About Joan

Joan Brink’s work as a fiber artist is shaped by a life marked by travel, cultural exchange, and a deep engagement with traditional craft. Born in New Orleans in 1945, Brink spent her early years moving frequently due to her father’s career as a naval aviator. Summers spent in Cape Cod and Nantucket provided a lasting connection to landscape and natural materials—an influence that continues to resonate in her basketry.

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At fifteen, Brink moved to France and attended the American School of Paris, where she discovered her enduring interest in art history and language. After earning a B.A. in painting from Connecticut College in 1967, she began a lifelong exploration of form, structure, and cultural meaning through fiber.

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Her artistic foundation is rooted in American Indian basketry, particularly the Washoe tradition and the work of Dat So La Lee. Inspired by master weaver and scholar Marvin Cohodas, Brink began making coiled baskets in the 1970s, pursuing technical rigor while developing a personal visual language. Later, while living in Vancouver, she collaborated with Native artists, deepening her understanding of materials, process, and tradition.

 

Since moving to Santa Fe, New Mexico, Brink has also embraced the Nantucket Lightship basket tradition. Over several decades, she has refined this form through meticulous craftsmanship and innovation, incorporating woodworking and conceptual contributions developed in collaboration with her husband, Joel. Brink’s work reflects a lifelong commitment to honoring traditional basketry while allowing space for individual expression and evolution.