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| Year of the Dragon 2012, monotype, Linda Lomahaftewa |
Santa Fe, NM — Moundbuilders: Exploring the Ancient Southeastern Woodlands,
a two-person art exhibit inspired by the journey artists Linda
Lomahaftewa (Choctaw-Hopi) and America Meredith (Cherokee Nation) took
through the Deep South to explore ancient Native American mound sites, opens with a reception on Friday, May 25, from 6 to 9 p.m.
On display will be prints, paintings, photography and mixed media works
inspired by the sites, smells and scenery observed on their trip. The
exhibit takes place at Ahalenia Studios, known for its edgy, fun and
important art exhibits, at 2889 Trades West, Unit E, off of Siler Road
(note: street parking only). This event is free and open to the public.
Thanks to the online funding platform Kickstarter,
Lomahaftewa and Meredith took a two-week trip in 2011 to visit 15 mounds
and other archaeological sites in the southeast, from Spiro Mounds in
Oklahoma and to Echota Mounds in Georgia. Both artists were able to
visit the Mother Mounds of their respective tribes: NanihWaiya, origin
of the Choctaws, in Mississippi and Kituwah, mother mound of the
Cherokee, in North Carolina.
Lomahaftewa, an instructor at the Institute of
American Indian Arts and artist who has exhibited internationally, says,
“It was the trip of a lifetime.” Painter, printmaker and arts educator
Meredith concurs, but adds, “It was great to learn how contemporary
tribal people maintain such a vibrant and living relationships to these
mounds.”
Mounds are colossal earthworks built by hand by
Native Americans prior to European contact. They flourished during the
Mississippian Era, a time period from 800 to 1400 AD characterized by
city-building, hierarchal governments, intensive maize agriculture and a
unique iconography that spanned from Oklahoma to Florida. Several of
the sites Lomahaftewa and Meredith visited, such as the Poverty Point,
date back much further. Poverty Point in Louisiana is a planned
community marked by elaborate earthworks dating back to 1650 and 700 BC
and predating agriculture.
Moundbuilders: Exploring the Ancient Southeastern Woodlands will
be open to the public from 1 to 6 p.m. on Saturday, May 26, Sunday, May
27, Saturday, June 2 and Sunday, June 3. From May 28 through June 1 the
show will be open by appointment only, which can be arranged by sending an email to ahalenia@yahoo.com.
For more information on the exhibit, including a blog from the journey, visit www.ahalenia.com/woodlands
