March 23, 2012 > Ohlone basketry program at Olive Hyde Ohlone basketry program at Olive Hyde Submitted By Diane Leys Photos By Alan Dalton Olive Hyde Art Guild is presenting a program about the beauty and vibrancy of Ohlone and other California Native American cultures past to present through a discussion of the exquisite baskets they wove and continue to weave. Speaker Beverly Ortiz, a naturalist at Coyote Hills Regional Park in Fremont, will discuss the varied functions of baskets and the processes used to create them. Dr. Ortiz will begin with a description of the horticultural methods used to manage plants used in basketry. Next she will discuss and demonstrate the steps involved in gathering basketry materials, the methods used to process and cure basketry materials so that every piece of plant material in the basket is the same width, thickness, and diameter. Dr. Ortiz will end with a discussion of the weaving techniques used to "stitch" the baskets. Photos, basketry materials, baskets, and handouts will be shared. In addition to being a Naturalist at Coyote Hills Regional Park, Bevery Ortiz has a doctorate in Cultural Anthropology from UC Berkeley and a B.S. in Environmental Interpretation from UC Davis. Dr. Ortiz has served as an Ethnographic Consultant since 1994 and as a Lecturer in the Anthropology Department at CSU East Bay since 1999. She has published two books, several book chapters and more than 150 articles about California Native Americans, including Ohlones. Dr. Ortiz coordinates an annual Gathering of Ohlone Peoples at Coyote Hills and is currently working on a curriculum about Ohlone and Bay Miwok peoples and cultures, past, present, and future. This program will be held at the Olive Hyde Art Center at 123 Washington Boulevard in Fremont, from 10 a.m. to noon in the Art Center's Mission Room. Admission is free, and all are welcome. Ohlone Basketry Wednesday, Mar 28 10 a.m. to noon Olive Hyde Art Center 123 Washington Blvd., Fremont (510) 791-4357 www.olivehydeartguild.org