"Redefining Indigenous: Indigenous Art of the Past, Present, and Future” runs throughout the month of November at the Arts Council of Fayetteville/Cumberland County. The exhibit features 28 different artists from over a dozen tribes spanning the East Coast.
“‘Redefining Indigenous" is a reclaiming and reintroduction of the modern-day Native American experience through the arts,” says curator John ManiQ Whittemore. Whittemore is a member of the Tuscarora Nation of North Carolina and is himself an artist and cultural teacher. He hopes the exhibit breaks stereotypes and challenges what people expect from Indigenous art.
“When you think of Indigenous art, there is a mass-produced style that has been recycled over and over,” Whittemore explains. “I feel this show holds a lot of reverence for our area with works that contain both modern and traditional elements that make up our subculture today.”
The exhibit and events surrounding it coincide with National Native American Heritage Month, which celebrates the achievements of Native American Indians and Alaskan Natives.
According to Stacker.com, North Carolina has the biggest Native American population east of the Mississippi River and the sixth largest in the United States. "Redefining Indigenous" features the works of regional artists from various tribes and showcases them at the Arts Council Gallery, which is on the traditional land of the Tuscarora (NC), Catawba, and Lumbee People.
The month-long exhibit includes two events steeped in reimaging cultural traditions. The Opening Reception gives an opportunity for the community to share refreshments with featured artists, enjoy performances by the Smokey River Singers, and participate in a traditional craft led by artist Frances Sandra Whittemore. Later in the month, the Redefining Indigenous Expo opens the gallery for curated Native vendors, including BsBeadFantasies, Scuffletown Suppliers, and The Lune Tree.
For Whittemore, the exhibits and coinciding events represent a connection between the artists’ experiences and the representations of those experiences through their art.
“I’m most excited to see the different stories and ideas and moments told through the works that give a deeper detail in the Indigenous experience of this modern time.”
"Redefining Indigenous” will be on display in the Arts Council’s gallery until Nov. 29 from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. The "Redefining Indigenous" Expo is on Nov. 21 from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m.
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(Graphic courtesy of the Arts Council of Fayetteville/Cumberland County)