Chae Patterson
cpatterson3@zagmail.gonzaga.edu
Artist Essay
For the artists I highlighted in this exhibit, I wanted to start with
two straight from the text for this class (Native North American Art 2nd
edition by Janet Cathrine Berlo and Ruth B Philips) of two historic two spirit
artists because that mention made me think “Oh, there must be other LGBTQ+
artists in the Indigenous community.” I chose We’wha (Zuni) because their
art seems very fluid, which both works to help get the viewer used to using established
mediums in new ways and directly connects with the idea of not being in total
harmony with what label you are assigned by others. I picked these two bowls
because I felt that they had the most relevant story to this exhibit as both
incorporate fluid patterns that could be represented as the fluidity of gender
and the human experience. This flows nicely into Hosteen Klah (Navajo), who
directly uses the feminine practice of weaving but uses designs from
sandpainting, which was a more masculine skillset in Navajo communities. The recreation
of Klah’s work I wanted to specifically use because it helps introduce an idea
that continues forward, where the oppressed alone can’t be the only ones
documenting and speaking against oppression as a community rather than a lone
voice.
Moving on to the modern
artists, I started with Lehuauakea (Kānaka Maoli) who I learned about from the Portland
Art Museum. I chose because they were taking the ideas of the first two artists
and twisting them, rather than combine the gender roles Lehuauakea combines
local Oregon materials on Hawaiian barkcloth while still addressing the nature
of being Two-Spirit. Specifically, they use similar patterns of fluid motion while
preserving the technique. However, by adding the concept of taking materials
and traditions from separate regions and smashing them together they act as the
perfect primer going into the last two artists.
I chose Demian Dinéyazhi (Naasht’ézhi
Tábąąhá clan of the Zuni and Todích’íí’nii clan of the Navajo) because they are
based out of Portland and bring a level of aggression through art that boldly contrasts
with the others of this collection. I want this jump to be a little sudden
because Dinéyazhi wants the viewer to be uncomfortable and understand that is a
frequent occurrence for people who are “outsiders” in a community. The first
piece “In Beauty it is Restored” plays into the ideas from other artists where it
melds the historic and the modern with a visual storytelling that this quote is
constantly in threat of being swallowed by the darkness. The second piece is a lot
more aggressive but not untrue. Especially in this hyper-aggressive era many
parents (including my own) have a conversation with their kids at some point
that boils down to how to avoid stepping on people’s metaphorical toes. I
wanted to include this because Dinéyazhi wants this piece to make people
uncomfortable with the underlying question of “If this is how our world is, how
can we change it.” The third piece I chose comments on how most of the culture
is erased. Interestingly, this was hung next to a piece titled “Defund the
police, Decolonize the street” that stirred up some controversy as the museum
took it down without consulting the curators or the artist. I wanted to include
this to point to how it is an ongoing process to fight to be noticed for many
cultures and that the viewer is again called to act.
Going in the other direction, Jeffery Gibson (Choctaw and Cherokee) calls us to
act but his call focuses more on how far we have gotten and how far we have to
go through the story of these three images. “People like us” starts with
integrating the old and the new in the idea that it’s impossible to fairly
judge someone without getting to know them. Anyone can have swatches of
personality color hidden away inside themselves. That moves us along into
Gibson’s second piece titled They Choose Their Own Family addresses the nature
of something both Indigenous and LGBTQ+ people go through of sharing their
identity. This is more focused on Queer people as the decision of who to come
out to can be a big deal depending on the group and the individual, but also
can be applied to Indigenous on if they want to embrace their culture or hide
it. That decision can be clouded by the next image, where culture that is clear
to you is misinterpreted and “blurred” by others, especially those in positions
of power. For those who are trans, one of the hardest experiences of
microaggression is being made to put assigned gender of birth on legal
documents like a driver’s license.
Overall, these are all queer Indigenous artists who are fighting for cultural survival.
Overall, these are all queer Indigenous artists who are fighting for cultural survival.