Smith: This basket jumped out at all of us first thing. It is truly magnificent. All the art we looked at was beautiful but we all came back to this, our first choice. The blending of cultures, Hopi and Tohono makes it truly unique. The workmanship is excellent. Her arrangement of the colors and symbols are beautiful. What else can one say?