Foreword by author Mary Irvine

As basket makers, when we develop our work we are always stopping to ask ourselves if we like a piece we have completed or not. But, if we were really stopping to critique our work, what are some of the things we should be looking at? And, are there differences in the criteria if you are looking at it yourself or submitting it to a judged competition? By learning more about what others look at as they jury baskets, we can better critique our work for juried shows.

One resource is Shuttle Spindle and Dyepot, Spring, 2000. On page 56 you will find The Jurying Process by Marie-Laure Iile. This is a great article which will give you a better understanding of the differences and considerations in jurying and curating shows.

A few years ago, when the Puyallup Fair decided to set up a separate category for baskets, I was asked to be the first judge for the category. The categories and percentage weights used were the same as for the other fiber arts categories: Craftsmanship 40%; Degree of Difficulty, 20%; Design, 20%; and Presentation, 20%. As you can see, the emphasis here, 60% of the total, is on craftsmanship and technical ability. Since I hadn't judged baskets before, this forced me to think about the different categories and what I would look at in each category as I translated it to baskets, and I feel that this is a good starting point for anyone to work from.

I found from the survey the overall factors that jurors take into consideration when jurying baskets for a show are similar to those in judged competitions, but there is an increased emphasis on innovation, originality and design.

So, if you want to improve the quality of your work, what can you do? Here are some of the common themes that I found from the survey responses:

Remember to stop and look at what you are doing and ask questions. Layne Goldsmith set down a great series of questions to ask about your work:

1. What are you trying to do? Have you done it?
2. Can you do it better? If so, do it. If not, why not?
3. Figure out how, do it better, repeat.

Several years ago, I had the pleasure of taking a class from Dorothy Gill Barnes. She taught us to stop frequently as we are working on a basket and ask yourself "what if?" What if you did it differently, switched materials, or techniques?

As an artist, stop to look at the following: overall design, is it aesthetically pleasing, if the design and materials flow, the relationship of shape and size, the appropriateness of technique and materials, your technical execution. And most important of all, what is your "gut" reaction to the piece? Do you like it? Are you happy with it? A good basket pleases the eye, it works from the standpoint of form, technique, scale and materials. Master your technique, then make it your own, and most important of all, have fun weaving!