CLAY BURNETTE •   COLUMBIA, SC

Clay Burnette is a self-taught pine needle basketmaker who has has been coiling
longleaf pine needles with waxed linen thread for almost 45 years . He has exhibited
his work in over 250 venues throughout the US and abroad. In 2017, his work was
included in Rooted, Revived, Reinvented: Basketry in America, which traveled for three
years to eight venues in the US. In 2019, his work received the Award of Excellence by
the National Basketry Organization (NBO), an award he also received in 2013. In 2000,
his work was selected for inclusion in two significant exhibitions: Contemporary
International Basketry, which toured the United Kingdom for two years; and 100 Years/
100 Artists: Views of the 20th Century in SC Art, at the SC State Museum. His work is
included in numerous public and private collections including Abacus Planning Group,
Columbia Museum of Art, SC Archives & History Center, SC State Art Collection, and
the SC State Museum.

He has exhibited his baskets at the Smithsonian Craft Show, Philadelphia Craft Show,
ACC Atlanta Craft Show, ACC Charlotte Craft Show, SOFA New York, SOFA Chicago,
and numerous print publications have covered his work. In 2013, his work was included
in Tradition/Innovation: American Masterpieces of Southern Craft & Traditional Art, an
exhibition that toured the southeastern US for six years. He is the recipient of the SC
Arts Commission’s Craft Fellowship for 2022, an award he also received in 1988. With
AS, BAIS, and MLIS degrees from USC, he lives in Columbia. His work is represented
by Blue Spiral 1 Gallery in Asheville, NC. More images are available at
clayburnette.com.