About this artwork
Native artists such as Kelly Church, a fifth-generation basket maker, have relied on black ash trees to make baskets since time immemorial. Across the United States, however, these trees are being decimated by the emerald ash borer, an invasive insect. Church envisions a future when traditional knowledge keepers like herself may not be able to teach this art to the next generation. Inside this basket, she has placed a flash drive containing files that record this knowledge for her community, entrusting our museum to preserve it.
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Status
- On View, Gallery 262
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Department
- Arts of the Americas
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Artist
- Kelly Church
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Cultures
- Ottawa , Match-e-be-nash-she-wish Pottawatomi
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Title
- Sustaining Traditions—Digital Teachings
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Place
- Michigan (Object made in)
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Date
- 2018
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Medium
- Black ash, sweetgrass, copper and Rit dye; medicine pouch containing sage, tobacco, sweetgrass, and cedar; glass vial containing emerald ash borer and isopropyl alcohol; USB flash drive
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Dimensions
- 19.7 × 10.2 × 10.2 cm (7 13/16 × 4 1/16 × 4 1/16 in.)
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Credit Line
- Mrs. Leonard S. Florsheim Jr. Fund
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Reference Number
- 2020.389a-d
Extended information about this artwork
Object information is a work in progress and may be updated as new research findings emerge. To help improve this record, please email . Information about image downloads and licensing is available here.
