Swept Away

Artist Shan Goshorn (American, Eastern Band Cherokee, 1957 - 2018)

Date2016

Dimensions15 × 30 × 11 in. (38.1 × 76.2 × 27.9 cm)

MediumHandwoven basket. Arches watercolor paper splints printed with archival inks, acrylic paint, artificial sinew

ClassificationTextiles and Fiber

Credit LineGift in memory of Loren G. Lipson, M.D. and Shan Goshorn, honoring their mission to bring dignity to the underrepresented

Object number

2019.67

Not on View

Label TextHighly regarded within the field of contemporary Native American art, Shan Goshorn is best known for creating beautifully crafted and symbolically powerful baskets. A deeply moving work, Swept Away pays homage to the Indigenous children, taken from their families, who endured forced assimilation and abuse at the Carlisle Indian Boarding School in Carlisle, Pennsylvania in the late 19th and early 20th century. The basket honors and commemorates children enrolled at the school, many of whom died. One hundred ninety-two of their names are woven throughout the basket. The design on the exterior takes it cue from a basic Cherokee basket pattern called “Water.” Goshorn explained the origins of Swept Away: “The idea for this piece – including the title—visited me in a dream…. Wrapping around the basket is a mournful, evening photo of the Tuckaseegee River flowing through the ancestral Cherokee homeland. This image along with the river-like shape of the basket and the plunging blue interior epitomize the deep sorrow and dark tide of removal experienced by Indian communities throughout the northern hemisphere over the sweeping loss of their children and their way of life. The interior features reproductions of the Carlisle student roster as evidence that we remember and honor the sacrifices these children were forced to endure.”Exhibition HistoryCarlisle, PA, The Trout Gallery; Carlisle, PA, Art Museum of Dickinson College, Resisting the Mission, September 7, 2018 - February 2, 2019.