We hold that Georgia visual culture includes all Georgians, past and present, and that its preservation and understanding is a valuable resource for the future. One of the rarest examples of early visual culture is an early-19th-century basket crafted by a Cherokee woman under detention by the U.S. Army in compliance with laws passed to remove Cherokee people from their ancestral lands.
This seamlessly woven object is beautiful for the flawless craft it presents, for its textures and for the dyed patterns of its cane. Out of her natural surroundings the woman selected river cane—original prairies (or brakes) have largely disappeared from our landscape due to agricultural destruction. She made dyes of walnut, butternut and perhaps bloodroot. She split the cane and wove a beautiful and long-lasting object of both aesthetic and utilitarian value.
In what was probably an effort to negotiate her situation, this Cherokee woman created and gave this object to Captain Vincent, whose family maintained it for several generations before passing it to Peggy Heard Galis, who later shared it with the museum, with scholars and now with all of Georgia. The visual culture of marginalized people often provides rich and meaningful design. This cultural richness is the legacy of everyone, Georgians especially. This gift is one that will be seldom matched for its rarity and importance to the mission of the Georgia Museum of Art. It will be featured in our upcoming exhibition “Material Georgia.”
Authored by:
Dale Couch
