Art
We Are Native Women
Exhibition celebrating the strength and diversity of Native American women through the recent work of twelve contemporary indigenous North American artists from the USA and Canada. Includes a range of media, from painting, printmaking and photography to basket weaving.
Visiting artist Marla Allison from Laguna Pueblo tribe will be attending the opening of the exhibition and will be giving a talk about her work the same afternoon.
“2017 marks the 400th anniversary of the death of Pocahontas in Gravesend, Kent. Famous for her involvement with the English settlers in Jamestown, she is probably the only Native American woman who most British people could name. The popular treatment of Pocahontas, most notoriously in the Disney films, has propelled her to become the poster girl for Native American culture.
is needed now More than ever
“The way in which the figure of Pocahontas (in fact and in myth) has come to dominate our understanding, and has eclipsed the numerous Native American women whose real lives are as worthy of our attention, is the motivation for this exhibition which aims to move beyond Pocahontas, to release her from the symbolic duty of standing for all Native American women. Crucially, the exhibition challenges the cult of celebrity associated with figures like Pocahontas and asks us why we insist on warping our understanding by viewing complex issues through the distorting prism of a single individual.”
“The artworks in this exhibition depict women of all ages, strong, powerful, nurturing, caring, desirable, provocative, dangerous, real and supernatural. It highlights individual and communal struggles, concerns and life choices of women from several Native cultures across the continent.
Featured artists include Marla Allison (Laguna Pueblo), Cara Romero (Chemehuevi), Shan Goshorn (Cherokee), Shelley Niro (Mohawk), Kali Spitzer (Kaska Dena & Jewish) and Zoe Urness (Tlingit & Cherokee), Alison Bremner (Tlingit), Sierra Edd (Navajo/Diné), Luanne Redeye (Seneca), Eugene Tapahe (Navajo) and Debra Yepa-Pappan (Jemez Pueblo & Korean).
Part of Pocahontas 2017.
March 23-May 31, Tue-Sat 10am-6pm (5pm Sat).
Artist’s talk with Marla Allison Thursday March 23, 3-4pm at Friends Meeting House, Bristol, BS6 6JE
Opening reception with Marla Allison: Thursday 23rd March, 6pm – 8pm at Rainmaker Gallery
For more information, visit www.rainmakerart.co.uk
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