Heather Wolf
We are excited to announce that the Friends of SaddleBrooke Libraries (FSL) 2025-26 Lecture Series will start on Oct. 23 in the DesertView Theater at 4 p.m.
Older than pottery, older than metalwork, and older than loom weaving, the weaving of baskets for containers is truly an ancient art. The collection of Southwestern baskets at the Arizona State Museum was designated an American Treasure in 2011. The collection has been acquired over the past 100 years from collectors, donors, and the weavers themselves. Diane Dittemore will present highlights of the collection and offer background on the people behind the weaving and the acquisitions.
Recently retired after 46 years at the Arizona State Museum, University of Arizona, Diane Dittemore is now the Associate Curator Emerita of Ethnology at ASM. The University of Arizona recently published her book Woven from the Center: Native Basketry in the Southwest. The book highlights ASM’s world-class Southwest basket collection. Some of the Native cultures represented are Tohono and Akimel O’odham, Hopi, Apache, Yavapai, Navajo, and Yaqui. She will also give attention to baskets by contemporary weavers, demonstrating the ongoing vitality of this ancient cultural art.
As always, this lecture is free for Friends of SaddleBrooke Libraries members and just $5 for non-members. If you are not a member or your membership has lapsed, you can learn more about our mission and join/renew online at www.SBFSL.org or in person in the lobby prior to the lecture.