Indigo Arts Alliance and Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens recently unveiled two sculptures by Indigo Arts Alliance artists-in-residence Shane Perley-Dutcher and Anna Tsouhlarakis. The newly commissioned installations were presented as part of the gardens’ “Deconstructing the Boundaries: The Land Fights Back,” the second of a three-part collaborative, multiyear series of public symposia.

A panelist speaks during a presentation on “Deconstructing the Boundaries” at Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens on July 20. Courtesy of Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens
Perley-Dutcher, a silversmith artist from Wolastoqey Neqotkuk (a New Brunswick First Nation), created “Eci-Mahsosiyil/Fiddleheads (2024),” an interactive installation of two arched fiddlehead ferns made from braided and woven metal emulating traditional Wabanaki woven baskets, installed in the Arbor Garden. The fiddleheads represent a vision of reciprocity, as Wolastoqey tradition dictates that an offering, such as tobacco or prayer, should be given to the fiddleheads before picking. Simultaneously, enough should be left for others, emphasizing the importance of sustaining the land for future generations.
Tsouhlarakis, an enrolled citizen of the Navajo Nation and of Creek and Greek descent, created “The Native Guide Project: CMBG (2024),” four shell middens constructed from grass, oyster shells and granite sourced from the surrounding region installed on Cleaver Lawn. The middens — grassy mounds replicating the archaic collections of food and cultural remnants left behind by Indigenous people along the Northeast coast — demonstrate a sustainable living practice and a reminder that these lands and shores have been continual gathering places for millennia. The south-facing shell walls display messages to visitors, alluding to the ongoing need for reparative justice and challenging of systems that are currently in place today.
Both projects are installed in the gardens to highlight Indigenous traditions and knowledge and as a reminder of why BIPOC experiences must be centered in the fight for climate justice. “The Native Guide Project: CMBG” will be on view until it naturally degrades, and Eci-Mahsosiyil/Fiddleheads” will be installed permanently.
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