ᏔᎷᏣ The Basket is a public art installation developed in collaboration with members of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians (EBCI) and the Center for Craft. ᏔᎷᏣ The Basket marks a trading route in the ancestral land of the Cherokee, who were forcibly displaced from the area in the 1830s. The installation also symbolizes the continued and living cultural legacy of the EBCI and their rich contributions to craft. The site is currently open to the public and accessible to all.
ᏔᎷᏣ The Basket references Cherokee basket making in its design, colors, structures, and materials, including white oak, and references walnut and bloodroot. These plants are essential to indigenous basket makers who have harvested and processed their own wood and dyes for centuries. The installation contains signage written in the syllabary by a committee of Eastern Band Cherokee educators. Special thanks to consulting arts and basket maker ᎺᎵ ᏔᎻᏏᏂ Mary Welch Thompson , Osgood Landscape Architecture, Iron Maiden Studios, and the committee of EBCI educators who made this project possible.
Hours: The Center for Craft is open Mon-Sat 10 am – 6 pm.
ᏔᎷᏣ The Basket itself is open sunrise to sunset due to its street accessibility.
