Addressing issues of authenticity from questioning the role of blood quantum and tribal belonging to practices of ethnographic portraiture, I examine internal and external discourses that shape Indian identity through contemporary installation art. I believe historical discourses of Native Americans have constructed a limited and inconsistent visual archive that currently misrepresents our past experiences and misinforms current expectations.
As I excavate hidden histories, dominant narratives are artistically deconstructed through a theoretical framework of auto-ethnography. Painted quilts made of vintage and antique textiles, fabrics, and clothing are partnered with figurative sculpture then utilized to move “Indian” outside of governing discourses in order to rebuild a new visual genealogy in refusal to line-up with the many constructed existences of Native Americans. Each hand-made doll and painted star-quilt carries a new auto-ethnographic narrative, a new history, and a new manifestation for a healthier and a more critical way to understand Native America.
Because auto-ethnography refers to the self, my location as a descendent of African slaves, English soldiers, and a great great granddaughter of Kientpaush, also known as Captain Jack who led Modoc resistance during the Modoc War of 1872 informs my work. Within the thematic focus of my work and because of my descendancy, it is here where my artistic approach and interest lies.
With degree in Ethnic Studies and Indigenous Visual Arts, my work is always in discussion with racial narratives critical to understanding of both the self and the nation and necessarily, our shared experiences and histories. Because my work is not limited textually it goes beyond the language of memory to allow for witnessing that does not diminish the past or the present. The past is not the past.
My installations are visual invites for participation in new auto-ethnographic narratives by creating an inclusive space for negotiating identity, history, and experiences. This will give evidence of the plurality of my history and allow me to stand as a microcosm within history.
As I excavate hidden histories, dominant narratives are artistically deconstructed through a theoretical framework of auto-ethnography. Painted quilts made of vintage and antique textiles, fabrics, and clothing are partnered with figurative sculpture then utilized to move “Indian” outside of governing discourses in order to rebuild a new visual genealogy in refusal to line-up with the many constructed existences of Native Americans. Each hand-made doll and painted star-quilt carries a new auto-ethnographic narrative, a new history, and a new manifestation for a healthier and a more critical way to understand Native America.
Because auto-ethnography refers to the self, my location as a descendent of African slaves, English soldiers, and a great great granddaughter of Kientpaush, also known as Captain Jack who led Modoc resistance during the Modoc War of 1872 informs my work. Within the thematic focus of my work and because of my descendancy, it is here where my artistic approach and interest lies.
With degree in Ethnic Studies and Indigenous Visual Arts, my work is always in discussion with racial narratives critical to understanding of both the self and the nation and necessarily, our shared experiences and histories. Because my work is not limited textually it goes beyond the language of memory to allow for witnessing that does not diminish the past or the present. The past is not the past.
My installations are visual invites for participation in new auto-ethnographic narratives by creating an inclusive space for negotiating identity, history, and experiences. This will give evidence of the plurality of my history and allow me to stand as a microcosm within history.
