BRADFORD, Pa. — The University of Pittsburgh at Bradford is currently featuring the works of renowned Seneca weaver Penelope Minner in a solo exhibition through March 20.

Titled “Weaving the Past Together for the Future,” the exhibit kicked off with an opening reception Feb. 6 in the KOA Art Gallery in Blaisdell Hall where Minner’s traditional and contemporary works are on display. The exhibit celebrating her heritage and creativity showcases her basketry as well as her cornhusk dolls that blend traditional roles with modern styles.

People attending the opening reception had the opportunity to meet Minner and hear firsthand about her passion for preserving traditional Seneca art forms while embracing contemporary influences.

Penelope Minner

“The art is an act of resistance in a way, saying, ‘We are still here.’ We are still practicing our art, we are still speaking our language and we are still living our culture,” she told the attendees.

Influenced by current events, Minner’s work explores humanity’s creation of a throwaway society with a focus on plastic manufacturing and the resulting environmental impact on future generations. The single-use plastic bag, baby moccasins made from braided strands of grocery bags and stitched together with cotton thread are the same technique employed in traditional corn husk work.

“By making small changes, you can make a difference in our world, educate yourself and your family on how to reduce, reuse and recycle,” she said. “We don’t know how future generations will be affected by our reckless ways, but we can reduce our environmental footprint by being educated human beings.”

Minner is a traditional Seneca basket maker. Just as generations before her have practiced the age-old traditions and designs from long ago, she makes her baskets in the same way her ancestors did — by hand.

She brings the legacy of her people to life through her black ash baskets and corn husk dolls. Every piece, woven with care and precision, reflects a story that honors her ancestors while embracing a vision for the future. Her work masterfully blends traditional techniques with modern aesthetics, creating timeless pieces that speak to the heart and soul.

“It’s one art form that very few folks still practice in our area. Knowing this, I wanted to keep it from becoming a lost art,” she said. “From splitting the ash to cleaning/scraping the ash and hand gauging the splints, I try to stay true to the older traditions of designs. But, I also add different elements to my designs to bring my own style to the works.”

The Native American basket-making tradition is becoming a lost art. Minner uses black ash splints for her baskets but, with the ash tree on the brink of extinction, her materials are becoming more and more scarce.

These days, she gets ash splints from the Akwesasne Mohawk Territory and as far away as Canada and Maine. Because black ash is becoming harder to find, she’s been downsizing to miniature and small baskets.

“I have tried using white ash, which is fairly brittle and the end result was not desirable,” she said. “Black ash has a quality of flexibility and durability that makes for a sturdy basket. Once split, the sheen is such a lovely natural feature.”

An enrolled member of the Seneca Nation, Turtle Clan, Minner was raised in Steamburg, N.Y., on the Allegany Territory. She and her husband, Aaron, reside in Salamanca, N.Y.

Minner said her cousin, the late Midge Dean Stock who was well-known in the region for her traditional baskets, encouraged and influenced her art in many ways as she was growing up. With her many talents, beadwork, baskets, singing and storytelling, Stock was a font of knowledge. She said her cousin learned the art from Mohawk elder, Mary Adams.

Inspired by her family, Minner said it gives her great satisfaction to share her knowledge with the public and within the art community. It increases her passion for this art form.

People are familiar with Minner’s basketry and corn husk dolls across the country. Her pieces are showcased in numerous museums including the Seneca-Iroquois National Museum, Iroquois Indian Museum, Fenimore Museum, New York State Museum and the Smithsonian’s National Museum of the American Indian.

Her works have also been featured at the Erie Art Museum; Seneca Art & Culture Center at Ganondagan State Historic Site in Victor, N.Y.; Tompkins Center for History & Culture in Ithaca, N.Y.; Iroquois Museum, Howes Cave; and Eiteljorg Museum of American Indians and Western Art, Indianapolis.

Admission to the exhibition is free. For more information, visit Pitt-Bradford’s arts calendar online at upb.pitt.edu. For more details about Minner, visit her website, penelopeminner.com.