Francina and Neil Prince in Collections

Neil Prince with TorreyVessels™ at studio Two (1989) preparing for a feature show at a Santa Fe gallery.

"It is a rare occasion when a small museum with modest resources can assemble a collection which may be described as definitive, however narrow its context. In the case of The Tactile Vessel collection, the context is hardly narrow. Rather its focus, new basket forms, encompasses a large and growing body of artist working in this ancient and highly diversified medium. This small-yet-definitive collection includes works by virtually every key artist who has made the basket a familiar form in late 20th century art. The museum was also fortunate enough to have, as guest curator, a highly respected author/designer who is among the most influential advocates of the contemporary crafts movement. Perhaps more than any other individual, Jack Lenor Larsen has been responsible for the high level of exposure currently accorded artist working in craft media."
- John Vanco, Director, Erie Art Museum

Jack Lenor Larsen writes in the catalog: "Basketry is one of the most dynamic contemporary art forms because, among other reasons, it is grounded in exactly those virtues we have in shortest supply. As much as anything else, basketry presents an antidote to those structural properties absent in most rooms built today. We readily sense the materials which, often as not, speak of the out-of-doors, and of the process with which they are made. In a sense, baskets are the ultimate fabric in that they are complete dimensional forms, with the integrity of such. ........ They're also a microcosm of architecture, with statements about material, structure, shade and shadow, and- sometimes- transparency or inner penetration of light as well."

In addition to the noted collector Jack Lenor Larsen, the TorreyVessels™ of Francina and Neil Prince are in the collections of Fritz Scholder, painter, and Clare Boothe Luce, stateswoman, and other creative individuals.

Francina Prince creating a vessel

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