Sarah Sockbeson, Artist, Veazie
Sarah Sockbeson (Penobscot, born 1983), Miniature Curly Basket, 2010, ash, sweetgrass, dye, and antler. From the collection of the Abbe Museum, Bar Harbor, Maine, RAM 2010-08-002 A-B.
“As Native people, we have a long history of utilizing available materials in creative and inventive ways. To accompany my works, I chose a piece that speaks to me because it exemplifies advancement within ash and sweetgrass basketry. Our “traditional” art has never stopped evolving. It continues to change as we adapt to the current world. The art we create speaks for us when we are not present. I hope the pairing of these works, contemporary and historic, speaks to the power of knowledge passed from one human to another—knowledge that transcends time and holds culture.
I am grateful for what my ancestors went through to provide opportunities to me and for their efforts to protect and preserve our traditions (before I even existed). The responsibility that comes with being a bearer of cultural knowledge has never been a chore for me. It fuels me to keep the legacy alive for the next generation.”
Sarah Sockbeson, Penobscot, specializes in traditional yet contemporary brown ash and sweetgrass baskets as a part of the new generation of basketmakers pushing the boundaries of cultural art to exciting new levels. Sarah admired Native art from an early age, coming from a long line of basketmakers—a line of knowledge that unfortunately stopped after her great-grandmother passed. In 2004, Sarah apprenticed with Jennifer Sapiel through the Maine Indian Basketmakers Alliance. Since then, she’s honed her skills with each basket woven, becoming an integral part of the Wabanaki arts community. While her work is undeniably tied to cultural tradition, she infuses a style all her own, in the hopes her work serves as an inspiration to future generations of Native artists.