Jackie Abrams:
45 Years of Making
May 29 – July 4, 2021
Opening Saturday, May 29, 12-7pm
Artist Reception, 5-7pm
Artist Talk, Saturday, June 26, 5pm
Work available online
Jackie Abrams, Standing in Strength, 2017
This retrospective exhibit allows me to share pieces from my collection that I have created and accumulated during my years of learning, experimenting and constructing. It started in 1975 when I visited the Basket Shop in Chesterfield, MA, owned and operated by 81-year-old Benjamin Higgins. He made traditional and functional woven baskets of pounded white ash trees, a technique he learned from his father. I spent 6 months as his apprentice; it changed my life. I have been a basket maker and fiber artist since then. For 13 years I made functional baskets using natural materials. Wishing for enlivened color, I began to explore other techniques, materials, and the possibilities of contemporary, non-functional vessels. Such possibilities continue to be boundless and infinite. During all these years, I have taken and presented workshops, worked with indigenous women in both Africa and Central America and felt inspired by the artistry of so many others. I have relished the time to experiment in my studio, with both success and failures along the way. Each new series of vessels has become an adventurous pathway to explore and has spurred my interest in the connection between art and social justice.
Jackie Abrams
Generations of Friends, 2000
stitched, photo transfers
cotton paper, acrylic paint, linen thread
12h x 8 x 8 inches
$1900
Jackie Abrams
Safari Tea, 2000
stitched
cotton paper, acrylic paint, waxed linen thread, varnish
11h x 3.5 x 10 inches
$3500
Jackie Abrams
Good Friends, 2000
stitched, photo transfers
cotton paper, acrylic paint, waxed linen thread, varnish
13h x 11 x 8 inches
$1500
Jackie Abrams
Kimono Form #9, 2000
bias plaiting with surface design, netting
cotton paper, acrylic paint and mediums, mulberry paper, waxed linen thread, beads
7,5h x 7 x 4 inches
sold
Jackie Abrams
Kimono Form #53, 2002
bias plaiting with surface design, netting
cotton paper, acrylic paint and mediums, mulberry paper, waxed linen thread, buttons
11h x 9 x 5 inches
sold
Jackie Abrams
Kimono Form – Golden
bias plaiting with surface design
cotton paper, acrylic paint and mediums, waxed linen thread, buttons
4h x 8 x 5 inches
sold
Jackie Abrams
Seattle Red Urn, 1998
woven
cotton paper, acrylic paint, waxed linen thread, varnish
7h x 11 x 11 inches
sold
Jackie Abrams
Autumn Parallax, 2018
woven
cotton paper, acrylic paint, plastic film, waxed linen thread
7h x 11 x 11 inches
sold
Jackie Abrams
Hidden Memories: the Ravages of Dementia, 2013
coiled and stitched
cloths that hold a memory, waxed linen thread
11h x 10 x 10 inches
sold
Jackie Abrams
Bearing Witness, 2019
Bearing Witness I – V, sold individually
wire, mulberry paper, pattern paper, nylon, paint, waxed linen thread, bead
12h – 14h inches
$1200 – $1900
Jackie Abrams
She Bore Witness, 2020
twined
wire, cheesecloth, thread, fabric, paint
11h x 9 x 8 inches
sold
Jackie Abrams’s exploration of plaiting techniques and her use of heavy cotton paper as a creative structural material has enhanced the world of contemporary basketry. She exhibits her work at shows, galleries, and museums, and is represented in many collections, most notably the Renwick Gallery of the Smithsonian Institution and the National Museum of Scotland. Numerous fiber arts and fine craft books have featured her unusual and thoughtful pieces. She has received grants from the Vermont Arts Council and the Vermont Community Foundation. Well appreciated for her artistry and her connections to others, Jackie teaches throughout the US and in Central America, UK, Australia, Canada, and Ghana. She lives in southern Vermont.
