"Gluskabe Comes Home" is about the artist reflecting on his own past. Gluskabe (Klose-kur-beh) is a woodchuck/beaver figure of Northeastern Woodlands, North American native people's cosmology. The artist's adoptive grandfather is descended from the Penobscot tribe. There are many stories of Gluskabe that differ across the region. One is that Gluskabe created humans out of trees. Gluskabe is known for generously bringing knowledge essential for survival and moral codes to live well by, but he also punishes those who break these codes. Emerging from this beaver is the figure of a child which could be his grandfather, father, the artist, or his child, an intergenerational continuum.

The sculpture was made in collaboration with alumni, students and faculty of the Massachusetts College of Art. 

Richard Streitmatter-Trần '03 with Patrick Brennan M'24, Lexie Dowgiert '23, Arielle Gordon, Matthew Hinçman '93, Elodie Hornedo '25, Gabby Kay '23, Harry Liao M'24, Jenn Lima '24, Janna Longacre, Kylie Marden '24, Dylan Reid '23, Willow Trodden '26, Reid Drum, Michelle Stevens '19, Paul Swenbeck '91, and Trần Thị Thu Trang

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Photo credits: Installation view, The Myth of Normal: A Celebration of Authentic Expression. October 5 2023 – May 19, 2024. MassArt Art Museum, Boston. Photo: Mel Taing.