By SCOTT MCKIE B.P.
One Feather Asst. Editor
Ky’Lee Robison, a member of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians (EBCI) with Mvskoke heritage, has been selected to receive the prestigious Virginia A. Groot Residency at the Center for Craft.
“I was overwhelmed with gratitude,” Robison said of her reaction to finding out she was selected to receive the honor. “This residency came at a time when I was rebuilding – not just my practice, but my life and my sense of stability after the hurricane. To be chosen felt like a moment of recognition for the work I’ve poured my heart into, and a sign to keep walking in a good way.”
Ky’Lee Robison, a member of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians (EBCI) with Mvskoke heritage, has been selected to receive the prestigious Virginia A. Groot Residency at the Center for Craft. (Photo by Kyle Carroll)
The Center for Craft stated, “In 2025, the Virginia A. Groot Residency at the Center for Craft will support seven craft artists in western North Carolina in the wake of Hurricane Helene. Participants in the six-month program will receive a $15,000 honorarium and join the WNC Craft Futures Cohort, as well as being featured in a group exhibition in the Center’s Bresler Family Gallery.”
Robison is a traditional Cherokee basket maker. “My focus during the residency will be on weaving new works that speak to cultural survival and land-based knowledge – specifically using traditional materials like honeysuckle, white oak, and traditional Cherokee dyes. I’ll also be diving deeper into interdisciplinary approaches, and I am honored to participate in a six-month cohort experience that supports rebuilding my artistic practice and extends mutual aid through a peer-to-peer network.”
She further noted, “I began basket making at age 10, learning under the mentorship of Louise Goings, a renowned EBCI traditional basket maker, and her husband, Butch Goings, a renowned traditional Cherokee wood carver. They taught me not only the techniques, but the responsibility that comes with carrying this knowledge. From a young age, I learned to gather my own materials, prepare them by hand, and weave with intention.”
When asked to name her main inspirations for basketry, Robison said, “All of my mentors. Without them I would not have this knowledge. Besides Louise and Butch Goings, my late mentor Shan Goshorn had a huge influence on me. Her work and her spirit still guide me. I am so grateful and inspired by my other mentor, Seminole weaver Kathy Haney. Lastly by my father, a Mvskoke stickball stick maker, who also (along with Louise and Butch) taught me that craftsmanship is tied to our identity and responsibility as cultural stewards.”
Robison is excited to be able to have Cherokee basketry represented within the residency program. “It is deeply meaningful. As the only traditional EBCI basket maker in my family and one of a handful of my generation, I feel a responsibility to ensure these traditions live on. Having Cherokee basketry included in this program is not just representation – it’s reclamation. Asheville, N.C. is ancestral Cherokee land, and with that our culture is here, everlasting in growth, and forever vital.”
Basketry is art and has a deep meaning to Robison. “My art is a form of love for my ancestors and community. It is how I stay connected to my ancestors and the land. Through each piece, I try to share the story of the process. Basket making is resilience, kinship, and continuity of culture. I want people to feel the importance of Cherokee Basketry and Cherokee culture in general. Especially on ancestral land. I want people to understand the intensity of the labor, and the sacredness in the process.”
Loren Waters, a Cherokee Nation citizen, models a woven necklace and is shown with a basket – both made by Robison. (Photo by Brit Hensel)
Robison is very grateful for the help she has received in her art career. “I’m deeply grateful to the many people who have shaped and supported my journey. Louise and Butch Goings generously shared their cultural knowledge and wisdom with me from a young age. Shan Goshorn offered guidance that continues to echo in my work. My husband, Kyle Carroll, has been a steady source of encouragement during difficult seasons. I want to thank my father, Scott Robison – former PE teacher at Cherokee Elementary – for always believing in me, along with my EBCI family, Mvskoke family, and husband’s family. My grandmother, Helen Raby, made sure I stayed connected to basket making, even mailing white oak splits to me in Oklahoma so I wouldn’t lose the technique. I also thank my Mvskoke grandmother, Margaret Robison, for her nourishing uplifting encouragement. I’m grateful to Loren Waters, Lindy Waters III Foundation, Brit Hensel, Sterlin Harjo, Katrina and Gary Maney, EBCI First Lady Marsha and Ugviwiyuhi (Principal Chief) Michell Hicks, Shana Condill Bushyhead, Museum of the Cherokee People, the Center for Craft, the Virginia A. Groot Foundation, and most importantly – my community. They remind me every day why this work is so important.”
A community reception and open house is being planned for Thursday, June 12 at the Gallery located at 67 Broadway St. in Asheville, N.C.
Other recipients of the Virginia A. Groot Residency include: Thomas Campbell of Asheville, N.C.; Lisa Clague, Asheville, N.C.; Cristina Cordova, Penland, N.C.; Adam Grinovish, Penland, N.C.; Andrew Hayes, Asheville, N.C.; and Laura Lau Klein, Asheville, N.C.
