Exhibit Proposal: Women of the Cloth: Origins and Manifestations of Contemporary Blanket Artistry

            For centuries blankets have figured in the daily lives of Native Americans across the continent. Not only are they part of everyday life, serving as both covering and ceremonial clothing, but they were employed as trade items in the early encounters with colonists and suspected of being used as a tool in what may have been the first instances of germ warfare. Despite their ubiquity, and their contradictory connotations, Native peoples have, as is often the case, used this utilitarian item as a mode for creative expression, developing methods of construction and design that produced prized items. In recent years, Indigenous artists have expanded their view of the lowly blanket even further, using them as a sculptural material, subjects of films, and keepers of stories as well as a material for the continued development of design and technique. 

The examples of contemporary blanket artistry to be gathered for this exhibit have in common the fact that they were all produced by women, but, at the same time, they are as diverse in methodology and result as the artists themselves. They will be presented in three distinct groupings: woven design, decorative design and installations & electronic media. The goals of this project are to foster an appreciation of the skill and craftmanship that Native American women have long possessed and to instill the concept that, although these may be seen as traditional artforms, Native women today continue to develop and expand them which is emblematic of Native culture and society as a whole.  

 They are as follows:

WOVEN DESIGN:   

·      DNA, 2014, Teri Rokfar (1956-2016), Tlingit. Mountain goat wool, sea otter fur, 53 x 65 inches. Created over a 17-year period using traditional materials while incorporating a contemporary element (the DNA helix) into the traditional raven’s tale design.

·       Resiliance, 2014, Clarissa Rizal (1956-2016), Tlingit. Merino wool and cedar, 64 x 53 inches. Reviving the traditional Chilcat design with modern and personalized  motifs signifying the resilience of contemporary First Peoples. 

·      The Navajo, 1993, Sarah Paul Begay (born 1956), Navajo. Wool, 8 x 5 feet. Revered member of the Begay lineage of weavers, Sarah incorporates a personal story into a sampler traditional Navajo designs.  

·      Winter in the North, 2018, D.Y.Begay (born 1953) Navajo. Wool and natural dyes, 31 x 57 ½ inches. Abandoning traditional motifs, D.Y. Begay creates a landscape in wool.

DECORATIVE DESIGN

·      Prayer Blanket, 2006, Teri Greeves (born 1970), Kiowa. Cotton cloth, wool cloth, brain-tanned deer hide, silk ribbon, beads, hawk bells. Abandoning the iconic pop-culture beaded sneakers and shoes she’s known for, Greeves creates an award-winning design focusing on Native warriors.

·      Button Blanket, c. 1998, Maxine Matilpi (born 1956), Kwakwaka’wakw. Wool, blue, red, button, pearl, abalone, thread, seed beads, Velcro. Matilpi updates the traditional button blanket with modern materials. 

·      Spirit of Music, 1994, Clarissa Rizal, (1956-2016), Tlingit. Wool cloth, mother of pearl buttons, commercially tanned leather, thread, needlework, applique, 50 ½ x 70 inches. Rizal adds whimsy to the button blanket design. 

 

INSTALLATIONS/ELECTRONIC MEDIA

·      Blanket Stories: Three Sisters, Four Pelts, Sky Woman, Cousin Rose and All My Relations, 2007, Marie Watt, (born 1967), Seneca Nation of Indians. Wool blankets, satin binding, with salvaged industrial yellow cedar timber base, 150 x 40 x 40 inches. Watt employs blankets as a sculptural element highlighting the many ways blankets have figured into the lives of their previous owners by including their written stories.

·      First Teachers Balance the Universe, Part I: Things That Fly (predator), Part II: Things That Fly (Prey),Marie Watt, (born 1967), Seneca Nation of Indians. Reclaimed wool blankets, embroidery floss, thread, each 6 ft. 2 in. x 11 ft. 4 in. Watt incorporated the traditional community approach to produce this homage to the animals that are the Seneca’s first teachers using several Pendleton blankets as her background.  

·      The Blanket, 2010, Rebecca Belmore (born 1960), Ojibwe. Short film. In this short piece shot on a snowy landscape with ambient sound, Belmore appears to both wrestle with demons in and take comfort from a single four-point Hudson’s Bay blanket. 

