Song of Sorrow

Copied Shan Goshorn, Song of Sorrow, 2015, ink and acrylic paint on watercolor paper splints, overall_​1: 9 in. × 8 12 in. × 8 12 in. (22.9 × 21.6 × 21.6 cm), Smithsonian American Art Museum, Museum purchase through the Kenneth R. Trapp Acquisition Fund, 2021.32, © 2021, Thomas Pendergraft

Artwork Details

Title
Song of Sorrow
Artist
Date
2015
Location
Not on view
Dimensions
overall_​1: 9 in. × 8 12 in. × 8 12 in. (22.9 × 21.6 × 21.6 cm)
Copyright
© 2021, Thomas Pendergraft
Credit Line
Museum purchase through the Kenneth R. Trapp Acquisition Fund
Mediums Description
ink and acrylic paint on watercolor paper splints
Classifications
Subjects
  • Indian
  • Object — other — basket
Object Number
2021.32

Artwork Description

Shan Goshorn wrote Navajo, Lakota, and Kaw prayers of healing and well-being onto the brilliant blue splints of this basket. She intended the prayers for the generations of Native boarding school victims—children who were forcibly separated from their families and cultures to live in prison-like facilities. Notable are the words to a Cherokee memorial song: “We will remember your sacrifices. You will not be forgotten.”


Goshorn also includes anti-Indigenous language that is woven into American culture. For example, the center white splints contain violent lyrics of the children’s song “Ten Little Indians.” Together, the juxtaposed messages form a resolute basket that carry Goshorn’s call for empathy, accountability, and amends.


This Present Moment: Crafting a Better World, 2022

Exhibitions

Quilt featuring the portrait of a woman
This Present Moment: Crafting a Better World
May 13, 2022April 2, 2023
This Present Moment: Crafting a Better World showcases the dynamic landscape of American craft today.