Conserving Carolina and the Landrum Library invite the public to attend a free program entitled “Cherokee People and Invasive Species,” presented by Nancy Basket. The program will be held at the Landrum Library, 111 East Asbury Drive Landrum, SC, on Thursday, September 19 at 6:00 p.m.

 

Have you ever wondered what good could possibly come from Kudzu, the non-native and invasive vine that engulfs everything in its path and plagues the southeast? Have you ever thought, “What can you do with Kudzu? Does it have any uses? Can it be beneficial?”

 

Nancy Basket hopes to change opinions about Kudzu from that of a maligned weed into a new and inexhaustible resource. Nancy will share her Native American heritage by re-telling ancient legends orally and through her art. Learn local historical facts you never knew and contemplate ageless teaching stories.  

A contemporary basket maker and fiber artist, Nancy takes her name from the work she does, and from her Cherokee grandmother from long ago, Margaret Basket. She is an artist-in-education in basketry, papermaking, and storytelling in the Carolinas. She teaches her art and shares stories with public schools, colleges, to elders at retirement homes, and more! She also shares her talents at Powwows and Primitive Skills gatherings. Nancy makes pine needle and Kudzu baskets large and miniature, lamp shades, paper designs, Kudzu cloth, and large 8′ sculptures depicting Cherokee stories. Her work can be seen at the Schiele Museum and the Barnwell Museum, in Last of the Mohicans and in her shop in Walhalla, S.C.  

This lecture is part of Conserving Carolina’s monthly Speaker Series at the Landrum Library and it is made possible thanks to a grant from the Spartanburg Community Foundation and the Friends of the Landrum Library.  

The next program will be held on October 15, when Bill Hilton, Jr., will present on “Hummingbirds: From Your Yard To Central America . . . And Back!”

For more information, contact Pam Torlina at 828-697-5777, ext. 300 or e-mail or visit www.conservingcarolina.org. 

 

Submitted by

Pam Torlina

 

Nancy Basket