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??Award-winning artist Kari Lonning of Ridgefield?? fashions sculptural baskets and contemporary fiber vessels inspired by large ceramic flower pots, English and Japanese garden design and architecture. Her work is in the White House Craft Collection, the Renwick Gallery of the Smithsonian Institution, the Mint Museum in Charlotte, NC and the U.S. Embassy in Bangkok, Thailand. It's also on view October 15-17, at the Westchester Craft Show. This juried event features crafts by more than 100 artists from around the country, who have been chosen to exhibit. Featured crafts for sale include works in glass, precious metals, ceramic, hand-woven fabrics, leather, paper and wood.
On her blog, Lonning talks about the process involved in creating a recent commission she was awarded by the Fuller Craft Museum in Brockton, Mass. "The challenge was to create a basket over and beyond what I had done before, yet exemplify the best of what I am known for," she writes. She chose to weave a double-walled construction which, uniquely, sits at an angle. As an avid gardener, for Lonning, its chartreuse "field" (in the inner basket) was inspired by "the promise of spring growth."
See Lonning's contemporary baskets and crafts by other inspired artists at the Westchester Craft Show. Hours are: 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Friday and Saturday and 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Sunday. Admission is $10 and $12. Children under 12 are free. For more information, visit the show's website.
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