Billie Ruth Sudduth Résumé

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 About Billie Ruth Sudduth   Artist Statement

Billie RUth Sudduth poses with a Fibionacci basket that she madePlace of Birth

1945 – Sewanee, Tennessee. Grew up in Birmingham, Alabama.

Education

  • B.A. Psychology/Sociology; Huntingdon College; Montgomery, Alabama; 1963-1967.
  • M.S.W. University of Alabama; Tuscaloosa, Alabama; 1967-1969.
  • Additional graduate studies in psychology, education, special education, learning disabilities, and language; East Carolina University, University of Nevada Las Vegas, Fresno Pacific College; 1975-1988.
  • As a basketmaker, I am primarily self-taught.

Employment

  • 1983 – present: studio artist, basketry teacher, and proprietor of JABOBS – Just a Bunch of Baskets. In 1989, I left my twenty year professional career to devote full time to basketry. From 1983, when I began weaving, until 1989, I combined and integrated the two careers, dividing a sixteen hour workday between each.
  • 1966-1989; Medical/psychiatric social worker or school psychologist including employment with Duke University Medical Center, John Umstead Hospital, New Bern-Craven County Schools, and Clark County School District.

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Basketry Teaching Experience
  • 2009, 2002, 1999, 1997, 1996, 1993 Penland School of Craft, Penland, NC
  • 2008 Basketmaking As An Art Form, University of North Carolina at Asheville Center for Creative Retirement, Asheville, NC
  • 2003, 1999, 1998 John C. Campbell Folk School, Brasstown, NC
  • 2001, 1999 Arrowmont School of Arts and Crafts, Gatlinburg, TN
  • 1999 Math in a Basket, Smithsonian Institution, Renwick Gallery/ Alliance, Washington, DC
  • 1997 Math in a Basket, sponsored by Piedmont Craftsmen, Winston-Salem /Forsyth County Schools, NC
  • 1995 Guest Artist at East Carolina University School of Art, Greenville, NC
  • 1993, 1992, 1991 Cameron Museum of Art, Wilmington, NC
  • 1993, 1992, 1991 NC Basketmaker’s Association Annual Convention: Winston-Salem, Fayetteville, Raleigh, NC
  • 1991 Eisenhower Grant to teach Math in a Basket, New Hanover County School District, Wilmington, NC
  • 1990 Market the Art, sponsored by Basketmaker Magazine, Secaucus, NJ
  • 1989, 1988 Taught basketry as professional development courses for teacher recertification, Clark County School District, Las Vegas, NV
Selected Exhibitions
  • 2017 Billie Ruth Sudduth- Baskets from the Collection of Andrew and Hathia Hayes, Morris Museum of Art, Augusta, GA.  Feb-Mar
  • 2015 Crafting Earth and Sky, Gaston County Museum of Art, Dallas, NC. May-August
  • 2013 A Basketmaker’s Journey, Cary Arts Canter, Cary, NC.  Solo Exhibition. May-July.
  • 2012 True Blue, Mingei International Museum, San Diego, CA.Group exhibition.
