New and existing works by Indigenous basket weavers are showcased at the Stamps Gallery, Penny W. Stamps School of Art & Design, through Dec. 15. “In Our Words: An Intergenerational Dialogue” highlights contemporary artists Kelly Church and her daughter, Cherish Parrish. Church, of Potawatomi, Odawa, and Ojibwe descent, and Parrish, Potawatomi and Odawa, both contribute to this exhibit. The traditional black ash tree, essential for their craft, faces threats from the emerald ash borer, a beetle that destroys the trees.
Black ash basket weaving is a meticulous process, as Church explains, “You couldn’t commercialize black ash basket weaving because the trees have to grow for 25 to 40 years, and only maybe 5-10 trees out of 100 are good for baskets.” This labor-intensive craft involves pounding the wood to split growth rings. Featured in the exhibition is a 1919 black-and-white photograph of Church’s family, illustrating their deep-rooted basket weaving legacy.
Church’s “fibergé eggs” and baskets narrate stories, with her grandmother’s words echoing, “We have been making baskets since before they were making cameras.” The potential extinction of black ash trees adds urgency to preserve this art form. Church emphasizes the importance of oral traditions, saying, “Our Native people have always passed things on orally. We feel that if we begin to write things down and record, you’ll get comfortable that it is always there, and then you won’t practice it anymore.”
Preserving black ash weaving involves immense effort, with 75% of the work in harvesting and processing the tree. Church notes, “We have 803 million black ash trees on public lands in Michigan, and we’ve lost probably over 650 to 700 million.” She advocates for knowledge preservation, exploring ways to educate future artists and communities.
Church and Parrish will participate in “Enduring Kinship,” discussions on plant preservation and the role of Indigenous artists in addressing climate change, organized by the Stamps Gallery and Matthaei Botanical Gardens. The roundtables occur at 10 a.m. Nov. 15, free for the public.
Church practices the “seventh-generation principle,” focusing on the long-term impact of decisions on future generations. Her “seventh-generation basket” symbolizes a future where black ash might be scarce, weaving with vinyl as a cautionary tale. Church reflects, “We are supposed to look seven generations ahead … not just for my grandkid, but for people I will never meet.”
Her seventh-generation baskets aim to engage people in ways discussions about black ash tree extinction cannot. Her work “Continuum,” crafted from vinyl, symbolizes the future without ash, using emerald green dye and copper to reflect the emerald ash borer’s beauty. Church comments, “Continuum is something that changes but never ends. The seventh generation, the future, might have to carry on with vinyl, with other materials and no ash, but it will continue nonetheless.”
Church often revisits black ash stands, ensuring sustainable harvesting and allowing forests to “rest.” She finds 99% of trees dead, with 1% surviving. Institutions study these trees for potential use in reseeding. Funding from the U-M Arts Initiative supports the exhibition and roundtable discussions, curated by Srimoyee Mitra and Zoi Crampton.
—
Read More Michigan News
