In 2023, we partnered with Robert Haygens, a traditional basket weaver from Opp, Alabama, to harvest river cane from the property of Bill and Janet Deutsch along Hodnett Creek, near Loachapoka.
We hand-delivered the processed cane to award-winning artist Mary Smith. Smith (1951–2025), a member of the Muscogee (Creek) Nation, was a self-taught basket weaver and teacher who lived in Bixby, Oklahoma. Smith’s work has been featured in museums around the country, and Smith is credited with reintroducing the traditional double-false braid rim technique in basket weaving, a method unique to Creek basketry.
The mat woven by Mary Smith is on display in Pebble Hill.
