Web and Flow is the name of the current gallery show at the Minnesota Textile Center, showcasing artists’ baskets from around the country, on display until April 18th.

Pictures were not allowed, but I’ll describe a few of the more unusual ones, with links if I can find them:

• Cathleen Michel made a basket primarily of peacock and pheasant feathers, so a rich blue-green soft-looking piece with the tips of the feathers as the outside of the basket.
• Karyl Sisson made this great organic shape out of yellow cloth tape measures (images at Mobilia and BrownGrotta <-looked more like this one).
• Jennifer Rife’s basket was of hand-dyed silk noil bound around bundles of reeds, which were then coiled; rich texture and colors because of the silk (Kate Gingrass Gallery).
• Lanny Bergner had a basket in a basket of aluminum and brass mesh, with glass frit.  It was large and airy and delicate (Mobilia and his personal website).
• A L Woods wrapped cassette tape over a reed (I think), and then coiled this composite material into a basket. (eta: please read the comments — the artist described how it was made!)
• Joh Ricci used dyed nylon cord and knots in random directions for her piece (American Craft Council and Kate Gingrass Gallery).
• Michael Davis had a more traditional reed basket, and for additional interest, he used colored ball-headed quilting pins for a great textural accent.
• Alison Gates used a transparent hollow tube that was recycled milliner’s trim from the 1950’s for her coiled basket.

There were many wonderful pieces, classic baskets with traditional materials executed brilliantly, and the more unusual materials or techniques described above.