The 1982 article shed light on Bassler’s early life, sources of inspiration and use of such techniques as strip weaving, ikat and batik.

Following a solo exhibition of his work at the University of Florida, Gainesville, the weaver James Bassler was the subject of an article in the Auguw/September 1982 issue of American Craft by fiber artist Nancy Merritt and potter Jacqueline Bartling Ward that illuminated his early life and sources of invitation, in particular a profoundly influential sojourn in Mexico. Among the processes Bassler then employed to create his tapestries were strip weaving, ikat and batik.

Since the 1980s, Bassler’s tapestries have become increasingly complex, incorporating techniques of the Navajo and ancient Andean cultures—building his reputation for focusing on the past.

The recipient of many honors, Bassler was elected a Fellow of the American Craft Council in 1998 and interviewed for Smithsonian’s Archives of American Art in 2003. Widely exhibited, his work is in numerous museum collections as well as in the Cotsen American Masters Textile Collection.

Today Bassler is represented by the Jane Sauer Gallery in Santa Fe and the Gail Martin Gallery in New York City. Dismissing any notion that he lives entirely in the past, Bassler, using shopping bags from Trader Joe’s, spun and wove a paper bag, complete with handles, that the Martin Gallery recently displayed at the International Tribal and Textile Arts Show in New York. The artist can be seen on film in one of two new episodes of the PBS series Craft in America, scheduled to air on October 7.

Jane Sauer says “Jim’s work has the integrity and depth that few ever obtain and he has sustained this level of making for over 40 years. Dedicated to the past and the future, Jim is truly a national treasure.”