Mary jackson basket weaver

Winnowing: the process of separating seed from chaff. For centuries, winnowing in rice fields was done by hand, or rather, by the hands of enslaved people from West Africa, whose strength, sweat, and skills made South Carolina wealthy.

But before the actual winnowing, those hands first made winnowing (or “fanner”) baskets from bulrush and marsh grasses.

Mary jackson basket weaver

Sturdy baskets in which to shake just-harvested rice hulls to remove chaff from the desired nugget of Carolina gold. Work baskets from working hands. Hands like Mary Jackson’s—strong, proud, nimble, and marvelously skilled.

Hands that winnow in their own way, separating fine art from craftsmanship.

“My inspiration comes from what was done before and evolves from old forms, like the traditional rice basket, which is a wide plate with a raised edge,” says Jackson, now 74.

The Mount Pleasant native grew up in the Seven Mile area, where she learned basket-making from her mother, Evelyina Foreman, and both grandmothers, Irene Foreman and