FOCUS: Charleston artisans celebrate Smithsonian’s newest museum

By Janie Manning, special to Charleston Currents  |  Local sweetgrass basket artist Tonya White of Mount Pleasant joins local jewelry designers in celebrating the opening of the National Museum African American History and Culture. After six years, they were extended an offer to share jewelry collections with the Smithsonian’s newest museum gift store and provide actual sweetgrass basket displays created by Tonya and her Charleston family.

Sweet Charleston Designs partners Janie Manning of Raleigh, N.C., and Angie C. Buxton of Daniel Island have worked to promote educational awareness about the art form of sweetgrass basketry. They seek ways to preserve natural resources that are necessary to continue production of baskets.

Janie, Angie and Tonya are passionate about the sweetgrass art form and found that they could combine their efforts and work together to tell the story, yet maintain separate artisan products. Sweet Charleston Designs’ extensive collections of Lowcountry-inspired gold and silver jewelry are hand-sewn, custom cast or hand-embossed depending on the collection and follow traditional sweetgrass basket design patterns.

Having basket artists from the community join in providing hands-on demonstrations, educational programs or attend trunk shows authenticates Sweet Charleston Designs’ primary goal and makes a new business venture worthwhile.  Attendees view the beautiful creations being constructed and learn about the historical aspects of rice winnowing sweetgrass baskets.

The next programs for the trio, which in November, served as feature artists for the Black Southern Belle Collective in Charleston, will be artistic demonstrations during two regional Junior League Holiday programs in Augusta and Raleigh, as well as trunk shows and sweetgrass presentations and educational programs in the Carolinas.

• Learn more:  www.sweetcharlestondesigns.com

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