Basketry: Women's Work Basket

Lisa Telford (born in Ketchikan, Alaska) is a Git'ans Git'anee Haida weaver who creates contemporary garments, shoes, and other objects using Northwest Coast-style weaving techniques. Her work serves as a commentary on Native identity, stereotypes, and fashion. Her baskets may be seen in the collections of the Oregon Historical Society in Portland, Ore.; Hallie Ford Museum of Art in Salem, Ore.; the Smithsonian National Museum of the American Indian in Washington, D.C.; the Heard Museum in Phoenix, Ariz.; the Portland Art Museum in Oregon; and at the Burke Museum and at Stonington Gallery, both in Seattle. Telford comes from a long line of weavers including her grandmother, mother, aunt, and cousins. Despite her Indiana upbringing, she grew up connected to her culture, visiting Alaska for traditional gatherings and potlatches and participating in traditional dance. At the age of 32, she began learning to weave traditional Haida baskets from her aunt, Delores Churchill, and traditional cedar garments from her cousin, Holly Churchill.