Leucadia-based artist couple Francina (born in Pittsburgh, PA in 1943) and Neil Prince, PhD. (born in Bronx, NY in 1940) began collaborating in the late 1970s – combining her creative spirit and his engineering mind. They were drawn to the Torrey pine needles and their beauty, long structures, quintessential San Diego-ness, and abundance in the landscape. Bringing structure from chaos, they dedicated the next 30 years of their lives to the creation of coiled Torrey pine needle vessels that celebrate this emblem of the San Diego coastal chaparral. In the early 2000s, Neil and Francina retired.
Now, Mingei is presenting work from the Museum’s permanent collection and artists' private collections, as a tribute and small-scale retrospective to the Princes’ and their life work. Furthermore, these vessels are presented in conjunction with Over/Under: Woven Craft at Mingei as an artistic interpretation and response to basket weaving – celebrating that woven craft comes in many forms, shapes, mediums, and processes.