Dorothy Barnes

The basketry community has lost one of its most important members. I had the pleasure of spending time with Dorothy at the Cincinnati Convergence and she was so gracious!

My mother, Mary Ellen (Vavra) Lander, attended Coe with Mrs. Barnes, and once they were both in the Columbus area, was active with her in the Central Ohio Weavers' Guild, Habitat for Humanity, and likely also peace activities. My late father, Wayne Lander, enjoyed being with Marshall Barnes & in later years, taking him to medical appointments. I fondly recall a visit to the Barnes studio in Worthington over tea & my mother's scones as well as a Columbus exhibition of basketry. My mother...

Dorothy was a lovely woman and a gifted artist. She was a treasured friend to Tom and Barbara Crane, Ben's parents, who lived nearby in Worthington OH. Dorothy would come over to Tom and Barbara's house frequently to collect maidenhair ferns from their garden to use in her works. Dorothy gave Tom a snipping of the vine from her back fence and it is happily growing in our back yard in the Chicago suburbs. She was a caring friend to us and our boys as well, when we visited Worthington we often...

I enjoyed meeting Dorothy in Chicago when I lived with Julie. I had a wonderful weekend in their home once and I remember lovely natural artifacts everywhere. I also remember her serving us warm pie with a little slice of cheddar cheese. She had one of the warmest smiles I've ever known. I recall how she smiled with peace and love in her sparkling eyes walking down the aisle on Julie's wedding day. My thoughts are with all of you.

Dorothy was a visiting artist at Canberra School of Art about 20 years ago. She loved 'meeting' Australian trees and understanding their growth habits. In particular she loved Eucalyptus trees with scribbles, left by small insects, on their bark. In her art Dorothy also inscribed bark with great consideration for the tree.
I have attached a photo of an experimental piece she made at our house (showing marks made by insects on Eucalyptus bark, enveloped by another piece of malleable...

Dorothy left behind such a legacy in her work. She was so kind and generous in her knowledge. I met her in 1995 during a basketry opening at Sybaris gallery in Royal Oak MI. I was amazed by her work; pure, beautiful, and full of connection to the earth. She graciously took me out to learn how to gather tree bark. Such beautiful magic she shared with me that day. I am forever grateful for the moment we shared which helped push my own love of nature forward in work. Thank you for sharing such...

I did not know Dorothy. But I noticed in her obituary that she attended Coe College, which is in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. Because she was so obviously an artist, I wonder if one of her professors at Coe College was my grandfather, Marvin Cone. He founded the art department at Coe and taught art there until his retirement. Dorothy Barnes certainly was a marvelous woman.