Scrape the Willow Until It Sings: The Words and Work of Basket Maker Julia Parker

摘要

Scrape the Willow Until It Sings offers a reflective account of an ongoing dialog between maker and scholar, to "make a space for Julia's words, work and wisdom ... to land softly on the white page" (xvii). In this sense, Valoma offers Parker's words and stories to drive the direction of the research and thus the text that emerges from between these two women. Valoma seeks to uncover and articulate knowledge and understanding that is hidden and embedded between maker and materials. Situating herself in the roles of fellow weaver, woman, and friend allows Valoma entry into Parker's habitually intimate and implicit realm of tacit knowledge. In this text, the tacit is articulated and given voice: "From Julia I have learned that meaning is carried not in the spoken, but in the unspoken" (xix).