New exhibit highlights Native American artists

Oct. 20, 2017 | G. Michael Dobbs
news@thereminder.com

This is one of the works of art in the new exhibit “Seventh Generation: Contemporary Native American Artists of the 21st Century” at the Art for the Soul Gallery.
Reminder Publications photos by G. Michael Dobbs

SPRINGFIELD – The new exhibit at the Art for the Soul Gallery was a five-year labor of love for the gallery’s artistic director Billy Myers.

The new exhibit, “Seventh Generation: Contemporary Native American Artists of the 21st Century” features painting and sculptures from a wide variety of Native American artists.

Looking around the gallery, located on the second floor of Tower Square, Myers told Reminder Publications, “Five years of dreaming is now a reality.”

Myers, an experienced conservator of frames and furniture, also spent years as an installation artist, arranging and hanging exhibits. As a member of the Mohawk nation and as a musician, Myers has got to know many Native American artists from around the country.

He explained that while this artwork can be seen in museums and galleries, a group showing such as this one at a gallery, especially on the East Coast, is a rarity.

Around the gallery there are paintings that depict native life and imagery that are both historic and contemporary. Two paintings by Daniel Kanietakeron Fadden are very striking. One is a native rendition of the classic “American Gothic,” while another is a long rectangular canvas showing simply part of man’s face, focusing on his eyes.

Another work is a collage, combining a painted image with three-dimensional artifacts by David Martine, the director and curator of Shinnerock Nation Cultural Museum in New York.

Myers said he has been contacting the artist for several years to see if they would participate in the exhibit. “Every single artist said, ‘Absolutely,’” he said. Myers then pitched the idea to Rosemary Tracy Woods, the owner of the gallery and sought underwriters and sponsors.

He said the work in the collection has both poetry and wit. People who come to the exhibit should leave any preconceptions at home. “Just come and look at it,” Myers advised.

A major element to assembling the exhibit was shipping the artworks from around the country, Myers noted.

A major component of the exhibit will be a series of special events to complement the artwork. There will be a screening of the film “Pow Wow Highway “ on Oct. 21 at 2 p.m. at the University of Massachusetts campus at Tower Square.  The film, “The Doctrine of Discovery” will be screened Oct. 28 at 2 p.m. The opening reception will be from 6 to 8 p.m. on Nov. 16 and there will be a Native craft marketplace opening the day after Thanksgiving – Black Friday – at Tower Square. Other events will be announced on the gallery’s website, www.art4thesoul.org.

Share this: