Mary Jackson (born 1945) is an African American

fiber art Fiber art (fibre art in British spelling) refers to fine art whose material consists of natural or synthetic fiber and other components, such as fabric or yarn. It focuses on the materials and on the manual labor on the part of the artist as ...

ist. She is best known for her sweetgrass

basket weaving Basket weaving (also basketry or basket making) is the process of weaving or sewing pliable materials into three-dimensional artifacts, such as baskets, mats, mesh bags or even furniture. Craftspeople and artists specialized in making baskets ...

using traditional methods combined with contemporary designs. A native of coastal

South Carolina )''Animis opibusque parati'' ( for, , Latin, Prepared in mind and resources, links=no) , anthem = " Carolina";" South Carolina On My Mind" , Former = Province of South Carolina , seat = Columbia , LargestCity = Charleston , LargestMetro = ...

and a descendant of generations of

Gullah The Gullah () are an African American ethnic group who predominantly live in the Lowcountry region of the U.S. states of Georgia, Florida, South Carolina, and North Carolina, within the coastal plain and the Sea Islands. Their language and cultu ...

basket weavers, Jackson was awarded a

MacArthur Foundation fellowship The MacArthur Fellows Program, also known as the MacArthur Fellowship and commonly but unofficially known as the "Genius Grant", is a prize awarded annually by the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation typically to between 20 and 30 indi ...

in 2008 for "pushing the tradition in stunning new directions." Mary Jackson is a recipient of a 2010

National Heritage Fellowship The National Heritage Fellowship is a lifetime honor presented to master folk and traditional artists by the National Endowment for the Arts. Similar to Japan's Living National Treasure award, the Fellowship is the United States government's ...

from the National Endowment for the Arts.

Biography

Jackson was born on February 15, 1945. She grew up in the

community of Mount Pleasant, just outside of

Charleston, South Carolina Charleston is the largest city in the U.S. state of South Carolina, the county seat of Charleston County, and the principal city in the Charleston–North Charleston metropolitan area. The city lies just south of the geographical midpoint o ...

. Taught by her mother and grandmother, Jackson started making sweetgrass baskets at the age of four. The tradition and technique of sweetgrass basket weaving has been passed down from one generation to the next, originating with the West African slaves who were brought to coastal South Carolina in the early 1700s. During her childhood, Jackson, along with her siblings and cousins would gather in her grandmother's yard to help weave baskets. After graduating from high school, Jackson moved to New York City, where she attended secretarial school and went on to work for the Metropolitan Insurance Company. Jackson lived in New York for ten years. While in New York city, she would visit museums and art galleries and started to collect contemporary paintings and sculptures. Jackson returned to South Carolina in 1972 and continued to work as a secretary. Jackson learned from family and friends that the sweetgrass used in basketmaking was starting to disappear. Through her work at the Charleston Community Center, she was able to get permission from local landowners to allow the harvesting of sweetgrass by local basketmakers on land waiting to be developed. In the 1970s, Jackson had to stop working to stay home with her eighteen-month-old son who suffered from chronic

asthma Asthma is a long-term inflammatory disease of the airways of the lungs. It is characterized by variable and recurring symptoms, reversible airflow obstruction, and easily triggered bronchospasms. Symptoms include episodes of wheezing, co ...

. While at home, she started to work on baskets again and would sell her baskets at the city market in Charleston. During this time, Jackson started to create her own designs. Using sweetgrass, palmetto, pine needles, and bulrush in her work, Jackson's finely crafted and innovative baskets started to attract attention. She was invited to exhibit her baskets at the Smithsonian Craft Show in 1984. That event became a turning point in Jackson's career. Jackson is the recipient of numerous awards, including the prestigious MacArthur genius grant in 2008. Her baskets have been exhibited at the Smithsonian American Art Museum, The White House Collection of American Crafts, the

Museum of Arts and Design The Museum of Arts and Design (MAD), based in Manhattan, New York City, collects, displays, and interprets objects that document contemporary and historic innovation in craft, art, and design. In its exhibitions and educational programs, the mus ...

in New York, the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston, the Museum of African American History in Detroit, and the

National Museum of African American History and Culture The National Museum of African American History and Culture (NMAAHC) is a Smithsonian Institution museum located on the National Mall in Washington, D.C., in the United States. It was established in December 2003 and opened its permanent home in ...

. As founding president of the Mount Pleasant Sweetgrass Basket Makers Association, Jackson continues to work with local basketmakers, government officials, preservationists, and horticulturalists in salvaging grasses from sites planned for development and replanting them on protected lands. Jackson is currently living in Charleston with her husband, Stoney. She is still making Sweetgrass baskets that come out of a tradition that has been passed down from her ancestors. These baskets originated in West Africa, and brought to America by slaves.

Awards and honors

*1993 Lifetime Achievement Award from the National Museum for Women in the Arts *2008

MacArthur Genius Grant The MacArthur Fellows Program, also known as the MacArthur Fellowship and commonly but unofficially known as the "Genius Grant", is a prize awarded annually by the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation typically to between 20 and 30 ind ...

*2008

United States Artists United States Artists (USA) is a national arts funding organization based in Chicago. USA is dedicated to supporting living artists and cultural practitioners across the United States by granting unrestricted awards. Mission The organization' ...

Donnelley Fellowship *2008 Environmental Stewardship Award of Achievement from the

South Carolina Aquarium __NOTOC__ The South Carolina Aquarium, located in Charleston, South Carolina, opened on May 19, 2000, on the historic Charleston Harbor in the former location of the Anson Borough Homes, a public housing project that was closed over soil contami ...

*2009 Honorary Doctorate of Humane Letters,

College of Charleston The College of Charleston (CofC or Charleston) is a public university in Charleston, South Carolina. Founded in 1770 and chartered in 1785, it is the oldest university in South Carolina, the 13th oldest institution of higher learning in the Unit ...

*2010

from the

National Endowment for the Arts The National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) is an independent agency of the United States federal government that offers support and funding for projects exhibiting artistic excellence. It was created in 1965 as an independent agency of the federal ...

*201
College of Fellows, American Craft Council

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Jackson, Mary 1945 births Artists from Charleston, South Carolina Gullah African-American women artists MacArthur Fellows Living people National Heritage Fellowship winners Women basketweavers Fellows of the American Craft Council 21st-century African-American people 21st-century African-American women 20th-century African-American people 20th-century African-American women