Folk Art
Throughout history, people have crafted objects that are both utilitarian as well as visually interesting. Known today as folk art, these items have often reflected themes such as family, work, religion, and community life. Some of the more well-known versions include specialized types of embroidery, wood working techniques, and clothing, but the basket makers of Florida have more than made their mark in the folk art community.
For many folk artists, their craftsmanship is a skill passed down through families and apprenticeships within their communities. Florida’s basket makers are no different. Perhaps the most famous of Florida’s white oak basket makers, Lucreaty Clark learned her skills at a young age from her mother and father who had, in-turn, learned it from her maternal grandparents.
“Well the first person I know of them to make them was my mother and father. And, and uh momma told me that grandpa made them, her father made them baskets and that where she learned it from. So, after she learned it and she married my daddy, she learned him how to make baskets. So then her and him would make them every cotton season and they would make a lot of them, and they would sell them.”
Lucreaty Clark, October 1980 oral history interview
As a functional part of life in rural north Florida, the baskets represented not only a family tradition to her from a young age, but also an income source for herself and her family.
“So, sometimes our daddy would come home and he would say, “Miss so and so says she wants a basket.” He say, “if you can make a good one, I’ll sell it for you.” So then we’d be racing to make that money. And uh, we would make that basket. And poppa would sell it and bring us our change. We would buy us a pretty piece of cloth, and make us a dress and that would keep us racing with one another trying to get, see who could beat doing the best job.”
Lucreaty clark, october 1980 oral history interview
The desire to constantly better her basket making skills led Mrs. Clark to become a prolific basket maker and she was even honored with the 1985 Florida Folk Heritage Award for her preservation of what many considered a lost art.
…NEARLY lost that is…
Over the course of several interviews and discussions about her basket making, Mrs. Clark repeatedly voiced her concern over being the last of her line to continue the family’s tradition. So, when her grandson, Alphonso Jennings, became her apprentice, it became clear that their folk art tradition would live on.
Over the years, both Mrs. Clark and her grandson, Mr. Jennings, passed on their craft to others in demonstrations at Florida folk festivals. Following the passing of Mrs. Clark, Alphonso Jennings – an artist in his own right – worked to preserve his grandmother’s legacy by continuing to make baskets and share his knowledge through workshops, school programs, and public demonstrations.
Activity #1: Finding Your Own Folk Traditions
Identify some folk arts associated with your area or your background. Did anyone in your family create traditional folk art or pass down traditional ways of making things? Learn a bit about other communities in your area as well. What are some of their folk art traditions?
Activity #2: Folk Artists Today
Learn about artists continuing to create folk art today. On social media, check out #folkart and #folkartist to see a wide variety of artists carrying on traditions today!
If you want to learn about other basket makers, feel free to check out an artist that I recently came across, Corey Alston. A sweetgrass basket weaver, Mr. Alston creates beautiful traditional baskets in Charleston, South Carolina. You can find him on Instagram @corey_alston_sweetgrassbasket !
Did you try either of these activities? What are some of the folk art traditions that you discovered in your area? Can you find ways that folk art is being used to celebrate Black History Month? Amazing artists like Lucreaty Clark and Alphonso Jennings are always a great reminder that Black History is Art History!
Share your activity results with us on social media by tagging History Becomes You and by using #historybecomesyou !
Check back next Thursday for the next of many peeks into history as we celebrate Black History Month!
History Becomes You 