Master of baskets

As a young girl growing up in Humboldt County during the 1920s, Vivian Hailstone (Hoopa/Yurok) never saw a non-Indian. Then she attended a government boarding school. In their zeal to “mainstream” Indians, teachers beat students they caught engaging in such native arts as basketry. Hailstone was undeterred, however. By the ’60s, she’d helped establish schools around the state devoted to preserving Indian culture. She also pursued her lifelong career as a master basket weaver, perfecting skills and knowledge necessary to create exquisite baskets incorporating designs passed down by generations of Indian artisans. In addition to Hailstone’s baskets, this exhibition features her jewelry and pastel drawings. Remembering Vivian Hailstone (1913-2000) is on display from December 8-31 at the Carl Gorman Museum of Contemporary American Indian Art, 1316 Hart Hall at UC Davis. It’s free. For information, call (530) 752-6567.