Meet Shirley Eichten Albrecht

 

Q: Please tell us about what you do in Sedona.

A: I am a Sculptural Basketweaver. When I’m not working on my pieces, I work as a Fine Art Consultant at the Rowe Gallery, and I also teach basket weaving to others. My work is carried at the gallery as well, which is a nice bonus.

Q: How long have you lived or worked in our community?

A: Since 2001.

Q: What brought you here?

A: My husband, years ago, was brought out to this area to install the first of a new computer technology at a hospital in Flagstaff. He would make trips to Sedona to take a break from work. He brought me along, and we explored Flagstaff, the Grand Canyon, and when we got to Sedona, we fell in love with it. We just kept coming back. We had already contacted a realtor and started looking at homes. Our move took way less time than we thought.

Q: Who is the most interesting person you’ve met here in our community?

A: I truly admired the late artist Joe Beeler. During my time at the Arts Center as Gallery Director, we carried his work at the gallery and my husband did photography for him. He was not only an artist, but he was also just a wonderful man.

Q: If you could choose anyone (dead or alive) with whom would you love to have lunch? Why?

A: I have no clue, I don’t have any one person in mind at the moment.

Q: What piece of advice changed your life?

A: My typing teacher from grade school, Mrs. Montgomery, also taught drama classes that I had with my older sister, who’s very intelligent. One day, Mrs. Montgomery looked at me and said, “So your sister’s got the brains, but you’ve got the common sense!”. And that stuck with me. That gave me some confidence that I’ve carried ever since.

Q: When friends come to visit you, where do you take them?

A: I love to take them to restaurants around town. Judi’s is a favorite of ours, as is nearly any spot in Tlaquepaque because that’s just a vibrant area to be. I just had family in town recently and we enjoyed lunch at Tlaquepaque, at El Rincón. Sometimes we just like to enjoy one another’s company at home, and I make dinner while we catch up.

Q: How would your closest friend describe you?

A: As very honest. I am there for them when they need me. That I support them, and that they can always count on me.

Q: What advice would you give to a crowd of people?

A: I would encourage a crowd of people not to be afraid to strike up conversation when visiting the gallery and looking at mine or others’ artwork. I spend a lot of time with people in conversation with them about pieces they may not necessarily buy, but that is no issue at all because I witness how much they enjoy the art. Plus, I always see that they learn something when they sit and contemplate a piece, which is well worth it to me. Whether it is at the gallery, or in my personal studio, I always want people to feel welcome and be encouraged to partake in conversation.

Q: What’s something interesting about you that people don’t know?

A: Most people don’t know that I am one of 16 kids. I was #7, and I raised my younger brothers and sisters that came after me. We grew up on a farm in Minnesota, and had about 2,000 acres of land with a lot of cattle. Of course, we worked on the farm as kids. My dad worked outside of the farm in order to make ends meet. I still remember one time when he had to go on unemployment. I remember thinking he was getting $70/week from unemployment, but my mom said that it was $70/month. I still have that image in my brain of all of us gathered around the dinner table. I don’t know how they did it, but they made it work. Most all of us kids got a full education too, which I think is remarkable.

Q: What three words come to mind when you think of home?

A: Family, Love, and Strength.

Q: Anything I haven’t asked you that you would like someone to know about you?

A: I’d want someone to know that although I do have a degree in Art, I am completely self-taught in my basket weaving. I started in my basement years ago, and over time I progressed to getting into conventions. My work with my Gourds in particular is very unique. There’s really nobody that does it like me. A gentleman who walked into the gallery one day asked me, “So, is there anybody else that does this?”. And I said, “Not that I know of”, and he replied, “Well I’m following this person on Instagram, from RedRockBaskets.com.” I laughed and said, “That’s me!”. He ended up being a repeat client of mine and brought his wife to purchase some work as well. It was a kismet moment.