CAROL
EMARTHLE-DOUGLAS

CAROL EMARTHLE-DOUGLAS
Northern Arapaho-Seminole
(Click on photo to view Press Release)

SWAIA Indian Market Award Winning Basket Maker Carol Emarthl Carol Emarthle-Douglas, a Seminole and Arapaho basket maker artist took second place in the miniature basketry division at the 2010 SWAIA Indian Market. Simultaneously, Carol opened at the Jane Sauer Gallery on August 20, 2010 in a show entitled "Out of Traditions." Watch a video with Jane Sauer talking about the artist. Watch it on

For those who love baskets, Carol Emarthle-Douglas is a treasure.  She captures the richness of Native cultures that have elevated baskets from utility to fine art. She makes baskets in the styles of many nations. They are contemporary, but made with traditional techniques and materials used in the past.

“I am fortunate to be a part of two cultures, Northern Arapaho and Seminole,” says Carol.  As a result of her dual heritage, Carol has learned the styles, patterns and colors from Tribes in the Southeast, as well as the Plains.  But, she didn’t stop there, her interest in basket techniques have led her to master weavers from the Skokomish, Pomo, Colville and Haida who have shared their skills with her.

Carol uses traditional native materials—cedar bark and cedar roots, bear grass, cornhusks, pine needles, as well as, contemporary materials like commercial reed, hemp, raffia and Irish waxed linen thread.  “As a contemporary weaver, I am always looking for ways to add new colors and textures to a basket,” says Carol.

“I like to see if cedar will work with waxed linen thread, or if cornhusk with work with reed,” says Carol. “I also like to challenge myself to see if a certain picture or design will work on a basket that I am creating.  I look for inspiration in any design that catches my eye, whether it is the design on a powwow dancers dress, a design on pottery, jewelry, or in everyday life such as a landscape or even modern architecture.  I am constantly looking for new designs to challenge me.”

“Basket weaving is a very time consuming art,” says Carol.  “People that do it must be dedicated because it is not easy to mass-produce baskets. The traditional materials are getting harder to find and gather, but by learning new techniques and incorporating contemporary materials we can perpetuate and promote the art of Native American basketry.”

COLLECTIONS
Autry National Center, “A Living Tradition” The Art of the
     Native American Basketry, Los Angeles, CA
Montclair Museum, Newark, NJ – The Rand Gallery of
     Native American Art
Michigan State University, "Carriers of Culture" Living
     Basket Traditions
Museum of Art & Design, NY-Changing Hands II Art
     Without Reservation, Contemporary Native North
     American Art for the West, Northwest & Pacific

Opening Night, Friday, August 20, 2010

Carol (second from left) with her family, husband, mother, and children

Carol Emarthle-Douglas's Complete Resume

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