Grinter Gallery to display, 'Tears of the Giraffe: Basketry of Botswana'

June 7, 2010

Note: This event is part of Creative B, a new summer program at the University of Florida that consolidates the collective resources and talents of the many creative programs at UF. Creative B participants may choose from a variety of live cultural performances, unique courses with an artistic edge, and a wide range of interdisciplinary summer activities. For more details, visit http://news.ufl.edu/2010/06/07/uf-introduces-%e2%80%98creative-b%e2%80%99-program-to-highlight-cultural-enrichment-during-summer-b/.

GAINESVILLE, Fla. — For hundreds of years, baskets have been among the most famous of Botswana’s handcrafted utilitarian goods. These baskets will be on display all summer at the University of Florida Grinter Gallery, Grinter Hall.

Now an integral part of the culture, these baskets, primarily made by women of the Bayei and Hambukushu tribes who migrated from Angola, have evolved and become more intricately designed. Botswana baskets have a high commercial value and are marketed worldwide, providing much-needed income for the women who make them.

“Tears of the Giraffe: Basketry of Botswana,” includes highlights from a collection that Frank Merillat and Sandra Russo have been assembling for the past ten years. The exhibition features a variety of baskets and includes contextual photographs and artifacts.