An Interwoven Legacy: The Black Ash Basketry of Kelly Church and Cherish Parrish 🌐

Du 5 décembre 2020 au 27 mars 2021

GRAM, musée de Grands Rapids
272, rue Pearl Nord-Ouest
Grand Rapids
MI 49504

Kelly Church and Cherish Parrish come from an unbroken line of Black ash basket weavers, a traditional Anishinaabe art form that has been practiced for centuries, and the pair continue to harvest and prepare their materials traditionally.

Church and Parrish are weaving numerous new baskets for this exhibition, some with traditional functions and forms, as well as others that address more personal and topical concerns. Church and Parrish, who are mother and daughter, come from a family that has been practicing basketry for unbroken generations. This exhibition explores this legacy and the pairs’ commitment to preserving and sustaining the traditional Black Ash Basketry of their ancestors. Another focus of the exhibition is Church and Parrish’s activism in preserving the knowledge of Black Ash Basketry, and on educating the public on the effects of the Emerald Ash Borer, an invasive insect that is decimating North American Black Ash forests.