From IN THE ROUND AT BGSU
This fall, In The Round welcomes illustrator Rebecca Kunz, 2025 Caldecott Medal winner for “Chooch Helped” for a presentation Sept. 18 at 5:30 p.m. at a location to be determined.
Kunz is a citizen of the Cherokee Nation and of European descent, she earned a BFA in painting from the College of Santa Fe in 1998 and now lives in the foothills of Santa Fe County with her husband and three daughters. She grew up in Oklahoma and is a multi-media artist and the owner of Tree of Life Studi.
Kunz works at the intersection of climate justice and cultural awareness. Within her layered surfaces, she draws upon tribal mythology and archetypal symbolism. She infuses Cherokee mythology into her work where she is in conversation with each folk tale as a living and ever-changing story.
As these myths are woven into each of her pieces, they serve as hard-working and flourishing historical narratives. A visual storyteller, animist, and folklorist, she hopes to illuminate awareness about our shifting cultural climate and to inspire solutions to the social and environmental issues of today.
Kunz likes to push back against sentimental chronicles, and her goal is to spark a contemporary conversation about active myth.
Started in 2022, In the Round is a celebration of the creativity and persistence of indigenous people. It brings in noted indigenous speakers for talks both on campus and in the community.
