Dorothy McGuinness

Dorothy McGuinness was born in 1961 in Western Washington. She took her first basket making class in 1987. She has participated in more than 200 basket workshops over the years and studied extensively with Jiro Yonezawa, a Japanese basket maker and teacher.

Dorothy discovered her medium of choice in 2000, when she took a workshop with Jackie Abrams using watercolor paper as a basket weaving material. She now works exclusively in diagonal twills creating contemporary sculptural baskets. She has participated in numerous local, national, and international shows and has won various national and international awards.

In 2007, Dorothy participated in a Fiber Arts Certificate Program at the University of Washington Professional and Continuing Education School. She also participated in Artist Trust’s EDGE Professional Development Program in 2008. She received a 2012 GAP to help purchase supplies and other costs associated with two upcoming solo shows.  In 2013 she was a finalist for the Art Kudos International Juried Competition & Exhibition.

Dorothy received 2018 GAP Award funding to showcase some new and dramatic work at two gallery shows next year, allowing her to continue educating viewers that basketry can be more than the functional craft form that often defines and constrains it.