Kelly Church – Sustaining Traditions | The Penny Stamps Distinguished Speaker Series
Kelly Church is an Ottawa and Pottawatomi artist belonging to the Matchi-be-nash-she-wish tribe in Hopkins, MI. A member of the Gun Lake Band in Michigan and a Grand Traverse Band of Ottawa and Ojibwe descendent, she comes from an unbroken line of black ash basket makers and from the largest black ash weaving family in the Great Lakes region. Her artistic journey is deeply intertwined with the woodlands and forests of Michigan, where she harvests and works with a variety of natural fibers including black ash, birch bark, cedar bark, spruce roots, and basswood. These materials serve as the foundation for her distinctive woven sculptures, [...]