THIS IS DISPLACEMENT: Native Art Show Opens January. 9th
Plymouth Congregational Church
Public reception: January 24 at 6 p.m.
Curated by Emily Johnson (Yup’ik) and Carolyn Lee Anderson (Diné) “This is Displacement: Native Artists Consider the Relationship Between Land & Identity” is a group exhibit by a range of contemporary Native artists that consider what displacement from Native homelands means to their identity and their work.
The exhibit features two and three-dimensional art, short films/video, recorded sound art (music/stories/sound collage) and written work.
As curators, Johnson and Anderson chose to define displacement broadly, not just as a negative outside force but also as an intense connection to a place other than one’s homeland. The group art exhibit offers audiences multiple Native views of displacement, and encourages a dialogue with the audience on the intersections of art and identity.
Co-curator Anderson, a painter, states, “I am curating this exhibit because displacement is an especially challenging issue in my life. I was born and raised in Minnesota, but my maternal heritage is Diné (Navajo). I feel at home here in Minnesota, but I also have an intense longing to be in the Southwest and learn about my culture and language. It’s as if half of my heart is here in Minnesota, and the other half is in Dinétah.”
Co-curator Johnson, a dancer and choreographer raised in Alaska, says, “As an artist, I am supported, challenged, and strengthened by the work of other artists. My dances are empathetic responses to my environment, experiences, and questions. But, they are my own empathetic responses. I know there is no one picture of displacement, no one story that matters most. I want to offer audiences a wide spectrum of images to contemplate. And I want more artists’ work to be seen in more places. I believe that the more we support one another as artists and audience members, the more we, and our art, are strengthened.”
Native artists featured in “This is Displacement” include: America Meredith, Andrea Carlson, Brent Greenwood, Carolyn Lee Anderson, Charles Her Many Horses, Colleen Casey, Dakota Hoska, Daniel McCoy Jr., Doug Limón, Emily Johnson, Gordon Coons, Gwen Westerman, Heid Erdrich, Jay Bad Heart Bull, Jim Denomie, Joe Allen, Joe Geshick, Jonathan Thunder, Judith Allen, Kennetha Greenwood, Kimberly Rodriguez, Melissa Olson, Nicholas Galanin, Point of Contact (Tall Paul and G. Malicious), Priscilla Naungagiaq, Hensley Holthouse, Robert Two Bulls, Shan Goshorn, Sonya Kelliher-Combs, Star Wallowing Bull, Steven Premo, Tom Fields, and Wilma Whitaker.
The show opens Jan. 9, with an artists’ reception at noon at Plymouth Church. There will also be an evening reception for the general public on Jan. 24, 6-8pm. Refreshments will be served.
