Who is AWB
Aaron W. Baumgardner is a Catawba potter and basketmaker whose practice centers on land-based materials, community knowledge, and the renewal of Indigenous relationships to place. His work is rooted in Catawba pottery—an unbroken tradition extending back more than 4,000 years—and in the revitalization of plant-based basketry using primarily rivercane and white oak. Moving to Catawba homelands in late 2021 after studying and working as a plant ecologist, Aaron experienced a shift from a Western scientific framework of “observation from a distance” to an intimate, reciprocal practice of stewardship. Across both media, he approaches traditional arts as living, adaptive practices shaped by relationships between artist, material, and community.
Lineage & Apprenticeship
Inspired by the legacy of his great-great-grandmother, Sallie Rebecca Brown Beck, her mother, Rachel Wysie George Brown, and the generations of Catawba women who sustained these traditions, Aaron’s path into cultural work was immediate and immersive. He began working with clay in 2022 at the Catawba Cultural Center, learning from elders and master potters, including Jean Laney Harris Folk Heritage Awardees Chief Bill Harris and the late Caroleen Sanders. Since July 2025, he has continued his rigorous training through an ongoing apprenticeship with Catawba potter Elizabeth Harris.
Basketry Practice & Revitalization
Aaron’s exploration of basketry emphasizes plaited forms where mathematical rhythm, cultural symbolism, and ecology converge. He began studying the demanding discipline of Southeastern basketry in 2023 under Jeff Gottleib and Eastern Band of Cherokee basketmakers Gabe Crow, Waylon Long, and Michelle Long. Notably, he became the first Catawba citizen to create a traditional rivercane basket in over a century. He recently finished apprenticing with Nansemond basketweaver Desmond Ellsworth, studying advanced plaited techniques such as diagonal twill and double-wall contruction through intense mentorship.
Research, Community, & Care
Bridging art and environmental stewardship, Aaron leverages his background in plant ecology to collaborate with land trusts and conservation organizations across the Catawba River Basin, supporting rivercane restoration and long-term land access for Tribal artists. He is also facilitating a blind research project with nine Catawba potters testing historical temper materials, culminating in an upcoming exhibition and research presentation at Davidson College Art Galleries. As a teacher, he has guided more than 20 students through Cultural Center programs and his 2025 Running Strong Dreamstarter project, ensuring vital techniques are passed forward.
Exhibitions & Honors
Aaron’s work has appeared in numerous group exhibitions, including the 9/9 Native South Art Show at the Museum of the Southeast American Indian (2025-26) and the current Stories Told by Breath exhibition at the Gregg Museum of Art & Design (2026). His pieces are held in permanent collections of the Catawba Cultural Center, ISWA Head Start, and the University of South Carolina Native American Studies Center.
He is a recipient of the 2024 South Carolina Arts Commission Emerging Artist Award, the 2025 Native Arts and Cultures Foundation LIFT Award, the 2025 National Arts Futures Fellowship, and the 2026 Regional Arts Organizations Walking Together Grant. He was nominated for the 2026 Jean Laney Harris Folk Heritage Award for his work returning white oak and rivercane basketry to active practice within the community, and was affirmed by the late Catawba basketweaver Faye George Greiner as “a true master” for carrying these traditions forward.
Aaron’s CV
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3/26 – 9/26
Stories Told by Breath: Native American Voices in North Carolina.
Gregg Museum of Art & Design, Raleigh, NC9/25 – 2/26
9/9 Native South Art Show.
Museum of the Southeast American Indian, Pembroke, NC (Juried Exhibition)5/25 – 12/25
By Way of Water: Reviving & Reimagining Catawba Art Forms.
USCL Native American Studies Center, Lancaster, SC3/25 – 8/25
I x AM: Indigenous Ancestral Memory.
Hickory Museum of Art, Hickory, NC11/24 – 1/25
Generations: Highlighting Indigenous Peoples, Cultures, & Artwork.
Cain Center for the Arts, Cornelius, NC10/23 – 11/23
Always Here: The Past, Present and Future of Catawba Art.