  • 2012 Living Treasures of North Carolina, Fuller Craft Museum, Brockton, MA
  • 2012, 2011, 2010, 2009, 2008 American Masters, Southern Arts Federation Seven State Tour, Invitational
  • 2010 Solo Exhibition, Ogden Museum of Southern Art, New Orleans, LA
  • 2009 Craft in America, Fuller Craft Museum, Brockton, MA
  • 2008 Basketworks, The Cotsen Contemporary American Basket Collection, Racine Art Museum, Racine, WI
  • 2008 Billie Ruth Sudduth: 25 Years and 10,000 (Almost) Baskets Later, Solo Exhibition, Toe River Arts Council Gallery, Spruce Pine, NC
  • 2008, 2007 Craft in America, Arkansas Arts Center, Little Rock AK; Museum of Contemporary Craft, Portland, OR; Mingei International Museum, San Diego, CA, Invitational, Book
  • 2007 Pursuing Excellence, Blue Spiral I and the Center for Craft, Creativity, and Design, Asheville, NC. Invitational, Catalog
  • 2007, 2006, 2005, 2004, 2003, 2002, 2001, 2000, 1999, 1997, 1996, 1995, 1994 The Smithsonian Craft Show, Washington, DC, Juried, Catalog
  • 2006 The 2006 Governor’s Executive Mansion North Carolina Craft Exhibition, Raleigh, NC, April-October, Juried By Invitation, Catalog
  • 2006 2004-2005 NCAC Fellowship Recipients Exhibition, Asheville Art Museum, Asheville, NC, April-July, Catalog
  • 2005 Engaging Nature: Contemporary Baskets from the Collection of Lloyd and Margit Cotsen, Long Beach Museum of Art, Long Beach, CA
  • 2005 Tradition and Beyond – The Baskets of Billie Ruth Sudduth, Asheville Museum of Art, Asheville, NC, Solo Exhibition
  • 2005 Math in a Basket, Montgomery Museum of Fine Arts, Montgomery, AL, Solo Exhibition, Catalog
  • 2005 High Fiber, Renwick Gallery of the Smithsonian American Art Museum, Washington, DC, Survey of the Permanent Collection in Fiber, Group Exhibition
  • 2004 The Nature of Craft and the Penland Experience, Mint Museum of Craft and Design, Charlotte, NC, Invitational, Catalog
  • 2004, 2002, 2000, 1998, 1997 Contemporary Baskets, del Mano Gallery, Los Angeles, CA, Invitational, Catalog
  • 2004 NC Craft 04: A Celebration of Penland’s 75th Anniversary, Wellington B. Gray Gallery, School of Art, East Carolina University, Greenville, NC, Invitational
  • 2003, 2001, 2000, 1999, 1996, 1992, 1991 The Philadelphia Museum of Art Craft Show, Philadelphia, PA, Juried, Catalog
  • 2003, 2001, 2000, 1999, 1994 SOFA (Sculpture Objects & Functional Art Fair), New York, NY, Chicago, IL
  • 2002 Baskets Now: USA, Arkansas Arts Center, Decorative Arts Museum, Little Rock, AR, Invitational, Catalog
  • 2002 Honoring Women, Handmade in America, Blowers Gallery, University of North Carolina at Asheville, Asheville, NC, Invitational
  • 2001-2002 OBJECTS FOR USE: Handmade by Design, American Craft Museum, New York, NY, Invitational curated by Paul Smith, Book
  • 2001-2002 Contemporary Baskets, Paris Gibson Square Museum of Art, Great Falls, MT, Invitational
  • 2001 Southern Women of Influence, Kentucky Art and Craft Foundation, Louisville, KY, Invitational
  • 2001 Craft is a Verb, Tampa Museum of Art, Tampa, FL, Selected objects from the American Craft Museum
  • 1999 Head, Heart, Hands, American Craft Museum, New York, NY, Permanent Collection
  • 1999 Southeastern Basket Invitational, Blue Spiral I, Asheville, NC
  • 1999 Mint Museum of Craft & Design Grand Opening, Charlotte, NC, Permanent Collection
  • 1998-99 Craft is a Verb, Mississippi Museum of Art, Jackson, MS, American Craft Museum Collection
  • 1998 Billie Ruth Sudduth – Baskets. ERL Originals, Winston-Salem, NC, Two-Person Exhibition.
