The Spirit Books at the Arnold-Part 11

Spirit Book #91: Rising Certainty has a cradle of several pieces of birch bark that have been joined together with wire. The pieces were gathered at Maudslay State Park in Newburyport, MA. I particularly like the combination of gray and rust in the rolled pieces of bark. The book is made with amate paper from Mexico for the pages with persimmon paper from Japan interlaced to balance the two colors of the bark. The cover is Mashamba paper from Africa. There are French knots and stitches with embroidery floss and copper metallic thread.

The lifting forms of the birch bark led me to begin the name with rising. The birch is a symbol of protection offering certainty in an uncertain world.

The Spirit Books are on view at the Hunnewell Building Visitor Center at the Arnold Arboretum of Harvard University until July 22. Gallery hours are 10 AM-5 PM everyday but Wednesday.