[Photos of Sea Island on the bottom are by Patrick Cline for Lonny, June/July. Shown at the top, elephant ear sweetgrass basket made by Jeannette Lee, image via Avery Research Center Artifact Collection and Lowcountry Digital Library.]
During the past few years I've become a true fan of the creative collaborations between Lonny founder, editor in chief, and art director extraordinaire, Michelle Adams, and photographer Patrick Cline so I was excited when Michelle told me the duo decided to explore my native state, Georgia. Their June/July issue features Pat's photos of a Sea Island condo decorated by none other than Bunny Williams, as well as a fresh Atlanta high-rise model designed by style savvy Lee Kleinhelter.
[Lee photographed by Patrick Cline for Lonny.]
Michelle also offered me a wonderful opportunity to put together a list of favorite things that, for the most part, represent my region. I hoped it would be a little ode to the creative process, so almost every piece highlighted on the back pages is handmade or designed by one person.
[Cobra basket with handle by Mary Jackson, from the collection of the Gibbes.]
Click here to watch a video about the 2008 MacArthur Fellow, fiber artist and Gullah descendant, Mary Jackson. She's doing really innovative designs.
The Museum for African Art has a helpful webpage about the exhibition, Grass Roots: African Origins of an American Art, a show that dealt with baskets from the Lowcountry of South Carolina and Georgia and from diverse regions of Africa. The accompanying book is available here.
Links of interest:
Sweetgrass Festival
Sapelo Island Cultural and Revitalization Society
Hog Hammock Community
Julie Dash
Daughters of the Dust
Thanks to writer Shawn Gauthier for weaving together the Lonny back pages piece! Her work can be found throughout the magazine.
Loosely related past posts: Things that Inspire Lee and The Midnight Train to Georgia.
16 comments:
The baskets are timeless and true works of art...
Karena
Art by Karena
Aww! Im from the great state of Georgia and now I live in SC! We see those baskets everywhere on the coast-LOVE them! Congrats on the Lonny magazine!
Happy to hear from others who appreciate the baskets. Thanks Design Blooms!
You're talking my childhood here, the coasts of Georgia and SC where I grew up, familiar with all these places I called home at one time or another! Love this post!
The baskets are so beautiful. Congrats on the Lonny Mag feature!
Wonderful on all accounts!
Congratulations and well done!
x Charlotta
the baskets are truly works or art, Charleston remains a national treasure. I read your picks in Lonny-great ones and well deserved truly.
Tina,
Your childhood sounds magical.
Thanks Laura and Charlotta!
Gaye --
So happy you had a chance to check them out. Thanks!
So proud of our state! You always do a great job of highlighting Georgia's stylish side and I was happy to see Lonny picking up on it too. Great issue!
Thanks Millie! I'm hoping Pat took more shots of Cumberland.
Such a perfectly timely post ~ the gentleman and I are headed to Charleston for our honeymoon later this fall! This has me dreaming already....
J --
That's wonderful news! Can't wait to see what you photograph...and you will beat the worst of the heat.
Speaking of museums, we have some at the Atlanta History Center!
http://www.atlantahistorycenter.com/cms/Shaping+Traditions%3A+Folk+Arts+in+a+Changing+South/106.html
I saw hundreds of baskets at CharlestonSweetgrass.com
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