Tell Me A Story: Women In The Arts
This Thursday, January 19, is the opening of the exhibition, Tell Me A Story: Women in the Arts. This promises to be an exciting exhibition, showcasing 95 females presenting themselves as artists, how and why. Not only will each exhibit a work of art, but a statement about themselves and their work. La Quinta Museum will house the show from January 19 to April 30. Put it on your calendars and make sure to spend time seeing and hearing the voices of these women.
Let Me Tell You A Story - With Book of Faces
Mixed Media
18 x 24
My work, Let Me Tell You A Story - With Book of Faces is one of the 95 works. Below is my statement that accompanies this mixed media piece of work.
This is a story
of the responsibility to tell a story. I
was tapped on the shoulder and inspired by a mother who claimed a previous life
as a tribal member, tapped on the shoulder when, as a basket weaver myself, I learned
about Native weavers, tapped on the shoulder by the invisible hand of the
tribal weavers , given the responsibility to tell the story. The story that took place across the land,
the story of an art form passed from mother to daughter, of cultural history,
artistic vision, and innovation; the
story of women working with natural fibers producing utilitarian
containers. The story of women who
honed their basket making skills from childhood, developing a close relationship
with their natural environment, creating vessels designed to carry
burdens. But the story changed and the
burden shifted with the influx of settlers who appropriated the land. It
shifted as the basket makers became domestic employees in settlers’ homes. The
art and skill of basket making came close to being sacrificed to the advance of
the settlers’ alien civilization.
Eventually the settlers recognized the skill and artistry required to
create these beautiful baskets, and tribal women began to create baskets for
the Curio Trade. This is the story of
innovation as the basket weavers recognized how to have their designs appeal to
a non-native consumer, utilizing traditional techniques, relying on what their
mothers’ and culture taught while developing artistic expression within the
baskets. Their baskets became emblems of
heritage, statements about cultural evolution, sought after by collectors,
dealers, museums. What started as an art
created out of necessity evolved into a form of expression. Today we see their spectacular basketry¸ but
we do not see them. This is the responsibility to tell their
story.
Tell Me A Story: Women in the Arts
Opening
Thursday, January 19
5:30 -7:30
La Quinta Museum
Hope to See You There!
To contact me click HERE
To visit my web site click HERE
