Native American Artists Collaborate Across Generations - C&I Magazine

Mentor artist Dwayne Manuel and young artist Ashlee Craig stand next to their recently created mural. Photography: Jaclyn Roessel/Courtesy Heard Museum

Part of a larger space entirely dedicated to Native American art and culture, C​onfluence: Intergenerational Collaborations ​is open to the public at the Heard Museum through April 17, 2016. The exhibit consists of collaborative projects constructed by inter­generational pairs of Native American artists.

The dynamic art installation showcases a variety of mediums, from paintings to clothing, presented by seven talented mentor­-mentee artist pairs. A​fter being selected for the showcase via an application process, the real trick was matching the right artist with the right mentee.

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“It was difficult because there was a such a variety of experiences, but luckily, it worked out,” says Jaclyn Roessel (Navajo), the exhibit curator. “They worked so well together.”

The artists spent three months prior to the exhibit bonding and sharing ideas, all while collaborating on their work or series of works that would be displayed. The final collection is a direct reflection of the relationships developed between each mentor and mentee.

Although the collaborative pieces embody the connections between the artists, the pieces also reveal the demographic shifts within Native American culture. “The project has blended so many lines,” Roessel says. “It’s a way of showing that Native American people are still here, and [that] not only are [they] modern, but they are also building lives through confluence. I​t was important to us to have dialogue between generations to support connections.”

In addition to creating a space for artistic collaborations, the mentor-­mentee partnerships are also a way to reaffirm the significance of leadership within Native American culture. The influence that an elder has on the youth within a community is highly valued and is essential to passing on Native American values to new generations.

“[With this exhibit] people will be able to see that art can be a powerful tool in solving problems in communities [but also] in building communities,” Roessel says. “I hope that our Native leaders and elders find inspiration in these pieces and can see that these talented and brilliant artists are willing and able to rise [up] in the efforts to help our people.”

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