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The centuries old tradition of black ash basketry, made locally, featured in GRAM exhibit

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The black ash basketry work of artists Kelly Church and Cherish Parrish will be feature at the Grand Rapids Art Museum starting Aug. 28. (Courtesy)

By Joanne Bailey-Boorsma
joanne@wktv.org

The centuries old tradition of black ash basketry will be the focus of the Grand Rapids Art Museum’s next installment of its Michigan Artist Series.

Set to open Aug. 28, “The Black Ash Basketry of Kelly Church and Cherish Parrish,” features the work of the mother-and-daughter team who are members of the Gun Lake Tribe, Match-E-Be-Nash-She-Wish Band. 

“The black ash tree is an integral part of who we are, from creation stories to blood memories, to the baskets that we make today,” Artist Kelly Church said. “We start with the black ash tree, and we do all of the processing—we harvest it, we process it, we cut it, and then we make a basket that tells a story of our life today. We’re combining the traditions of our past that have been carried on for thousands of years.”

Courtesy of Cherish Parrish, Odawa & Pottawatomi, Gun Lake Band. Photo by Richard Church, Odawa & Pottawatomi. © Cherish Parrish

The artists and their family come from an unbroken line of black ash basket makers. The Anishinabe originally made baskets purely for utility, weaving them in various sizes for carrying, collecting, and storing. As a broader appreciation for Native baskets developed, their ancestors began creating decorative baskets to sell and bolster the tribal economy. Church and Parrish draw on these traditions to create more topical and experimental works. An Interwoven Legacy powerfully demonstrates both their astonishing artistry and their urgent advocacy on behalf of Native traditions.

The exhibition emphasizes two of the artists’ primary motivations: the importance of maintaining the basketmaking tradition within their culture, and their advocacy for the black ash tree’s survival, which is being decimated by an invasive insect, the emerald ash borer. These issues are critically important for people whose cultural survival depends on passing traditions on to the next generations, whether through language, ceremonies, or practices like basketry.

Church added, “Cherish and I take our old traditional teachings and we combine it with the contemporary stories of who we are as Natives in 2021. We are the largest basket weaving family in Michigan, and the fact that we can carry it on this long, to me shows strength and resilience of who we are.”

On exhibit through February 26, the artists will debut more than 20 new works in An Interwoven Legacy that focus on the centuries-old tradition of black ash basketry. The exhibit will be a mix of traditional baskets and the contemporary ones that draw on Native history and storytelling.

 

“The Grand Rapids Art Museum’s exhibition presents the work of two Michigan basket makers who are nationally-recognized for their remarkable level of skill and craft,” said GRAM Chief Curator Ron Platt. “In Kelly Church and Cherish Parrish’s family, basket weaving has been handed down from one generation to the next, extending back centuries. Their work is especially powerful for the way it balances tradition with their concerns about the environment, both here in West Michigan, and nationally.”

Kelly Church demonstrates her work. (Courtesy)

Accompanying the exhibition will be documentary elements illustrating the strenuous process of harvesting black ash trees and preparing the splints for basketmaking, as well as stories and background information from Church and Parrish about the works on view.

Complementing the exhibition will be several related programming and events, including Drop-in Tours, virtual basketmaking workshops led by Kelly Church, and Drop-in Studio. Guests are encouraged to view the Museum’s updated visitor guidelines in advance of their visit, which includes face mask requirements for all visitors while indoors.

For those who prefer to experience the exhibition virtually, there will be digital resources on GRAM’s website including installation images, a video interview with the artists, archival photographs, and texts.

Nearly 400 acres of riverfront land acquisition done, expands Kent County parks system

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A rendering showing the additional acre to Chief Hazy Cloud Park (Supplied)

By WKTV Staff
joanne@wktv.org

The Kent County Parks Department has completed a series of land acquisitions that will expand the county’s Chief Hazy Cloud Park into a 395‐acre natural preserve which will include woods, wetlands and three miles of frontage along the Grand River.

Leaders from Kent County, Ada Township, the Kent County Parks Foundation, and others shared details at the park on Tuesday morning. Chief Hazy Cloud Park is located on Pettis Avenue in Ada Township and expanding it has been part of the Kent County Parks Master Plan for more than two decades. A shared goal of the partnership is to continue conservation efforts to preserve the Grand River and nearby upland and wetland habitats.

“The past year has reinforced the importance of having spaces where people and families can enjoy outdoor activities,” said Kent County Board of Commissioners Chair Mandy Bolter. “For years, we’ve been committed to expanding this park to offer more opportunities for residents and we now look forward to giving people the chance to see this beautiful, natural green space for themselves.”

Chief Hazy Cloud Park was originally established in the late 1920s. By the early 1990s, it had grown to 24 acres and Kent County Parks began considering expansion plans for the property. Now, with 395 acres, most of the property is largely undeveloped but currently allows excellent opportunities for fishing, kayaking, and canoeing.

A series of acquisitions of additional property near the current park were recently completed and represent another successful public‐private partnership as the funds for the land acquisitions came from Kent County, Ada Township, private investors and a series of Michigan Department of Natural Resources grants. The long‐ term vision for the expanded 395‐acre park is to transform the land into a major regional park, continuing to preserve the Grand River and upland and wetland habitats with the trails and natural areas eventually connecting, via a pedestrian bridge, to Roselle Park, a 240‐acre park located on the opposite side of the Grand River.

The trails and natural areas will eventually connect, via a pedestrian bridge, to Roselle Park, a 240‐acre park located on the opposite side of the Grand River. (Supplied)

“We’re excited about the idea of a future bridge connecting these two remarkable parks with each other and with the township and county trail systems – allowing interconnected access to more than 600‐acres of park and trails available to residents and visitors alike” said Ada Township Supervisor Ross Leisman. “Our township residents recently passed a millage to grow and maintain our trail system, and we look forward to continuing to partner with Kent County on developing and connecting this unique, natural outdoor area.”

“Kent County will develop and run a master plan process to give the community an opportunity to provide feedback on the development of the park,” said Kent County Parks Superintendent Dan DeLooff. “We are excited about the opportunities this park has to offer, and we look forward to hearing resident ideas on how to develop the green space.”

In 1928, the Park’s name was changed to Chief Hazy Cloud from Grand River Park to commemorate the great Indian Chief Mnobbinnakizhick, or Hazy Cloud. He and his tribe worked and traveled the banks of the Thornapple River and Grand River, and their tribal home was near where the Thornapple River enters the Grand River.