Frances Ann Reed (née Williams; June 12, 1943 – September 11, 2008) was an American

fiber artist Fiber (spelled fibre in British English; from ) is a natural or artificial substance that is significantly longer than it is wide. Fibers are often used in the manufacture of other materials. The strongest engineering materials often incorp ...

and

teacher A teacher, also called a schoolteacher or formally an educator, is a person who helps students to acquire knowledge, competence, or virtue, via the practice of teaching. ''Informally'' the role of teacher may be taken on by anyone (e.g. w ...

based in

Alaska Alaska ( ) is a non-contiguous U.S. state on the northwest extremity of North America. Part of the Western United States region, it is one of the two non-contiguous U.S. states, alongside Hawaii. Alaska is also considered to be the north ...

who specialized in a distinctive style of

basketry Basket weaving (also basketry or basket making) is the process of weaving or sewing pliable materials into three-dimensional artifacts, such as baskets, mats, mesh bags or even furniture. Craftspeople and artists specialized in making baskets ...

made from

dried fish Fresh fish rapidly deteriorates unless some way can be found to preserve it. Drying (food), Drying is a method of food preservation that works by removing water from the food, which inhibits the growth of microorganisms. Open air drying using sun ...

skins and other

natural material * A ″ natural material a substance that comes from plants, animals, or the earth, and has not been made by humans.. Minerals and the metals that can be extracted from them (without further modification) are also considered to belong into this ...

s found in the state.

Biography

Early life

Reed was born Frances Williams in

La Jolla, California La Jolla ( , ) is a hilly, seaside neighborhood in San Diego, California, occupying of curving coastline along the Pacific Ocean. The population reported in the 2010 census was 46,781. The climate is mild, with an average daily temperature o ...

, on June 12, 1943, to parents Charles and Mary Alice Williams. Reed, a competitive swimmer, graduated from La Jolla High School in 1961. She met her husband, Dick Reed, in 1961 while both were students at the

University of Oregon The University of Oregon (UO, U of O or Oregon) is a Public university, public research university in Eugene, Oregon, United States. Founded in 1876, the university is organized into nine colleges and schools and offers 420 undergraduate and gra ...

. The couple had two children, Collin and Jocelyn.

Career

Reed graduated from University of Oregon with a

Bachelor of Science A Bachelor of Science (BS, BSc, B.S., B.Sc., SB, or ScB; from the Latin ') is a bachelor's degree that is awarded for programs that generally last three to five years. The first university to admit a student to the degree of Bachelor of Scienc ...

degree in

art education Visual arts education is the area of learning that is based upon the kind of art that one can see, visual arts—drawing, painting, sculpture, printmaking, and design in jewelry, pottery, weaving, fabrics, etc. and design applied to more practi ...

. She began teaching

weaving Weaving is a method of textile production in which two distinct sets of yarns or threads are interlaced at right angles to form a fabric or cloth. Other methods are knitting, crocheting, felting, and braiding or plaiting. The longitudinal ...

at an art school in

Eugene, Oregon Eugene ( ) is a city in and the county seat of Lane County, Oregon, United States. It is located at the southern end of the Willamette Valley, near the confluence of the McKenzie River (Oregon), McKenzie and Willamette River, Willamette rivers, ...

, after her graduation. She relocated to

Fairbanks, Alaska Fairbanks is a Municipal home rule, home rule city and the county seat, borough seat of the Fairbanks North Star Borough, Alaska, United States. Fairbanks is the largest city in the Interior Alaska, interior region of Alaska and the second la ...

, in 1969. Once in Fairbanks, Reed began teaching qiviut

( musk ox

wool Wool is the textile fiber obtained from sheep and other mammals, especially goats, rabbits, and camelids. The term may also refer to inorganic materials, such as mineral wool and glass wool, that have some properties similar to animal w ...

) at the

University of Alaska Fairbanks The University of Alaska Fairbanks (UAF or Alaska) is a public university, public Land-grant university, land-, National Sea Grant College Program, sea-, and National Space Grant College and Fellowship Program, space-grant research university in ...

. She also worked as a lecturer at

Alaska Pacific University Alaska Pacific University (APU) is a private university in Anchorage, Alaska, United States. It was established as Alaska Methodist University in 1957. Although it was renamed to Alaska Pacific University in 1978, it is still affiliated with the ...

, where she taught Alaska Native arts for fifteen years. Additionally, Reed worked for the Alaska Marine Highway Elderhostel program. Reed began working with

as an art material in 1986 using dead "river kill" fish collected from the

Chena River The Chena River (; Tanana Athabascan: Ch'eno' "river of something (game)") is a tributary of the Tanana River in the Interior region of the U.S. state of Alaska. It flows generally west from the White Mountains to the Tanana River near the ...

. The family moved south to Anchorage shortly afterwards when her husband, Dick Reed, an

architect An architect is a person who plans, designs, and oversees the construction of buildings. To practice architecture means to provide services in connection with the design of buildings and the space within the site surrounding the buildings that h ...

, was hired for a large project.

