2023

If 2022 was defined by intention and immersion, 2023 was the year of action and awakening. This period became a rigorous exploration of fire and fiber—learning to trust the raw materials of the Southeast and the deep lineage of the hands.

The year began in the earth, firing my very first traditional pottery pieces. In a deeply meaningful milestone, one of these pots was accepted into my first group exhibition at the Arts Council of York County. My smudge bowl was displayed alongside a similar bowl made by my sister, Teresa, and a pot by our late teacher, Caroleen Sanders—a Catawba Master Potter and Jean Laney Harris Folk Heritage Awardee. Standing alongside her legacy allowed our work to debut not just as individual art, but as a continuation of Catawba survival.

My practice expanded into the woods as I committed myself to the demanding discipline of Southeastern basketry. I sought out the technical mechanics of split white oak with Jeff Gottlieb, and, shortly after, began an immersive mentorship with rivercane basketmaker Gabe Crow (Eastern Band of Cherokee). Under Gabe’s guidance, the work became entirely ecological: learning the precise, ancestral protocols of harvesting, splitting, processing, and natural dyeing.

This immersion culminated in a historic triumph for our community. In 2023, I became the first Catawba citizen in over a century to weave a traditional rivercane basket—a structural lineage that had laid dormant for generations. The circle quickly widened as my sister, Teresa, and our colleague, Kassidy, wove theirs shortly after. Together, we did not just replicate an object; we woke up a piece of Catawba sovereignty, ensuring the voice of the rivercane is carried forward by the hands of our people.