Leslie A. Foster graduated from University of Wisconsin-Madison's School of Library and Information Studies in 1969 and went on to work at McIntyre Library at UW-Eau Claire until her retirement in 2008. She held multiple positions, including as the head of the government publications department at the library. Her particular areas of knowledge were American Indian Studies, environmental issues, and legislative history. She was also an Academic Staff emerita. From roughly 1980 to 2020, Foster was an avid collector of Indigenous basketry, focusing on the Dene and Ho-Chunk traditions.

The Dene people are a group of First Nations who speak an Athabaskan language. Most Dene people live in northern Canada. The Ho-Chunk (or Winnebago) people are a Native American people who live in the Midwest. The Ho-Chunk Nation of Wisconsin is one of the largest groups. They speak a Siouan language.

Foster sourced the artifacts in a variety of ways, including looking in souvenir shops and buying directly from the makers themselves. Foster bequeathed the baskets to the American Indian Studies Program at UW-Eau Claire after her death in 2024.