After years of planning and cross-cultural collaboration, “ᏔᎷᏣ The Basket” will be unveiled to the public in front of the Center for Craft on Sat., Oct. 15.
In what’s now downtown Asheville, the public art installation and accompanying parklet marks a historic former “trading route on the ancestral land of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians and symbolizes the living cultural legacy of the Cherokee and their rich contributions to craft.”
ᏔᎷᏣ The Basket also honors the ancient craft of Cherokee basket making with its colors, structure, and materials. The basket’s chevron design, cut from steel, will also function as a drain for rain, snow, and ice.
The project has been led by consulting Cherokee artist ᎺᎵ ᏔᎻᏏᏂ Mary Welch Thompson, with support from Asheville-based organizations Osgood Landscape Architecture, Iron Maiden Studios, Ironwood Studios, and a committee of Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians educators.
Interested in attending the unveiling? The event kicks off Sat., Oct.15 and runs from 1-4 p.m. There will be live craft demonstrations, a meet + greet with the consulting artist, and a Cherokee Fry Bread pop-up. Register to attend.
