Braiding Sweetgrass, a beloved book by Indigenous ecologist Robin Kimmerer (Potawatomi), inspires us to reconnect and re-examine the natural world. In this collaborative workshop, you will create your own artwork.
Cosponsored by the Urbana Free Library and Native American House.
Through her book, Robin invites us to consider how “our toddlers speak of plants and animals as if they were people, extending to them self and intention and compassion — until we teach them not to.” Through her work, Robin draws our attention to Indigenous relationships to the natural world that position plants, animals, and the land as teachers, mentors, family.
In this collaborative workshop, you can choose from art materials of all kinds to create your own Nature Speaks artwork — collage, painting, found object sculpture, colored pencil drawings, and more. As inspiration, the creative work of the late local artist Durango Mendoza (Muscogee-Creek) will be on display. Durango Mendoza (1945–2020) was known for his contributions as a writer of short stories and poetry, a visual artist, and a photographer. Resources on indigeneity, nature, and the arts within the Krannert Art Museum collection will be offered to all attendees.
Materials provided; no experience necessary.
