The wampum Kristen creates honors the traditional use of the quahog shell and its powerful influence in New England history. Her art is relationship based and inspired by the network of ecological and social connections of Native peoples in the northeast. The ways she acquires, holds, and distributes wampum respects its traditional properties of good medicine and protection, as well as its power to transform and balance social relationships. Kristen harvests materials from the bays of Southern New England and, most often, the food derived from the shell is distributed to tribal families and community members in need.
