Basket weaving is a traditional handicraft of Vanuatu.
The basket exhibition aimed to improve the women’s culture collection of the National Museum of Vanuatu which did not have samples of many of the different styles of baskets made in Vanuatu. It also hoped to promote the art of basket weaving and stimulate Vanuatu’s craft industry.
This project helped to promote women’s culture in Vanuatu. It assisted to further develop Vanuatu’s craft industry, promoted the Vanuatu Cultural Centre’s Women’s Culture Project, and contributed to the permanent collections of the Vanuatu Cultural Centre.
Basket weaving is a traditional handicraft of Vanuatu. A wide variety of basket styles are still made and used throughout the country. Soft woven pandanus baskets with long shoulder straps are common and different regions have unique styles. A firmer pandanus basket is made by women on Lelepa and some other islands. Bamboo wicker baskets with handles are made in the northern region of Vanuatu. Uses of the baskets are many and varied.
to document, collect, exhibit and promote these styles and techniques will help preserve and celebrate the artistic expression of ni-Vanuatu women
Because baskets are so common throughout Vanuatu, the fine skills required to make them can be overlooked. However, the baskets are clearly an art form that ni-Vanuatu women have developed over the centuries. A variety of distinct artistic styles and techniques have evolved throughout the islands and this project to document, collect, exhibit and promote these styles and techniques will help preserve and celebrate the artistic expression of ni-Vanuatu women. Through this project we hope, ultimately, to stimulate pride in the artistry of ni-Vanuatu women and the development of weaving within Vanuatu’s handicraft industry.