Arts Council of York County, Rock Hill, SC -
2026 | Walking Together: Investing in Folklife in Communities of Color Grant, US Regional Arts Organizations
2026 | Yéego Action Grant, First Peoples Fund
2025 | Arts Project Support Grant, South Carolina Arts Commission
2025 | Dreamstarter: Seventh Generation Grant, Running Strong for American Indian Youth
2025 | Get Ready Grant, Craft Emergency Relief Fund
2025 | LIFT Award: Early Career Support for Native Artists, Native Arts + Cultures Foundation
2025 | National Arts Futures Fellowship, Creative West & South Arts
2025 | Native Farmer Professional Cohort, First Nations Development Institute
2024 | Emerging Artists Grant, South Carolina Arts Commission
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2026
Youth Yarn Basketry Instructor, Catawba Cultural Center, Rock Hill, SC
Simple Plaited Basket Instructor, Catawba Cultural Center, Rock Hill, SC2025 – pres.
SC Arts Directory Reviewer, South Carolina Arts Commission
Strategic Initiatives Taskforce, Catawba Lands Conservancy2025
Decorative Mat Making Instructor, Catawba Cultural Center, Rock Hill, SC
Replica Cane Basket Instructor, Catawba Cultural Center, Rock Hill, SC
Paper Mat Making Instructor, Catawba Cultural Center, Rock Hill, SC2024 – pres.
Stewardship Committee, Catawba Lands Conservancy2024
White Oak Basketry Workshop Instructor, Catawba Cultural Center, Rock Hill, SC2023 – pres.
Coordinator, Dúta Bahiisere Kus RáɁhere (We Know Corn Together)2022 – 2023
Rooted in Community Advisory Board, Discovery Place -
2026
Artist Lecture, Stories Told by Breath Exhibition, Gregg Museum of Art & Design, Raleigh, NC
Artist Lecture, 2026 Southeast Land Conservation Conference, Greenville, SC
Artist Talk, UNC Research Labs of Archaeology, Chapel Hill, SC2025
Panel Discussion, SC State Museum Artist Homecoming 2025, Columbia, SC
Basketry Demonstration, Charlotte International Arts Festival, Charlotte, NC
Artist Talk, By Way of Water Exhibition, USCL Native American Studies Center, Lancaster, SC
Basketry Demonstration, USCL Native American Studies Center, Lancaster, SC
Artist Lecture, President James K Polk State Historic Site, Pineville, NC2024
Artist Lecture, UNC American Indian Center’s Native People, Native Plants Symposium, Chapel Hill, NC
Basketry Demonstration, 2024 Yap Ye Iswą Festival, Rock Hill, SC
Basketry Demonstration, Pauline Dove Art Gallery, Charlotte, NC
Artist Lecture, Atlanta Botanical Garden Southeastern Partners in Plant Conservation, Atlanta, GA
Panel Discussion, Sarah P. Duke Gardens, Durham, NC
Artist Lecture, United South & Eastern Tribes Best Practices Conference, Nashville, TN
Artist Lecture & Demonstration, United South & Eastern Tribes Climate Resilience Camp, Durham, NC
Panel Discussion, Catawba Lands Conservancy’s Conversation Chat, Charlotte, NC2023
Basketry Demonstration, 2023 Yap Ye Iswą Festival, Rock Hill, SC -
7/25 – pres.
Apprenticeship in Traditional Catawba Pottery
Mentor: Elizabeth Harris (Catawba)6/25 – 2/26
Apprenticeship in Advanced Southeastern Basketry
Mentor: Desmond Ellsworth (Nansemond)3/23 – 4/24
Study in Southeastern Basketry
Catawba Cultural Center, Rock Hill, SCRivercane Traditions: Sustainable harvesting, processing, dyeing, and weaving of patterned baskets and mats. Mentorship with Gabe Crow, Waylon Long, & Michelle Long (Eastern Band Cherokee)
White Oak Traditions: Processing, splint making, and weaving split white oak baskets. Mentorship with Jeff Gottleib
8/16 – 8/18
MS, Biology
California State University, Bakersfield, Bakersfield, CA8/13 – 5/16
BS, Biology
University of Akron, Akron, OH -
Catawba Cultural Center, Rock Hill, SC
ISWA Head Start, Rock Hill, SC
University of South Carolina Native American Studies Center, Lancaster, SC