Kacie H- J: Artist in Residence 


This is Grandfather Mountain, Cherokee country in North Carolina USA. It is the home of my Cherroke ancestors. 

I am  intricately connected to my ancestors and my ancestral home, Grandfather mountain.
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It is where my grandmother was born. Connecting to the natural world helps me and my daughter connect to my ancestors and their connection with the land and their commitment to stewardship of the land.

  I love to connect to the beliefs my  traditional ancestors and their connections to the natural world. They inspire me and through their beliefs and way of life, I have learned to believe in myself and who I am in the world. 
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Family connections are my strength. My surname - Hagenseiker means "forges iron in woods" in old German. My Dad and his father and their fathers before them were metal workers. They connected to the earth using metal. Using metal enabled them to earn a living and live their lives.

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As with my Cherokee ancestors, ​I've always been into nature, animals, art, and thinking creatively. This is reflected through my art work and the connections I make to the natural world. 
My ancestors are a part of me and they influence who I am and the way I see the world. It is through their experiences and wisdoms that I am able to connect to the world in the way I do. 
​I have learnt we all see things differently.
Seeing things differently is what makes us unique.