Basketry to save the black ash tree
- Kelly creates basketry piece that convey messages about tradition and the environment
- She learned Anishnabe basket weaving for her grandfather, as he wanted to give them as gratitude gifts
- Her art celebrates nature's cycles, the black ash tree and First Nation basketry traditions
Kelly Church is an Ottawa Pottawatomi black ash basket maker, carrying forward one of the longest weaving lineages in the Great Lakes region. She learned her craft from her family and the elders of the Anishnabe of Michigan, where she is tribally enrolled. With the fibres that she harvests in Michigan’s forests, Kelly weaves basket sculptures that convey the teachings she grew up with and the stories of today. Her belief is that working with the techniques passed down from a time before the country existed keeps the craft alive. "I work to continually preserve this craft. The weavings tell a story of time and place, and in the future they will serve as a record of history,” she says. Kelly’s artworks include digital elements such as QR codes and flash drives with information on the destructive impact of the emerald ash borer beetle on black ash trees.
Discover her work
INTERVIEW
I grew up with the teachings of my family, where baskets were part of everyday life. My grandfather used to say, 'We need to make that person a basket,' and I learnt to understand weaving as a way of expressing gratitude. I asked my father to teach me how to harvest a black ash tree and that is how I began.
Harvesting is 75% of the work. It starts with choosing a straight-growing tree, honouring it before cutting, then pounding the logs to release each growth ring. Every tree becomes a story, a lesson and a continuation of our connection to the land.
The emerald ash borer threatens the black ash tree and the knowledge tied to it. I weave egg-shaped baskets with metal details that open to a vial containing an emerald ash borer, a seed, or a flash drive, giving me a chance to teach about today’s issues. I also teach workshops, collect seeds and work with tribes and scientists to protect the basket weaving tradition.
My baskets share tradition, spark conversations and remind us that what we make today becomes history tomorrow. Protecting black ash basketry is not only about protecting Native communities' knowledge, it is part of protecting the trees, water and air that sustain all of us.
