TRAVERSE CITY — TART Trails announced a new art installation, “Wiigwaasi-jiimaan: A Mural for the Fouch Trailhead” by local artist Nik Burkhart.
There will be an unveiling ceremony, open to the public, on Wednesday, Nov. 13, at 4:30 p.m. at the Fouch Trailhead on the Leelanau Trail.
Earlier this year, someone destroyed a TART Trails art installation on the Boardman Lake Loop Trail.
TART Trails said Burkhart’s mural draws on the rich history of Anishinaabe canoe craftsmanship and the relationship between communities and nature – “Wiigwaasi-jiimaan” is the Anishinaabemowin word for birchbark canoe.
Burkhart incorporates canoe materials, maps of old transportation routes and the names of early settlements. It also contains a nod to Hatch’s Crossing and the Fouch station, a historic transportation hub in Leelanau County.
“This project has been an incredible learning opportunity for me and allowed me to explore some of the complex history of our area,” said Burkhart. “I am grateful for the Grand Traverse Band of Ottawa and Chippewa Indians for their permission to use the image of the birchbark canoe in this artwork. Learning more about the Anishinaabe culture of environmental stewardship has been very inspiring for me. Kim Kelderhouse and the Leelanau Historical Society Museum were also instrumental in providing historical maps and images that helped shape my vision for the mural.”
Nik Burkhart is an interdisciplinary artist originally from Northern Michigan. You can find more information about TART Trails art installations here.