 

In addition, the exhibit will be supported by projected images of the historical underpinnings that, through tradition of method and design as well as skill development, served as inspiration for contemporary work. Although still photos would be sufficient, videos that show detail and texture would be preferable. These items are:

 

 

WOVEN DESIGN: 

·      Hanoolchaadi (Second Phase Chief Blanket) Artist Once Known, Dine (Navajo), wool with pigment, 62 ½ x 75 in. (15.8 x 190.5 cm)

·      Eye-Dazzler Blanket, ca. late 19^th century, Artist Once Known, Dine (Navajo), wool with pigment, 53 x 96 inches (134.6 x 243.8 cm)

·      Naaxin (Chilkat Robe/Blanket), ca. mid- to late- 19^th century, Artist Once Known, Tlingit, Mountain goat wool and cedar bark with dye, 66 ½ x 54 in.

·      Swift Robe with Raven’s Tale Design, c 1740-1760, Tsimshian artist, mountain goat wool and cedar bark wrap. 

DECORATIVE DESIGN:

·      Kwakwaka’wakw blanket (n.d.), Whonnock artist (attributed), cloth, wool, felt, buttons, beads.

·      Dance Blanket, 1840-1850, Dakota and/or Anishinaabe (Ojibwe) artist. Wool, silk, beads, needlework. 53 x 62 inches.

·      Dog Blanket, c.1878-1900, Slavey (Dene) artist, Velvet, canvas, wool worsted, braid edging, wool yarn, glass beads, metal beads, leather possibly brass bells, hide, sinew, cotton thread.

 

            The layout for the exhibit’s physical space ideally will consist of three interconnected spaces or a single space large enough to accommodate the separation of the three content groupings.  For the woven and decorative design sections there will need to be wall space for a mounted or imbedded screen on which to project the historical item images. Exhibited objects can be hung on walls, suspended from overhead or enclosed in cases with appropriate lighting, climate control and protection, as the space and available equipment permit. A small theatre space is also needed in which can be shown short videos (available on YouTube) of the artists speaking about and/or engaged in their work as well as scheduled showings of Rebecca Bellmore’s The Blanket. 

            To further engage visitors with this exhibit, a series of programs for both children and adults is planned. Programs for adults will include:

·      A speaker series with topics to include the history of blankets within Native American culture, demonstrations of weaving and beadwork that will, hopefully, also allow for hands-on participation and a talk by at least one of the artists whose work is included in the exhibit, ideally a panel of several of them. 

·      Videos interspersed within the exhibit showing the artists whose work is represented speaking about and doing their work.

·      Multiple showings of The Blanket in a theatre setting. 

·      At least one offering of a community sewing circle with a designated project to complete, preferably early in the exhibit’s run so that the finished product can be displayed. 

 

Children’s activities should be offered in or near the exhibit space rather than as a separate program when possible giving youngsters an optimal opportunity to make connections between the activity and the objects they are viewing. If possible, staff or volunteers should be available to facilitate the activities. This may be most conveniently accomplished by offering special time slots for children when the equipment, supplies and personnel can be on hand. If it is not possible to provide such staffing, detailed directions can be distributed to parents so that they can guide their children through the activities. The children’s activities include:

·      Simplified hands-on weaving and beading crafts for older children, younger children can complete a craft using buttons. Designs can be drawn or printed out on cardstock then decorated by gluing buttons on them. Optimally, participants would be given the option of leaving their work to be displayed for the duration of the exhibit. 

·      Tell-Me-A-Blanket-Story. Children can write or dictate a story related to a blanket in their own life or make one up!  Have them consider how they would use the blanket in their story as a piece of artwork.

·      Using outline drawings from Marie Watts’ First Teachers, children can find and identify the animals that are included in this maze-like representation and be encouraged to describe what we can learn from these animals.

·      Looking at Greeves’ Prayer Blanket, have children identify the differences they see in each of the warriors depicted and consider what the differences mean for the warrior. Why is he dressed the way he is? What weapons does he have? How can he use them? How do you feel about the idea of using a weapon?