Stamps Gallery is proud to present Kelly Church & Cherish Parrish: In Our Words, An Intergenerational Dialogue, a major exhibition that centers the subjectivities of two contemporary Indigenous artists whose practices have sustained and bolstered the relevance of the age-old Anishinaabe practice of black ash basketry in the 21st century. Kelly Church and Cherish Parrish, a mother-daughter duo, explore themes of Native women’s labor as culture-keepers, the legacy of boarding schools, treaties, and the importance of stories from ancestors who walked on. Through their work, the show aims to offer an incisive critique of the settler-colonial paradigm of erasure and assimilation and celebrates the inherited strength, resilience, fortitude, and bravery of elders who empowered them to sustain and bolster their artistic and cultural practices, languages, and traditions.

Curated by Srimoyee Mitra with Curatorial Assistant Zoi Crampton, the exhibition is on view through December 7 at Stamps Gallery, part of the Penny W. Stamps School of Art & Design at the University of Michigan.

Public Programs

Penny Stamps Speaker Series: Sustaining Traditions by Kelly Church
September 19, 5:30–6:30pm
Kelly Church is an Ottawa and Pottawatomi artist belonging to the Matchi-be-nash-she-wish tribe in Hopkins, Michigan. During her lecture, she will discuss how Indigenous teachings have been sustained and passed on for generations, keeping the basket-making art practice alive in the present era and for future generations. This lecture will take place at Michigan Theatre on 603 E. Liberty Street. 

Opening Reception and Q&A with Kelly Church & Cherish Parrish
September 19, 6:30–8pm
Join us to celebrate the opening of Kelly Church & Cherish Parrish: In Our Words, An Intergenerational Dialogue with the artists. The exhibition opening will be accompanied by a Q&A with the artists following their Stamps Speaker Series presentation. Refreshments will be served.

Weaving Workshop Led by Kelly Church & Cherish Parrish
September 20, 10–11:30am
Artists Church & Parrish will guide participants to create a woven mat out of paper and share weaving techniques and stories about basket gatherings that have sustained Indigenous teachings and cultural practices for generations. All materials for the workshop will be provided. Spaces are limited, registration is required.

American Indian Boarding Schools — the Michigan Anishinaabe Experience
October 5, 2–4pm
American Indian boarding schools hit the Great Lakes Anishinaabe very hard. This panel brings together survivors willing to share their experiences, helping us to never forget. Facilitated by Matthew Fletcher, Harry Burns Hutchins Collegiate Professor of Law, U-M, and Wenona Seigal, Director Indigenous Law & Policy Center, Michigan State University.

All programs are free and open to the public.

For more information, visit stamps.umich.edu.

This exhibition and its associated programs are generously funded by Michigan Humanities and U-M Arts Initiative.