  • 1997 The Renwick at 25 – The Reinstallation of the Permanent Collection, Renwick Gallery of the Smithsonian American Art Museum, Washington, DC
  • 1997 Celebrating American Craft, The Museum of Decorative Art, Copenhagen, Denmark, Catalog
  • 1996 Guests of United States, Jahresmesse Kunsthandwerk, Museum fur Kunst und Gewerbe, Hamburg, Germany, Invitational
  • 1996 The Nature Sequence- Baskets of Billie Ruth Sudduth, St. John’s Museum of Art, Wilmington, NC, Solo Exhibition
  • 1995 Accounts Southeast – Craft, SECCA (Southeastern Center for Contemporary Art), Winston-Salem, NC, Invitational
  • 1995 Treasures, John Michael Kohler Arts Center, Kohler, WI, Invitational
  • 1995 Vessels – American Craftsman Series, Castle Gallery, College of New Rochelle, New Rochelle, NY, Invitational
  • 1995 Alabama Impact – Contemporary Artists with Alabama Ties, Mobile Museum of Art, Mobile, AL; Huntsville Museum of Art, Huntsville, AL, Invitational, Catalog
  • 1994 Festival of the Masters, Walt Disney World, Orlando, FL, Juried
  • 1993-1994 Craft of the Carolinas, Gibbes Museum of Art, Charleston, SC; Rudolf E. Lee Gallery, Clemson University, Clemson, SC; Spirit Square for the Arts, Charlotte, NC; Green Hill Center for North Carolina Art, Greensboro, NC; Folk Art Center, Asheville, NC. (Traveling Exhibition), Juried, Catalog
  • 1993 A Celebration of American Crafts, The Philadelphia Museum of Art, Art Rental and Sales Gallery, Philadelphia, PA, Invitational
  • 1993 Southeastern Juried Exhibition 1993, Fine Arts Museum of the South, Mobile, AL, Catalog, Juried
  • 1993 Spotlight ’93, Southeast Crafts, Arrowmont School of Arts and Crafts, Gatlinburg, TN, Catalog, Juried
  • 1993 Small Expressions, Handweavers Guild of America, James and Meryl Hearst Center for the Visual Arts, Cedar Falls, IA; Traveled to The Gathering, Bucknell University, Lewisburg, PA, Juried, Catalog
  • 1993 Woven, Plaited, Twined, Coiled, Sawtooth Center, Milton Rhodes Gallery, Winston-Salem, NC, Juried, Catalog
  • 1993 Fiber Celebrated ’93, Intermountain Weavers Conference, Nevada State Museum, Las Vegas, NV, Juried, Catalog
  • 1992 Materials Hard and Soft, Meadows Gallery, Center for the Visual Arts, Denton, TX, Juried, Catalog
  • 1992 Spotlight ’92, American Craft Council, SE Region, Hand Workshop, Richmond, VA, Juried, Catalog
  • 1992 Fiber Invitational, Chelsea Gallery, Western Carolina University, Cullowhee, NC, Two-Person Exhibition
  • 1992 Fine Arts Center, Francis Marion College, Florence, SC, Solo Exhibition
  • 1991 The Wichita National ’91, The Wichita Center for the Arts, Wichita, KS, Juried, Catalo
  • 1991 Fiber Celebrated ’91, Colorado Springs Fine Arts Center, Colorado Springs, CO, Juried, Catalog
  • 1991 34th Chautauqua National Exhibition of American Art, Chautauqua Art Association Galleries, Chautauqua, NY, Juried, Catalog
  • 1991 Crafts National 25, Zoller Gallery, Penn State University, University Park, PA, Juried, Catalog
  • 1991 Small Expressions, Handweavers Guild of America, Lane Community College Art Gallery, Eugene, OR, Juried, Catalog
  • 1991 Southern Fibers ’91, Student Center Gallery, North Georgia College, Dahlonega, GA, Juried
  • 1990 Wilmington Artist VI, St. John’s Museum of Art, Wilmington, NC, Juried
  • 1989 Fiber Celebrated ’89, Intermountain Weavers Conference, Salt Lake Arts Center, Salt Lake City, UT, Juried, Catalog
Awards, Fellowships, Grants, & Honors
  • 2008 Order of the Long Leaf Pine, State of North Carolina, Governor Mike Easley
  • 2008 Paul Harris Fellow, Rotary International
  • 2007 Oral History Program, Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, DC
  • 2005 President’s Medal for Achievement, Huntingdon College, Montgomery, AL
  • 2004 Individual Visual Arts Fellowship, North Carolina Arts Council
  • 2003 Acquisition of Papers, University Archives, Randall Library, The University of North Carolina at Wilmington, Wilmington, NC
  • 2002 Alumni Achievement Award, Huntingdon College, Montgomery, AL
  • 1998 Award of Excellence in Fiber, Piedmont Crafts Fair, Winston Salem, NC
  • 1998 Niche Award, Philadelphia, PA
  • 1997 North Carolina Living Treasure Award, The University of North Carolina at Wilmington, Wilmington, NC
  • 1997 Smithsonian Craft Show Merit Award, Washington, DC
  • 1997 Niche Award Finalist, Philadelphia, PA
  • 1994 Individual Visual Artist Grant, North Carolina Arts Council
  • 1993 Visual Artist Fellowship Finalist, Southern Arts Federation/National Endowment for the Arts
  • 1990/1991 Emerging Artist Grant, Arts Council of the Lower Cape Fear/North Carolina Arts Council
Publications
  • 2015 Made in the Smokies, Smoky Mountain Living. Oct. Feature
  • 2012 12 Notables of Western North Carolina, Future Now Publishing, Feature.
