TSU Art Department
La Pinta Curated by Jay Sanchez
Táhila Moss + youth and community of Nashville
The Prayer Tree
Tree, Cotton, Red yarn
2024
The Prayer Tree Project was first actualized in 2011. It is a community engaged art installation focused with community, prayer, gratitude and creativity. The project is inspired by Indigenous reverence to the land, and community and essentialness of making offerings and prayers to be shared and then released. The project begins with community members creating cyanotypes on chemically treated fabric. Creating art, focusing gratitudes and prayers, while the sun imprints the design and then is washed in waters. These prayer flags are tied on a tree skeleton to live in the community for a time. People who come to visit the tree can continue engaging with adding prayers and gratitudes by tying a red string on the trunk and branches. At the close of the time the tree is with the community it is burned and all of the prayers are released. The piece is never permanent and never owned by anyone.
This tree was created outside the Vanderbilt gallery, the Boys and Girls Club of Middle Tennessee and the Oases Crisis Center. The flags were created mostly by youth in all of these places. The Prayer Tree was first on view at the Boys and Girls Club Franklin location, and now has moved to Tennessee State University to be a part of La Pinta exhibition.
The final step of the burning of the prayer tree will happen in September. If you are interested in getting an invitation to the final event you can click on the QR code to register for Tahila's listserv and receive the invitation. Updates will be made via the gallery listserv also.
This work was made possible thanks to support from the Vanderbilt Gallery and the Tennessee Arts Commission.
La Pinta Curated by Jay Sanchez
Táhila Moss + youth and community of Nashville
The Prayer Tree
Tree, Cotton, Red yarn
2024
The Prayer Tree Project was first actualized in 2011. It is a community engaged art installation focused with community, prayer, gratitude and creativity. The project is inspired by Indigenous reverence to the land, and community and essentialness of making offerings and prayers to be shared and then released. The project begins with community members creating cyanotypes on chemically treated fabric. Creating art, focusing gratitudes and prayers, while the sun imprints the design and then is washed in waters. These prayer flags are tied on a tree skeleton to live in the community for a time. People who come to visit the tree can continue engaging with adding prayers and gratitudes by tying a red string on the trunk and branches. At the close of the time the tree is with the community it is burned and all of the prayers are released. The piece is never permanent and never owned by anyone.
This tree was created outside the Vanderbilt gallery, the Boys and Girls Club of Middle Tennessee and the Oases Crisis Center. The flags were created mostly by youth in all of these places. The Prayer Tree was first on view at the Boys and Girls Club Franklin location, and now has moved to Tennessee State University to be a part of La Pinta exhibition.
The final step of the burning of the prayer tree will happen in September. If you are interested in getting an invitation to the final event you can click on the QR code to register for Tahila's listserv and receive the invitation. Updates will be made via the gallery listserv also.
This work was made possible thanks to support from the Vanderbilt Gallery and the Tennessee Arts Commission.