Jackie Abrams
Bread Basket, 1976
signed, “J Speeter ’76”
open twining, reed
4h x 15 x 15 inches
sold
Jackie Abrams
Melon Basket, 1983
rib construction
reed, seagrass, cane
9h x 10 x 11 inches
$400
Jackie Abrams
Campanula, 1993
woven
cotton paper, acrylic paint, waxed linen thread
8h x 9 x 9 inches
sold
Jackie Abrams
Cathead Basket – Blue and Rose
woven
cotton paper, paint, waxed linen thread, varnish
6h x 8 x 8 inches
sold
Jackie Abrams
Cathead Basket, 2010
woven
cotton paper, acrylic paint, waxed linen thread, varnish
8h x 11 x 9 inches
sold
Jackie Abrams
Up Close, 2018
collaboration with Deidre Scherer
print on cotton paper, wire, waxed linen thread
11.5h x 7.5 x 7.5 inches
$1700
Jackie Abrams
Garlic, 2018
collaboration with Deidre Scherer
print on cotton paper, plastic film, waxed linen thread
8.5h x 12.5 x 12 inches
$1800
Jackie Abrams
Hands of Light, 2018
collaboration with Deidre Scherer
print on cotton paper, plastic film, waxed linen thread
11.5h x 7.5 x 7.5 inches
donated
Jackie Abrams
Untitled, 2000
collaboration with Marilyn Moore
stitched
cotton paper, copper foil, acrylic paint and mediums, waxed linen thread
13.5h x 9 x 9 inches
sold
Jackie Abrams
Material Conversation, 2011
collaboration with Josh Bernbaum
glass, coiled
glass, plastic bags, waxed linen thread
10h each, 2 pieces
$3600
Jackie Abrams
Red Towers #2, 1989
loom-woven construction
dyed raffia, red osier dogwood, waxed linen thread
featured in Fiberarts Design Book Four
20h x 10 x 10 inches
$1600
Jackie Abrams
Ecru Tower, 1989
loom woven
red osier dogwood, waxed linen thread, pounded black ash splints, flax fibers
18h x 6 x 8 inches
$625
Jackie Abrams
City Lights, 1991
triptych, wall hanging, random weave
dowels, paint, waxed linen thread, ribbons
based on Le Chateau Noir, by Paul Cezanne
26h x 28 x 3 inches
sold
Jackie Abrams
Double Ash Doors, 1992
diptych, wall hanging, random weave
red osier dogwood, waxed linen thread, black ash splints, cattail leaves, birch and juneberry barks
featured in Basketry Round Up #3, by Shereen LaPlantz
12h x 21 x 7 inches, 2 pieces
sold
“Women Forms” are woven vessels that speak of women, their shared stories, and their layers of experience. They are studies in form, color, and surface textures. These vessels speak of the importance of the women in our lives, of their strengths and sorrows, their growth and joys. Each vessel tells the story of a woman, as an individual. The outside, with its decorated, sometimes rough surface, has been formed and shaped by society and the woman’s life experiences. The inside, which catches the light in unexpected ways, reflects her inner strengths—strengths not always visible but worthy of careful looking. They may stand alone, or gather strength and support from the company of other women.
Jackie Abrams
Standing in Strength, 2017
from the Women Form Series, woven, surface techniques
cotton and rice papers, acrylic paints and mediums, wire, encaustic wax, copper foil, buttons, waxed linen thread, varnish
5h-10h inches
sold
Jackie Abrams
Souda, 2013
from the Women Form Series, woven
cotton paper, acrylic paint, wire, sand from CT, waxed linen thread, beads
19h x 12 x 12 inches
Souda (black feminine in Arabic)
sold
Jackie Abrams
Akua Badie, 2007
from the Women Form Series, woven
cotton paper, acrylic paint, wire, Badie ink
14h x 8 x 8 inches
“Akua is the name of all Ghanaian women born on Wednesday, making her a part of a family of sisters named Akua. Her color is from Badie ink, the traditional Adinkra stamping ink, made from the bark of the Badie tree growing in northern Ghana.”