  • 2010 Basket Inspiration for Makers and Collectors, Schiffer Publishers, Author
  • 2010 Billie Ruth Sudduth, A North Carolina Living Treasure, The Laurel of Asheville Magazine, November
  • 2009 Why We Love North Carolina, No Place Like Home Essay, Our State Magazine, February
  • 2008 Weaving A Legacy, Carolina Home & Garden, Feature, December
  • 2008 Mountain Living in Western North Carolina, WNC Magazine, Photograph, November-December
  • 2008 Miracle on Oak Street, Family Circle Magazine, Article, December
  • 2008 A Storybook Christmas, Southern Living Magazine, Photograph, December
  • 2008 A Collection of Creativity from the Carolinas, Exhibit C Magazine, Artist Profile, December
  • 2008 Bakersville Basketmaker Appreciates Acclaim, Asheville Citizen-Times Newspaper, Feature, September 21
  • 2008 Everybody’s Favorite Accessory – Baskets, House Beautiful Magazine, Photograph, June
  • 2008 WNC Magazine, Photograph, May
  • 2008 Serious Folk, Serious Art, Living in Style Magazine, Feature, February
  • 2007 American Style Magazine, Photograph, December
  • 2006 Town Hangs Hope on Holiday Tree, USA Today Newspaper, Interview, Photograph, December 5
  • 2006 Summer Postcards, Our State Magazine, Article, Photograph, June
  • 2006 The Washington Post Newspaper, Photograph, April 21
  • 2006 500 Baskets, Jan Peters, Lark Books, Sterling Publishers, New York, Photographs
  • 2005 Living Treasures, Misti Lee, Our State Magazine, Feature, September
  • 2005 Highland Handcrafters, Appalachian Craftspeople, Michael Joslin. Front Cover, Article
  • 2004 Billie Ruth Sudduth, Weaving Beauty from Tradition and Creativity, Smoky Mountain Living Magazine, Feature, Volume 4, Number 4, Fall
  • 2004 The Nature of Craft and the Penland Experience, Lark Books, Sterling Publishers, New York, NY, Photograph
  • 2004 Fiberarts Design Book VII, Lark Books, Sterling Publishers, New York, NY Photograph
  • 2004 The Best of Our State at Pinehurst, Our State Magazine, February-June, Photograph
  • 2004 North Carolina State Department of Transportation Highway Map, Photograph
  • 2004 The Crafts Report Magazine, April, Photograph
  • 2003 Carolina Snowflakes, Our State Magazine, September, 2003-January, 2004
  • 2003 Where Can You Find Craft Collectors?, The Crafts Report Magazine, Article, Photograph, November
  • 2003 The Craft Heritage Trails of Western North Carolina, Handmade in America. Front Cover, Narrative, Photographs
  • 2003 Basket Cases, Delta Sky Magazine, Feature, March
  • 2002 Warm Woven Wishes, Log and Timber Magazine, Feature, July/August
  • 2002 Billie Ruth Sudduth Pounds Out a New Line of Baskets, The Crafts Report Magazine, Feature, June
  • 2002 Fibonacci Numbers in Basketry: 1,1,2,3,5,8,13,…, Fiberarts Magazine, Author. Janiuary/February
  • 2001 Shuttle, Spindle, & Dyepot Magazine, Photograph, Fall
  • 2001 Washington Craft Show Program, Front Cover Photograph
  • 2001 Korb-Design, Haupt, Bern, Switzerland, Author
  • 2001 Objects for Use: Handmade by Design, Harry N. Abrams Incorporated, New York, NY, Photograph
  • 2001 Nation’s Artisans Crafting Goods and a Good Living, The Washington Post Newspaper, Interview, April 16, 2001
  • 2000 Beautiful Things, Guild Publishing, Photograph
  • 2000 The Long Way Around: How 34 Women Found the Lives They Love, Carolina Women’s Press, Photographs, Feature
  • 2000 American Baskets, Robert Shaw, Random House, Incorporated, Photographs
