About the Exhibition
Critical conversations take place every day in Oklahoma, addressing the well-being, the survivance, and the cultural continuum of our Indigenous cultures. This conversation is evident within the body of works submitted to this juried exhibition. Themes emerged from within the work that address the complexity of being an Indigenous person in our state. Throughout all the images, the relationships that bind us also hold together the themes of politics, identity, and the cultural conversations.
The politics of being Indigenous is always a contested situation. We navigate this experience on a daily basis, holding space for our cultures, knowledge, and philosophies. The judgment of being “Indian enough” is always in conversation with our necessary resistance to oppression and assimilation. We share the responsibility of carrying our cultures into the future and this is celebrated by several artists who focused on images that focused on their aesthetic heritage. A few artists placed our cultures and art in conversation with the global art history, reminding us that we are part of this dialogue. Relationships between community members and the cosmological forces that envelope us remain guiding forces for our identities. We remain Indigenous and presenting images of ourselves, community members, and our daily experiences is part of how we affirm that identity.
Re/Convening is a chance to celebrate what is wonderful about Oklahoma. Our state’s unique cultural diversity and history are represented by these artists and their homes across the state. Urban and rural, we have established our cultures here and this exhibition is a celebration of our survival into the 21st century.
Guest Curator
heather ahtone, PhD (Choctaw/Chickasaw)
Artists
Roy Boney
Molly Bryant
June Carpenter
Johnnie Diacon
Amber DuBoise Shepherd
Michael Elizondo Jr.
Nicole Emmons
Tom Field
Diana Folsom
David Gentry
Kristin Gentry
Janae Grass
Jessica Harjo
Bill Hensley
Lesley Iron
Matthew Jarvis
Paul King
Robert Little
Travis Mammedaty
Andrea Martin
Bobby C. Martin
Madison Moody
John Owen
Bryon Perdue Jr.
Alex Ponca Stock
Tama Roberts
Rita Rowe
Erica Pretty Eagle
Tyra Shackleford
Jarica Walsh
Bryan Waytula
Summer Zah
*Featured Image:
sun+earth/moon
Jarica Walsh
This program is funded in part by Oklahoma Humanities (OH) and the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH). Any views, findings, conclusions, or recommendations expressed in this program do not necessarily represent those of OH or NEH.
