Create art from nature!
Braiding Sweetgrass, a beloved book by Indigenous ecologist Robin Kimmerer (Potawatomi), inspires us to reconnect and re-examine the natural world. Through her book, Kimmerer 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 positions plants, animals, and the land as teachers, mentors, and family.
In this collaborative workshop with the Krannert Art Museum, you can choose from art materials 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 a local artist 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. Materials provided; no experience necessary.
Cosponsored by The Urbana Free Library, the Native American House of the University of Illinois and Krannert Art Museum. This program is also partially supported by a grant from the Illinois Arts Council Agency.
Conveniently located at the corner of Race and Green in downtown Urbana.
