Prairie Patterns: Folk Arts in North Dakota
By Christopher Martin

"This catalog ... explores the grassroots layer of North Dakota's Character through a survey of the state's folk arts. By focusing on living craftspeople, they show some of the ethnic, occupational, and community traditions that are strongest today. The approach investigates patterns between objects and the land by drawing from the words of the folk artists themselves, visited during fieldwork from 1986 to 1989..."

"Knowing more about the origin of an object gives it new meaning and prevents misconceptions. For example, the amount of time required to make folk arts in often underestimated. One of Gloria Wilkinson's Indian dolls takes more than forty hours to make; Mark Hoechst's specialized gun engravings often require weeks or months of work. It was only after talking with Connie Redmond that I realized his braided horsehair headstall, containing approximately 4,500 hairs, took two North Dakota winters to make. Figuring his time at only minimum wage, Connie estimated its value of at least $3,000."

"Objects that might seem simple-the Cree family's woven willow baskets for example-become much more complex when Francis Cree tells us that a well-made basket must have an odd number of ribs, proper balance, and tight weaving for a neat appearance. 'You gotta follow the pattern,' Francis says, which prevents the look of mass-produced, imported baskets..."

"Three things are clear from this study. First, many folk artists, especially those with years of experience, can eloquently state their attitudes about process and 'good' design. Second, their words are familiar and comforting. Their conservative approach to the unknown, preferring group-approved ideas rather than the untested, reinforces the folk traditions in each one of us. And third, just as surely as some endangered folk arts will eventually fade away from the North Dakota scene, other folk arts will be adapted or revived, and eventually discovered, if we keep looking for them."

Christopher Martin, author

Rose Cree with a variety of willow baskets.

Horsehair headstall by Connie Redmond.