Catawba Storytelling & Crafts
Catawba Storytelling & Crafts
Join us in celebrating Native American Heritage Month at The Arts Center of Greenwood this fall! Our first family-friendly event will be held on Saturday, November 8 from 10:00 am - 12:00 noon and will focus on learning about the Catawba tribe of South Carolina through Catawba Storytelling & Crafts with tribe member Beckee Simmers-Garris. This event encourages families to listen, learn, and create together! The event is fit for all ages and will feature a variety of activities including traditional storytelling, a clay making station, free popcorn, and more!
Activities:
10:00 am - 12:00 noon
> Catawba Storytelling Sessions
> Native American Art & Objects
> Clay Play Station
> Scavenger Hunt
10:15 am
> Interactive Storytelling with Beckee Simmers-Garris about Catawba Pottery
11:15 am
> Interactive Storytelling with Beckee Simmers-Garris about The Great Flood and How The Chipmunk Got Its Stripes
Food & Refreshments:
> Popcorn
> Bottled Water
Admission:
Free & Open to the Public
All events celebrating Native American Heritage Month at The Arts Center of Greenwood are sponsored by Greenwood County Community Foundation and all lectures are supported by South Carolina Humanities.
Join us in celebrating Native American Heritage Month at The Arts Center of Greenwood this fall! Our first family-friendly event will be held on Saturday, November 8 from 10:00 am - 12:00 noon and will focus on learning about the Catawba tribe of South Carolina through Catawba Storytelling & Crafts with tribe member Beckee Simmers-Garris. This event encourages families to listen, learn, and create together! The event is fit for all ages and will feature a variety of activities including traditional storytelling, a clay making station, free popcorn, and more!
Activities:
10:00 am - 12:00 noon
> Catawba Storytelling Sessions
> Native American Art & Objects
> Clay Play Station
> Scavenger Hunt
10:15 am
> Interactive Storytelling with Beckee Simmers-Garris about Catawba Pottery
11:15 am
> Interactive Storytelling with Beckee Simmers-Garris about The Great Flood and How The Chipmunk Got Its Stripes
Food & Refreshments:
> Popcorn
> Bottled Water
Admission:
Free & Open to the Public
All events celebrating Native American Heritage Month at The Arts Center of Greenwood are sponsored by Greenwood County Community Foundation and all lectures are supported by South Carolina Humanities.
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Beckee Simmers-Garris
Beckee Simmers-Garris was born and raised on the Catawba Indian Reservation in Rock Hill, South Carolina. Her parents were Grant & Marie Sanders-Simmers. She is the granddaughter of former Catawba Indian Chief Albert H. & Vera Blue-Sanders, Sr. and the great-granddaughter of former Chief Samuel T. and Louisa Canty-Blue. She is a mother of 3, grandmother of 6, and great-grandmother of 4. Some of her mentors have been Evelyn George, Florence Wade, Caroleen Sanders and Faye Greiner, whom she learned to make traditional Catawba pottery with. She is a potter, dancer, drummer, and basket maker. She also works with various mediums such ass long leaf pine needles & other crafts to create handmade jewelry. She serves on the board of the Catawba Cultural Preservation Project. She holds an Associates Degree in Art from USC Lancaster, SC and currently works for the Native American Studies Center. She is a seasoned interactive storyteller utilizing the Catawba language and English within the traditional stories. In 2010, Beckee was selected as one of 21 Native American storytellers to have her rendition of a Catawba folktale included in the book “Trickster, A Native American Trickster Tales” in graphics form. In 2012 this book received the Aesop Award for Children’s Literature. Beckee’s personal motto is: "If we don’t know where we come from; how do we know where we are going? And if we don’t know where we are going, how will we know when we get there?" |