  • 2000 Baskets, Tradition and Beyond, Leier, Peters, Wallace, Guild Publishing, Photographs
  • 2000 A Passion for Baskets, American Style Magazine, Spring 2000, #20, 8 Page Feature
  • 2000 The 2000 Destination Guide, The Biltmore Estate, Asheville, NC, Photographs, Article
  • 1999, 1998, 1997, 1996, 1995, 1994 America’s 200 Best Craftsmen, Early American Life Magazine, August, October
  • 1999 Making the New Baskets, Jane LaFerla, Lark Books, Sterling Publishing, New York, NY, Photograph
  • 1999 Crafting a New Career at Midlife, The Chicago Tribune Newspaper, August 24, Feature
  • 1999 A Conversation with the Renwick Gallery’s Kenneth Trapp, Shuttle, Spindle, and Dyepot Magazine, Volume XXX, Number 3, Issue 119, Summer., Photograph
  • 1999 Easy as Can Be: Fibonacci 1,1,2,3, Author
  • 1999 Artist to Artist. The Crafts Report Magazine, September Photograph, Article
  • 1999 Fiberarts Design Book VI, Lark Books/Sterling Publishers, Photograph
  • 1999 Baskets-A Book for Makers and Collectors, Handbooks Press, Author
  • 1999 Mathematics Teaching in the Middle School Journal, National Council of Teachers of Mathematics, Volume 4, Number 4, January, Front cover, feature article
  • 1998 Skilled Work, American Craft in the Renwick Gallery, National Museum of American Art, Smithsonian Institution, Kenneth Trapp and Howard Risatti, Smithsonian Institution Press, Photographs, Narrative
  • 1998 American Craft Magazine, Photographs, June/July
  • 1998 Math in a Basket, Author
  • 1998 The Craft Heritage Trails of Western North Carolina, Handmade in America, Front Cover, Photographs, Narrative
  • 1998 Southern Accents, Photograph, April/May
  • 1998 She’s a Living Treasure, American Style Magazine, Spring
  • 1998 Niche Magazine, Photograph, Spring
  • 1998 Smithsonian Magazine, Photograph, February
  • 1998 Niche Magazine, Photograph, Winter
  • 1998 Sudduth Named Living Treasure, The Crafts Report, Article, Photograph, January
  • 1997 Crafts on the Cutting Edge, Southern Living Magazine, Photograph, December
  • 1997 The Golden Mean, Johnson City Press Newspaper, Feature, December 15
  • 1997 Dream Weaver, Wilmington Star News Newspaper, Feature, October 28
  • 1997 American Craft Magazine, Photograph, August/September
  • 1997 High Art, Southern Accents Magazine, Photograph, Article, July/August
  • 1997 Put All Your Eggs in These Baskets, American Style Magazine, Photograph, Spring
  • 1996 Swatches, Fiberart Magazine, Photograph. November/December
  • 1996 Home Magazine, Photographs, November
  • 1996 Southern Accents Magazine, Photograph, September/October
  • 1996 Shuttle, Spindle, & Dyepot Magazine, Gallery, Summer, Issue 107
  • 1996 Our State Magazine, Feature, August
  • 1995 American Craft Magazine, Gallery, April/May
  • 1995 Fiberarts Design Book V, Lark Books/Sterling Publishers, Photograph
  • 1995 Swatches, Fiberarts Magazine, Photograph, November/December
  • 1995 Raleigh News and Observer Newspaper, Feature, Saturday, November 25
  • 1994 American Craft Magazine, Portfolio
  • 1994 The Torch, A Monthly Newspaper for the Smithsonian Institution, Photograph, April
  • 1994 Second Nature, Home Magazine, Photograph, Article, May
  • 1993 The New York Times Newspaper, Review, Sunday , April 25
  • 1993 Twill Basketry, Lark Books/Sterling Publishers, Photographs
  • 1992 Fort Worth Star Telegram Newspaper, Art Review, September 29
  • 1992 Members Magazine, Philadelphia Museum of Art, Photograph, Fall.]
