
Tuȟmaǧatipi, 2022
Erin Genia (she/her)
Clay, natural composite materials, driftwood, gourd, bamboo, pipestone pigment
“Tuȟmaǧatipi” is a sculptural pollinator waterer and habitat created using the Dakota morning star form, and built with sustainable materials – clay, natural composites, driftwood. It relies on Indigenous science to honor the key role of pollinators and plants, who are increasingly threatened by climate change. The work explores how a sculptural form can play a role in habitat restoration. The Wildflower Meadow is an undeveloped tract of the Rose Kennedy Greenway that supports many bee species, butterflies and moths. Tuȟmaǧatipi – the Dakota word for beehive – seeks to give back to the meadow ecosystem by providing respite to native pollinators right in the middle of the city.
This project was made possible through a collaboration with the City of Boston Green Ribbon Commission’s initiative, Action Pact 2022: Ready, Resilient, Reinvented, co-curated by The Experience Alchemists.