Southcentral Alaska Southcentral Alaska (), also known as the Gulf Coast Region,Alaska Department of Commerce, Community, and Economic Development, Northern Opportunity Alaska's Economic Development Strategy, 2016, at 84 (Alaska 2016). Accessed June 1, 2023. https: ...

offered more numerous, diverse fish species than those found near Reed's former home in Fairbanks. This allowed her to incorporate more fish skins in her art and expand her interests. Through her art, Reed became an expert on the use of fish skins and their uses, especially in the traditional indigenous art of Alaska, such as

baskets A basket is a container that is traditionally constructed from stiff fibers, and can be made from a range of materials, including wood splints, runners, and cane. While most baskets are made from plant materials, other materials such as horse ...

. She extensively researched Alaskan fish skin and their uses independently. Her unique art and expertise attracted attention from throughout Alaska and the rest of the

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

. This led to a number of awards and honors. Reed's fish skin

and other crafts were featured in the book, ''Arctic Clothing'', which was published by the British Museum Press. She received the Lila Wallace-

Reader's Digest ''Reader's Digest'' is an American general-interest family magazine, published ten times a year. Formerly based in Chappaqua, New York, it is now headquartered in midtown Manhattan. The magazine was founded in 1922 by DeWitt Wallace and his wi ...

Artists at

Giverny Giverny () is a Communes of France, commune in the northern French Departments of France, department of Eure.fellow A fellow is a title and form of address for distinguished, learned, or skilled individuals in academia, medicine, research, and industry. The exact meaning of the term differs in each field. In learned society, learned or professional society, p ...

ship in 1996, which allowed her to study at the home of

Claude Monet Oscar-Claude Monet (, ; ; 14 November 1840 – 5 December 1926) was a French painter and founder of Impressionism painting who is seen as a key precursor to modernism, especially in his attempts to paint nature as he perceived it. During his ...

France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...

for three months. She also received the Rasmuson Foundation and Western States Arts Federation fellowships during her career. In 1989, Reed was adopted into the

Tsimshian The Tsimshian (; ) are an Indigenous peoples of the Pacific Northwest Coast, Indigenous people of the Pacific Northwest Coast of North America. Their communities are mostly in coastal British Columbia in Terrace, British Columbia, Terrace and ...

Killer Whale clan, which is also known as the

Gispwudwada {{Inline citations, date=December 2024 The Gispwudwada or Gisbutwada (variously spelled) is the name for the Killerwhale "clan" ( phratry) in the language of the Tsimshian nation of British Columbia, Canada, and southeast Alaska. It is considered a ...

. In 1997, Reed was commissioned by the

Governor of Alaska A governor is an administrative leader and head of a polity or political region, in some cases, such as governors-general, as the head of a state's official representative. Depending on the type of political region or polity, a ''governor'' ma ...

to create the prizes given to the recipients of the Alaska Governor's Arts Awards. Reed was awarded the Anchorage Mayor's Award for Outstanding Individual Artist by Mayor

Mark Begich Mark Peter Begich ( ; born March 30, 1962) is an American politician and lobbyist who served as a United States Senate, United States senator from Alaska from 2009 to 2015. A member of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party, he ...

in 2008. Despite being ill with cancer, Reed spent four days in 2008 at the

Smithsonian Institution The Smithsonian Institution ( ), or simply the Smithsonian, is a group of museums, Education center, education and Research institute, research centers, created by the Federal government of the United States, U.S. government "for the increase a ...

Washington, D.C. Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly known as Washington or D.C., is the capital city and federal district of the United States. The city is on the Potomac River, across from Virginia, and shares land borders with ...

Reed aided Smithsonian staff and curators to restore and identify animal skins in the museum's Native Alaskan collection. Reed was a member of The Friends of Fiber Arts International and Northwest Designer Craftsmen.

Death

Fran Reed died of cancer on September 11, 2008, at the age of 65, in

Anchorage, Alaska Anchorage, officially the Municipality of Anchorage, is the List of cities in Alaska, most populous city in the U.S. state of Alaska. With a population of 291,247 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it contains nearly 40 percent of ...

. She is survived by her husband and children. Reed's final scholarly paper, entitled ''Embellishment of the Alaska Native Gut Parka'', was presented posthumously at the 11th Biennial Textile Society of America Symposium in

Honolulu, Hawaii Honolulu ( ; ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Hawaii, located in the Pacific Ocean. It is the county seat of the Consolidated city-county, consolidated City and County of Honol ...

, by Audrey Armstrong. Armstrong, an

Athabascan Athabaskan ( ; also spelled ''Athabascan'', ''Athapaskan'' or ''Athapascan'', and also known as Dene) is a large branch of the Na-Dene language family of North America, located in western North America in three areal language groups: Northern, ...

basket maker and friend of Reed, had been taught many techniques and skills by Reed.

References

External links

Rasmuson Foundation Fran Reed gallery

La Jolla Village News: Fran Reed obituary
{{DEFAULTSORT:Reed, Fran 1943 births 2008 deaths Artists from Alaska American basket weavers Deaths from cancer in Alaska Artists from Anchorage, Alaska Artists from Eugene, Oregon People from Fairbanks, Alaska People from La Jolla, San Diego University of Alaska Fairbanks faculty American women basket weavers 20th-century American women textile artists 20th-century American textile artists Textile artists from California Textile artists from Alaska Weavers from Alaska Weavers from California