  • 1991 Shuttle, Spindle, and Dyepot Magazine, Feature Interview, Issue 87
Collections
  • Mingei International Museum, San Diego, CA.
  • Columbia Museum of Art, Columbia, SC
  • Asheville Art Museum, Asheville, NC
  • Montgomery Museum of Fine Arts, Montgomery, AL
  • Renwick Gallery, National Museum of American Art, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, DC
  • Museum of Art and Design, New York, NY
  • Mint Museum of Craft and Design, Charlotte, NC
  • Charles A. Wustum Museum of Fine Arts, Racine, WI
  • Louise Wells Cameron Art Museum, Wilmington, NC
  • University of North Carolina at Wilmington, Wilmington , NC
  • American Embassy, Niamey, Niger, Africa, (Art in Embassies Program)
  • Lloyd Cotsen Collection, Los Angeles, CA
  • Glaxo Pharmaceuticals, Research Triangle Park, NC
  • Bank of America Corporate Headquarters, Charlotte, NC
  • Thomas S. Kenan Institute for the Arts, Winston-Salem, NC
  • Kathleen Price Bryan Family Fund, Greensboro, NC
  • Holiday Inn Corporation, Hickory, NC
  • President Jimmy Carter, The Carter Institute, Atlanta, GA
  • UNC Rex Vascular and Heart Center. Raleigh, NC
  • Houston Museum of Art, Houston, Texas
  • Long Beach Art Museum, Long Beach, CA
Memberships
Other
  • 2013 Resident Artist, Spring Island, SC. February
  • 2012 Judge, Creek Walk Festival, Bakersville, NC. October
  • 2011 Art of the Blue Ridge, PBS, November 4, Feature
  • 2011 Around Town with Linda Staunch, 10 Eastern North Carolina Counties, Month of October, 30-Minute Feature
  • 2007 Craft in America, PBS, April 29, May 6, May 13
  • 2006 PBS/NC Center for Public Television, “North Carolina Now”, Home of the Perfect Christmas Tree: Nov. 28,29,Dec.11,12,25. Interview.
  • 2006 White House Christmas, HGTV, December 6 & December 25, Interview
  • 2006 Honor’s Day Speaker, University of Alabama School of Social Work, April 7
  • 2005 Keynote Speaker, North Carolina Art Educators Association Annual Conference, Asheville, NC, October 28
  • 2005 Living Treasures. Mitchell County Promotional DVD, Mitchell County, NC Chamber of Commerce
  • 2004 Judge, Kentuck Festival, Northport, Alabama
  • 2004 Guest Lecturer, The Best Of Our State, Pinehurst, NC
  • 2003 Handheld Computer Guide for Fibonacci 5 in Permanent Collection, CD, American Museum of Art/ Renwick Gallery/Smithsonian Institution, Washington, DC
  • 2003 Guest Lecturer, Renwick Gallery, American Museum of Art, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, DC
  • 2002 The Carol Duvall Show, HGTV, Feature, April 1 and 6
  • 2001 John Gardner – Uncommon American, The American Experience, PBS
  • 2001 Guest Artist, The University of North Carolina at Wilmington, Wilmington, NC
  • 1998 Curator, Southeastern Basket Invitational, Blue Spiral I, Asheville, NC, May-June
  • 1998 Artist of the 1998 Christmas Tree, The White House, Washington, DC
  • 1998 Crafts American Style, PBS, Washington, DC. October
  • 1998 Juror, Piney Woods Festival, Arts Council of the Lower Caper Fear, Wilmington, NC
  • 1998 Voice of America, Interview, July
  • 1998 North Carolina Now, PBS/NC Center for Public Television, Feature, March
  • 1998 Quest for America’s Best – 50 State Tour, QVC, March
  • 1997, 1993 Juror – Hand-Crafted in South Carolina. The South Carolina Artisans Center, Walterboro, SC
  • 1996 Year of the Mountain, PBS /NC, October
  • 1996 Handmade in America, CBS Sunday Morning, September 15
  • 1994 American Craft Council Registry