Jim and Veralee Bassler on the Guelaguetza Festival and living in Oaxaca

Jim Bassler and Veralee Bassler on the Guelaguetza Festival and living in Oaxaca, Mexico. Preview from the BORDERS episode. PBS premiere September 29, 2017.

Jim Bassler was introduced to the textile traditions at an early age from his father. The Cold War strategies gave him the opportunity to see the world and introduced him to the craft traditions of Europe, the Middle East, and Asia. The ethnic textiles that inspired him during his travels became the foundation for his work. His weavings also draw inspiration from pre-Columbian, Andean, and Mexican textile traditions.

Ceramic artist Veralee Bassler first took clay in hand around the age of 15 in a favorite high school class, ceramics. Several years later, she graduated from UCLA Art Department with a concentration in ceramics. Veralee then began a 25-year career of teaching in the Los Angeles Unified School District and currently, with her husband, Jim, has chosen to live an intensely creative life.