SMFA Billboard: Elizabeth James-Perry

Wheatpaste on plywood (Digital scan of watercolor painting on paper) Elizabeth James-Perry, an enrolled member of the Wampanoag Tribe of Gay Head–Aquinnah, is a lifelong traditional artist, scientist, and illustrator. She engages with Northeastern Woodlands Native cultural expressions in myriad forms, from wampum shell-carving and twined basketry to restorative Native garden design and installation. In Milkweed Warriors, the artist depicts Milkweed, a variety of important pollinator species that support butterflies, including the endangered monarch butterfly, pictured here. Milkweed is also of cultural importance to Native people since the plant’s stem fibers are used in fine spinning and weaving. The plant species pictured here are Whorled Milkweed, Common Milkweed, and Butterflyweed.

This public artwork is part of Elizabeth James-Perry’s exhibition Double Arrows, on view at the Tufts University Art Galleries at SMFA at Tufts, September 5–November 12, 2023. Viewers are invited to come inside to access the exhibition, Tuesday–Sunday, 11–5 pm. Free and open to the public.

Image: Elizabeth James-Perry, Milkweed Warriors, 2023. Wheatpaste on plywood (Digital scan of watercolor painting on paper). Photo by Mel Taing.