sold
Jackie Abrams
Woman Form
woven, Women Form Series
Ghanaian fabric, paper, wire, ostrich egg shell bead
8h x 5 x 5 inches
sold
Jackie Abrams
Ancient Wisdom, 2014
woven, Women Form Series
paper, acrylic paint, wire, encaustic, buttons, sand
14h x 8 x 9 inches
sold
Jackie Abrams
Elemental Woman, 2017
woven, Women Form Series
wire, sewing pattern paper, beads
13h x 8 x 8 inches
donated
I create vessels with texture and color, in forms that are woven, stitched, layered, and constructed. Each piece can stand alone, or can be connected and related with other pieces in support and unity, representing a community of women with stories to share. I collaborate with each piece as it develops, working intuitively, allowing a dialogue to emerge, with the colors and textures of the materials informing the vessels as I create them. My materials may include archival or recycled papers, sand, acrylic paint, silk or cotton fabrics, wire, recycled plastic bags, encaustic wax, thread, buttons, or stones. As an educator, my craft development workshops … have had a profound influence on my art and on my life. I have learned to simplify, to let the forms and the materials speak for themselves. The fabrics, the colors, the earth, and most significantly the people, continue to impact the vessels I create.
Selected writing about Jackie Abrams: 45 Years of Making.
Jackie Abrams
African Jar, 1998
stitched
cotton paper, acrylic paint, waxed linen thread, varnish
8.5h x 11 x 11 inches
sold
Jackie Abrams
Hopi Prints, 1997
stitched
cotton paper, acrylic paint, waxed linen thread, varnish
8.5h x 10 x 10 inches
sold
Jackie Abrams
Hexagonal Weave, 2019
hexagonal weave with interlacing
cotton paper, acrylic paint, waxed linen thread, varnish
7h x 5 x 5 inches
sold
Jackie Abrams
Hexagonal Weave #39, 1998
hexagonal weave with interlacing
cotton paper, acrylic paint, waxed linen thread, varnish
6h x 8 x 8 inches
sold
Jackie Abrams
Hexagonal Weave #56, 1999
hexagonal weave with interlacing
black ash splints, paper, acrylic paint, waxed linen thread
8h x 8 x 7 inches
sold
Jackie Abrams
Blue Ode Urn, 1999
woven
cotton paper, acrylic paint, waxed linen thread, varnish
4h x 11 x 11 inches
sold
Jackie Abrams
Silver Dots, 1992
bias plaited
cotton paper, acrylic paint, varnish
5h x 11 x 11 inches
sold
Jackie Abrams
Blue Ode, 1998
bias plaited, double wall
cotton paper, acrylic paint, varnish
4h x 11 x 11 inches
$825
Jackie Abrams
Markings I, 2017
twined
wire, rice paper, acrylic paint and mediums, varnish
9h x 7 x 9 inches
sold
Jackie Abrams
Stitched Stucco, 2000
stitched
cotton paper, acrylic paint and mediums, waxed linen thread, varnish
8h x 11 x 8 inches
$1400
Jackie Abrams
Folded – Blue Twill
woven
cotton paper, paint, waxed linen, varnish
3h x 13 x 13 inches
$300
Jackie Abrams
Stucco
bias plaiting, surface techniques
cotton paper, acrylic paint and medium, linen thread, varnish
5.5h x 6 x 4 inches
sold
Jackie Abrams
Folded – Autumn Bowl
woven
cotton paper, paint, waxed linen, varnish, buttons
5h x 6 x 7 inches
sold
Jackie Abrams
Tall Houses, 2004
sand over hollow core construction
paint, sand
16h – 18h inches
$1900
Jackie Abrams
Precarious Shelter #10, 2020
wire, crocheting, knotless netting, hand stitching, prefab construction
17 x 11 x 9 inches
$4000
Jackie Abrams
Precarious Shelter #11, 2020
wire, pattern paper, paper, paint, thread
22 x 10 x 12 inches
$5000
Jackie Abrams
An Empty Shell, 2021
paint, sand, wire, waxed linen thread
15h x 6 x 6 inches
$1500
“An Empty Shell was started in 2020, with the intention that it would be the first in a new series of Precarious Shelters. Cancer intervened. For a while, particularly during the time I was getting chemotherapy, it felt like the title referred to my body as well. I know now, absolutely, that it does not. My body is still a collection of the memories of all the people in my life, of my experiences, and a reflection of a life well lived.”