Noted sweetgrass weaver receives SC college degree

Noted sweetgrass weaver receives SC college degree
December 19, 2009
wbtv.com

CHARLESTON, S.C. (AP) - Internationally known sweetgrass basket weaver Mary Jackson is receiving an honorary degree from the College of Charleston.

Jackson receives the degree Saturday as more than 500 students graduate during winter commencement. Her work has appeared in museums including the Smithsonian Art Museum and the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston.

Last year, Jackson received a half-million dollar genius fellowship from the MacArthur Foundation.

Weaving sweetgrass baskets is a West African tradition in which artisans entwine sweetgrass with other materials such as palmetto fronds, bulrushes and pine needles.

Charleston Mayor Joe Riley is Saturday's commencement speaker.

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