Mary Giles

Lives in St. Louis, Missouri (2008)

B.S., 1966, Mankato State University, Minnesota

Workshop Study: Jane Sauer, 1981; Fern Jacobs, 1982; Dianne Itter, 1984; Lissa Hunter, 1988; Mary Lee Hu, 1990

Giles is one of the top twenty-five contemporary basketmakers in the country. She is a regional artist, living in St. Louis, with a national reputation. Her work is sculptural, non-functional and usually has references to male figures.

Statement:

I interpret and express my concerns about our environment and the human condition, through my work. I have explored communication and intimacy in relationships. The results are reflected in my figural work. I admire the directness and honesty I see in tribal art and I try to incorporate those qualities in my own. My baskets express both action and reaction to what I have loved in the past and what I am discovering today.

Selected permanent collections:

American Craft Museum, New York, New York; Minneapolis Institute of Art, Minnesota; Detroit Institute of Art, Michigan; Erie Museum, Pennsylvania, (The

Tactile Vessel); Arkansas Decorative Arts Center, Little Rock; Hawaii Contemporary Art Museum, Honolulu ; St. Louis Museum of Art.

Source: www.browngrotta.com