Basketry SA aims to hold public exhibitions of members' work on a regular basis and all members are encouraged to participate. Basketry SA's participation in the annual Royal Adelaide Show Open Art & Craft Competition and the biennial Urrbrae House Exhibition in conjunction with the Adelaide Fringe Festival and associated trading table continue to be highlights of our calendar.
Members' works have been acquired by galleries and museums throughout Australia and are included in private collections overseas:
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The Australian National Gallery, Canberra
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The Powerhouse Museum, Sydney
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The Museum & Art Gallery, Northern Territory
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The Alice Craft Acquisition Collection
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The Art Gallery of South Australia
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The Victorian State Craft Collection
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The Gold Coast Arts Centre
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The Museum of Economic Botany, Adelaide Botanic Gardens
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Australia House, London
GATHER: Gathered and Gathering
2026 Biennial Basketry SA Exhibition at Pepper Street Art Centre, Magill
Our next fabulous 2026 exhibition will run for 5 weeks from 17 April until 22 May with our Official Opening at 6pm Friday 17 April by Dr Kate Delaporte, Curator Waite Arboretum.
Basket weavers draw inspiration from many sources, gathering ideas, fibres and techniques through both individual exploration and shared group workshops. United by a passion for their craft, they exchange knowledge generously learning from one another. While also drawing on diverse ethnic and Indigenous traditions, that have shaped basketry practices across generations.
Working with natural and found fibres, the group produces both traditional and contemporary basketry. Some pieces honour time tested techniques and functional forms, while others push creative boundaries, transforming woven materials into expressive sculptural works. Practical vessels designed for everyday use to intricate, textural forms that invite closer inspection, each work reflects skill, patience and a deep connection to materials used.
This exhibition celebrates the continuing evolution of basketry in South Australia, highlighting how an ancient craft remains vibrant and relevant today. Visitors are invited to explore the ingenuity, curiosity and collaborative spirit of these makers, and to discover the enduring beauty and creative possibilities of woven form. Exhibition concludes on Friday 22 May at 4 pm.
Basketry SA Trading Table on Saturday afternoons 12.30 pm - 4 pm In addition to the main Basketry SA Inc. (BSA) biennial exhibition there will be a trading table display on Saturday afternoons (excluding Saturday 25 April as the Centre is closed for ANZAC Day), run by BSA members. Items for the trading table display represent both functional and decorative vessels on a domestic scale with fibres sourced mostly from local gardens. Visitors will have the additional opportunity to purchase directly from the trading table.
From Pepper News Issue no. 132 | April/May 2026. Click on the following link to view Pepper News: https://www.burnside.sa.gov.au/files/assets/public/v/1/community-amp-recreation/community-venues/pepper-street-arts-centre/pepper-news/2026/pepper-news-issue-no.132-april-may-2026.pdf
EXHIBITIONS & GALLERY
BECOME A MEMBER
Membership includes:
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Attendance at meetings and access to the skills and knowledge of our members
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Access to the BSA Member's Group Facebook community
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Quarterly Newsletter
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Use of the Library
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Participation at camps, workshops and in group exhibitions (often free or at a reduced cost)
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Attendance and participation on stalls and in demonstrations
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Opportunities to sell your work through various exhibitions and events
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Participation at the biennial National Basketry Gathering
2024 Hughes Gallery, Fullarton Park Community Centre - Form and Shadow
Saturday 17 February – Monday 11 March
Shadows speak about the shape and texture of objects and the source of transient light. Local artists, using natural and reclaimed materials, combine the ancient craft of basket making with contemporary flair to weave practical and sculptural forms with the subtlety of shadow in mind.
