“Tuȟmaǧatipi” is a sculptural habitat and source of sustenance for pollinators 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 by artist Erin Genia (below) will be on view through December, 2022 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. Erin Genia (she/her), Sisseton-Wahpeton Oyate, is a multidisciplinary artist, cultural organizer and educator. She is an advocate for Native American cultural issues and served as an artist in residence for the City of Boston. Erin has a degree from the MIT Program in Art, Culture and Technology, and her public art commissions include the Minnesota Historical Society, the City of Saint Paul, and the City of Seattle.