Contact Us
Stone Songs on the Trail of Tears
March, 2009Pat Musick, Jerry Carr, Bill Woodiel
University of Arkansas Press
In 2002, artist Pat Musick, her husband Jerry Carr and historian Bill Woodiel began a journey to commemorate a portion of the Trail of Tears, the forced migration path that the Cherokee and other American Indian tribes walked, leaving their homelands for the unknown.
Musick and her crew created an art installation called "Stone Songs on the Trail of Tears." The book follows the trio's journey, with photographs, poetry, maps, journal entries and introductory essays on art and history.
The installation, featuring five yokes that combine oak, wood, steel and native Ozark sandstone, traveled to 22 stops along the Benge Route of the Trail of Tears, across northern Arkansas. Musick and her crew moved the installation to each spot, sometimes u sing wagon ruts or other physical remains to guide their way. They spent time in each area, meeting locals, photographing and moving on.
Donald Harington, author and University of Arkansas professor of fine arts, contributed an introductory essay, as did Woodiel and Jack Baker, president of the National Trail of Tears Association. The book features 70 color photos, each accompanied by a poem written by Musick in the voice of a young Cherokee mother making the journey.