Jul 27, 2011

Art out of the ordinaryBy Jane LaskeySCTimes.com

Whitby Gift Shop and Gallery is showcasing the works of two Wisconsin artists in its “Basketry & Two Dimensional Art” exhibit, which runs through Sept. 4.

The exhibit features the basketry art of Tina Fung Holder and the portrait art of Jan MacFarlane. The gallery is at St. Benedict’s Monastery, 104 Chapel Lane, St. Joseph.

Tina Fung Holder grew up in a rural village in Guyana, South America.

“As a little kid I was always sewing doll clothes, making things from stuff from the beach,” Fung Holder said. “So I knew I was born to be an artist.”

She moved to Chicago in 1969, earning bachelor of fine arts and master of fine arts degrees from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. After graduating, she made a name for herself creating unique jewelry and basketry art from everyday objects such as safety pins, wire, plastic tubing and other industrial materials.

A 1996 move to northern Wisconsin provided Fung Holder with a bounty of natural materials. Leaves, grass, vines, bark and pine needles all find their way into her unique basket art.

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