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There used to be a strict dividing line separating art and craft: If it was made by hand and used in a utilitarian manner, it was a craft, not fine art. Over the last century, that division has been largely eliminated. Walk into any museum and you will see examples of quilting, embroidery, pottery and woodworking now recognized as works of fine art.
Go to the Cantor Arts Center and you can see yet another category that used to be relegated to craft — basketry — and be amazed at the exquisite objects made by Maine artist Jeremy Frey. On view through July 20, “Jeremy Frey: Woven” consists of 30 examples of Frey’s innovative approach to a traditional art form.
Frey, who learned how to weave baskets from his mother, is a descendant of the Passamaquoddy Indian Township Reservation in eastern Maine. Basketmaking has been undertaken by many generations in this area, with men usually making the utility or work baskets and women weaving the “fancy baskets” that were more decorative. Frey began making baskets in 2000, taking the basic form into new and unconventional directions that resulted in him receiving a prestigious “genius” fellowship from the MacArthur Foundation in 2025.
This exhibition, organized by the Portland Museum of Art, has also been shown at the Art Institute of Chicago prior to coming to the Cantor. Veronica Roberts, Cantor Arts Center executive director, expressed her excitement at hosting the show, saying that, “Frey’s baskets vibrate, pulsate and are full of life.”
In addition to weaving, Frey also harvests and processes the raw materials for his pieces.
Before viewing the exhibition, it is worthwhile to watch the short, unnarrated video shown in a small room outside the gallery that details Frey’s process. It starts by following the artist into the woods where he carefully selects and cuts down an ash tree. It is obvious that, even with modern tools like a chainsaw, making a basket is still a time-consuming and laborious process.
Frey uses a specific species of brown ash because of its color and grain. As he chops the wood and then further cuts it into long, slender threads, the amount of sheer muscular effort is impressive to watch. He works alone, from felling the tree, to stripping off bark and amassing wood strips for weaving.
Frey also hand-dyes the strips to create a color palette that enhances the basic shape. Using wooden molds that he has also created, Frey expands upon the typical shape and size of traditional baskets to create pieces with complex patterns and designs.
Beginning with his First Fine Weave series of baskets from 2003, it is obvious that Frey strives for balance, symmetry and intricacy in his work. These baskets are small in scale and a bit delicate-looking but that is offset by the incredible uniformity of the weave, creating a strong and durable object. He learned how to braid coastal Maine sweetgrass, which he has incorporated here, creating subtle and pleasing color contrasts.
Sea urchins, once harvested by the Passamaquoddy community, have become an inspiration for Frey as he pushes the boundaries of traditional basketry. His Urchin Series baskets are made of ash and sweetgrass, dyed in matte shades of black, green and blue. In the “Blue Point Urchin” basket, the low, rounded form is complemented by triangular-shaped points that mimic the needles of the sea creature. Frey tops the highly tactile baskets with braided lids and ring finials.
Frey, who spoke at the Cantor Arts Center on April 2, said, “The urchin is a difficult shape to weave.” “But,” he added, “I am always trying to challenge things.”
As Frey began creating molds for his baskets, they became larger and more complicated. “Loon” stands at three feet in height and definitely blurs the line between basketry and sculpture. Like a fine vase, the piece begins with a round base then slowly grows into a more bulbous form, narrowing again at the top. With his usual tight weaving of ash and cedar bark, it stands tall and strong, looking every bit as impervious as a bronze statue. He has also created a whimsical lid for the piece, a finely woven circle that leads the eye toward the center and to a picture of a duck in water, fashioned using dyed porcupine quills. True to form, Frey collects the quills himself from roadsides and uses them to create portraits of animals on his basket lids.
In an interview from the exhibition catalog, Frey stated that, “My practice turns an ancient, traditional form into a contemporary piece of art.”
Other innovations that Frey has developed include a double-walled basket, in which one basket is nestled within another. In the aptly named, “Deception,” it is impossible to discern where one basket ends and another begins — and how the artist might have kept track of all the intricate and precise placement of materials (ash and braided cedar bark). At the lecture, Frey was asked how he creates these complex creations. He laughingly declined to answer, saying that the viewer “doesn’t need to know everything about his process.”
As his work and methods have evolved, Frey’s baskets have become bolder, brighter and even more precise. In “Observer,” his signature form has been embellished with an elaborate geometric pattern consisting of dyed quills at the rim that perfectly mesh with the black and red circular design on the lid. This is clearly not just a vessel but an object of incredibly skilled workmanship and beauty.
It is easy to see why Frey’s work has garnered so much attention and praise. Since 2001, he has been recognized with numerous awards in prestigious Indian markets in Santa Fe and Phoenix. His baskets can be found in nationally known collections, including the Smithsonian American Art Museum, the Art Institute of Chicago and the Denver Art Museum.
In the catalog, Frey offers this intention for his work:
“Basketry is an art form I can relate to in many ways. It is part of my heritage, an art form that connects me to my relatives living and past. For me, to weave is a way to honor my ancestors. However, it is also a way to honor future generations both through my teachings and through my personal carrying out of the art form. My work is always evolving; I try to create a newer and more elaborate version of my work each time I weave. I have refined the teaching of my mother beyond anything I would have considered possible.”
When asked where he might go next, Frey said that he is contemplating working with copper or bronze, a change made necessary by the fact that borer beetles are decimating ash trees across the United States. He is currently harvesting and stockpiling as much of this ancestral weaving material as he can.
Frey addressed the art/craft question by stating, “I originally wanted to make ‘art’ but over time I realized that the art/craft argument was pointless. Now, it is irrelevant.”
“Jeremy Frey: Woven” is on view through July 20 at the Cantor Arts Center, 328 Lomita Drive, Stanford; admission is free. The Cantor will offer two curator talks about the exhibition on June 25 at noon and on July 16 at 5 p.m. For more information about the show or the talks, visit museum.stanford.edu.
