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Art & Ecology



Susan Shie and James Acord
Prayer for the Serpent Mound: A Green Quilt
1993-1995
paint on canvas, quilted
73" H x 62" W
© Susan Shie and James Acord

Click on the image for a larger view (99K) or here for the largest view (198K).


The Great Serpent Mound in Southern Ohio is the largest effigy mound in the world: a giant earth snake, curving and spiraling along for over a quarter mile, in a quiet wooded area. It is believed to have been built by indigenous peoples about 2000 years ago, and was not a burial mound, but was made as a focus of worship.

The head on the Prayer for the Serpent Mound: A Green Quilt by Susan Shie and James Accord is the Spirit of the Serpent Mound. She appeared there while the two artists were looking at the blank cloth quilt. They stated, "The shadows formed her face." The rest of the composition was built around her. It is a story about endangerment of this monument. In 1992-1993 developers planned to build a luxury resort lake and hotel right at the site of the mound, thus changing its environment drastically and defiling its sacred naturalness and privacy.

"The wolf in the piece is a teacher- spirit, hopefully guiding our thoughts and actions regarding nature. The many skeletons are ancestors, ancient and wise. The red crosses show a call for help, and the rainbow is a promise for a prosperous future. This quilt was designed full of symbolism. It was made as a way to bring about greater awareness and appreciation for natural sacred spaces." (Shie and Acord)








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