Twining, cordage, weaving, knotless netting, various fibres
Watsonia, Agapanthus, Poa & flax
Snotty gobble, random weave
Mixed fibres twisted into 2-ply cord, then randomly woven
Spiral coiled Chasmanthe
Coiled base using fabric strips with a collar of 2-ply cord from mixed fibres
Bulrush and wood. Cordage technique
Twined honeysuckle base with cluster of baskets, Juncus, Chasmanthe, Cordyline, Crocosmia. Spiral coiling and Japanese eye knot
Wire and raffia
Recycled pieces of felt stitched with electrical wire
Palm pod & inflorescence, Philodendron sheath. Coiled and stitched
Dracaena draco and shell
She-oak needles stitched with waxed thread. Inserts of the spathe or outside cover of the Philodendron bloom
Palm inflorescence, mixed fibres. Random weave and cobbling
Wire, raffia, tissue paper and felt tip pen
2 randomly woven baskets using recycled copper wire & acrylic paint
Painted gourd, plastic covered wire stitched to gourd and separated to create “twirls”
Various recycled wires including copper, knotless knitting, stitching and winding
Muehlenbeckia, dodder laurel, banana, lavender and Cordyline. trimmed with emu feathers and quandongs. Woven, stitched and crochet technique
Repurposed tie wire with looped and random weave hemp cord and twined and curled floristry wire
Repurposed looped and plaited electro-magnetic wire with Chinese knot embellishment
Found and recycled fibres, encaustic
Poppy flowers Billy Buttons, linen thread, wood, looping technique
2022 Adelaide Fringe Exhibition at Urrbrae House - Made While Nobody was Looking
Saturday 19 February-Tuesday 1 March
An exhibition of contemporary basketry and fibre sculptures presented by the members of Basketry SA. Natural and recycled materials, found objects, skill and a lot of imagination make up for a wonderful display of useful objects and decorative pieces.
Due to the Covid-19 pandemic many pieces were made when makers could no longer meet to exchange ideas and techniques, continuing in their own homes while nobody was looking.
Clay base, mixed media, spiral stitch using synthetic thread
(Beach stone big - Narungga) Dodder laurel, beach hagstone & woven spiral stitch with dark green waxed polyester thread
Random weave using palm inflorescences & two ply chord
Repurposed metal, raffia, coiled with waxed linen
Moreton Bay chestnut pods linked with knotless netting (needle lace) using waxed linen thread, in a wisteria frame, with quandong seeds, beach stones & gum capsules.
Palm sheath & jacaranda stalks stitched with waxed linen
Worked with raffia, lemon grass, cordyline & quandong seeds.
Worked with raffia, lemon grass, cordyline & abalone shells
Worked with raffia, lemon grass, cordyline, & quandong seeds
Old crab net & telephone wire, shed found treasures, random weave & wrapping.
Dyed gourd, casuarina branch-lets, “Devil’s claw”.
Bookleaf pine & gum nuts.
Coiled raffia around chasmanthe, embellished with fan palm inflorescence.
Simple looping around a core using string made with chasmanthe & watsonia leaves decorated with emu feathers and gum nuts.
Dyed gourd, plastic coated electrical wire.
Textured clay - fired, mixed she-oak, buttonhole stitch using synthetic thread.
Mixed materials, random stitch.
Clay fired, she-oak, buttonhole stitch using synthetic thread.
Gourd, She-oak, waxed thread & gold leaf.
Umbrella tree, purple yucca, palm inflorescence, flag iris, reed, chasmanthe, vine and Various shells, two ply string and twining.
Mixed materials, random stitch.
Fabric, wire, thread, plastic bags – sculptural wrapping.
Red hot poker, cordyline – wrapping technique.
A framework made with glory vine, willow & NZ flax & infilled randomly with Dracaena draco & NZ flax, finally coated with clear floor oil & turps.
Stitched seaweed.
by Pat Michell Kumihino braid made on “Maradai” and stitched into three dimensions.
Stitched fabric and natural fibres.
Palm inflorescence, jonquil & lavender; worked using random weave, spiral stitching & two ply chord making.
Bulrush cumbungi, recycled Indian silk sari strips, dyed Indian hemp rope and wedding marigold flower.
Cobbled meadow hay, dodder laurel vine, feathers and felt balls to decorate with papier-mâché eggs.
2020 Urrbrae House Exhibition Tracks Through Weaving
Dyed fique – crocheted & decorated with emu feathers by Sylvia Piddington
2018 Urrbrae House Exhibition @ Nature's Pace
Click here to view more exhibition entries
Palm inflorescences – braided by Beth Wiley
Pine needles, spiral stitched with waxed cotton by Joy Shierlaw
Dyed fique – crocheted & decorated with emu feathers by Sylvia Piddington
Palm inflorescences – braided by Beth Wiley
2016 Urrbrae House Exhibition Assemblage
Click here to view more exhibition examples
