artist list

Sweetgrass Basket 3

Artist Biography:

Lucille Akinjobi learned the craft of Sweetgrass basketmaking at a very young age by watching her mother at their home in Mt. Pleasant. By age 7, Akinjobi was creating works of her own and at 14, she began selling them at a Highway 17 roadside stand. The tradition remains alive in the family as Akinjobi has taught her children the same craft she learned as a child. MUSC commissioned 20 baskets from the artist that can be seen throughout the Ashley River Tower in elevator lobbies, dayrooms, and waiting areas.

Lucille Akinjobi

Mt. Pleasant

About the Work:

The art of basket making was brought to South Carolina by slaves who came from West Africa more than 300 years ago. For generations the art has been passed down from mother to daughter to granddaughter. During the days of slavery in the Old South, men made large work baskets from bulrush because this marsh grass was strong and durable. Women made functional baskets for the home using sweetgrass, which was softer and abundant. Today's baskets are made with sweetgrass, bulrush, and long leaf pine needles bound together by strips of the unopened center leaves of palmetto trees.

The construction of the Cooper River Bridge in 1929 and the paving of Highway 17 made the route through Mount Pleasant a major north-south artery. Basketmakers started marketing their wares from roadside basket stands. These stands still exist today. Sweetgrass baskets are collected by museums and art collectors across the world.

Mary Alice Monroe