Ilona Bąkała comes from the town of Gołąb on the Vistula River and is engaged in wicker weaving, thus continuing the traditions of her region.

Her grandfather was a wicker weaver who passed his skills on to his son and daughter-in-law – Ms. Bąkała’s parents – as well as to Ilona herself. She makes both traditional baskets and contemporary forms inspired by tradition, using willow from her own plantation. She is a member of Folk Artists’ Association, the “Zielony Pierściej” Local Group, and the Folk Artists’ Club affiliated with the Puławy Cultural Centre – Dom Chemika.

„I have been involved with wickerwork since my earliest years. My mentor – and the person who shaped my work – was my grandfather, Stefan Bąkała. In the post-war era, he transformed the simple evening task of weaving utility baskets into a passion that spanned generations. He would load his baskets onto a horse-drawn wagon and sell them at markets. Over time, he began crafting increasingly elaborate basket designs in response to requests from women living in cities. They included washbasin stands, cradles, and later decorative items, vases, shopping baskets, étagères, armchairs, and many other things.

He passed his passion on to my father, Henryk. At first, my father approached the craft from a technical standpoint; he built molds to make weaving easier and to help maintain the shape of the items. He cultivated willow and sought out new solutions. Later, he became interested in the creative side as well, often making baskets to custom order. As for me, by the age of four or five – while in my grandfather’s care – I was already weaving small willow flowers and carpet beaters. Then came a period of disinterest; as a teenager, I wanted to distance myself from the family weaving tradition. I had to help with debarking and sorting the wicker, but I avoided the workshop itself. I was angry that everything revolved only around baskets, the workshop and the field. But some things are simply meant to be… I would often watch my father sitting in the workshop, weaving baskets. He would give instructions – “tighten the handle here,” “finish that edge there” – and that’s how it went.

When he was still alive, my father proudly claimed that he had passed down to me the greatest treasure of the Bąkała family – basketry“.

Traditional Polish plaiting and basketry inscribed on Poland’s National List of Intangible Cultural Heritage in 2018.

Basketry traditions inscribed on the UNESCO Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity in 2025.

Contact
e-mail: ilona.wydra@wp.pl
phone: +48 728961446