#NativeAmericanArtists - Items of Refuse, by Heather Newton Brown

4 December 2025

"My series, 'Items of Refuse' is an exploration of the tension between reclaiming and creating beauty from discarded objects and identity. I gather items considered 'throw away,' pairing them with phrases commonly used to dismiss or #marginalize others. Through this process, I confront the societal norms perpetuated by #capitalism, #colonization and #ConstructedBinaries, with the intention to transform.

"Repurposing metal items alongside abstract art and reclaiming derogatory phrases offers me a way to celebrate #HumanCreativity and perseverance while challenging oppressive systems. This work serves as a reflection of my response to social and #environmental crises, highlighting the importance of #resourcefulness and #resilience in the face of adversity.

" 'As We May Think' was created while sorting through #ephemera. I was struck by the relevance and resonance of topics we are struggling with currently. Time magazine clippings from 1945 had haunting similarities to articles that could be read today, related to war, politics, relationships, household needs, and world affairs. I decided to be curious, and to let the process guide me. The result is pieces of our history brought together in ways that reflect on our history, and our current trajectory."

Source:
https://www.wabanakireach.org/as_we_may

#WabanakiNews #WabanakiREACH #IndigenousArtists #HumanArt #ArtMadeByHumans #Reuse #Repurposing #SolarPunkSunday

Next up in our time-based media gallery: an installation of Inuk artist asinnajaq's film "Three Thousand," which combines archival footage from the National Film Board of Canada with new footage, sound and animation to focus on resilience and community in Inuit life. Read more: https://georgiamuseum.org/gmoa_blog/asinnajaq-three-thousand-reimagines-the-past-and-future-of-inuit-life/

#asinnajaq #NativeAmericanArtists #Inuit #GeorgiaMuseumOfArt

#RedNationPodcast | Resistance Rock

"Nick Estes speaks with Diné and Hopi artist and musician #JJOtero about using music to wage resistance."

https://www.therednation.org/the-red-nation-podcast-17/

#Indigenous #IndigenousMusicians #NativeAmericanMusicians #IndigenousArtists #NativeAmericanArtists @music

I just saw this last night on #MakerNationChallenge on a local TV channel. Wow! Some very cool work!

"Three indigenous makers set out to create a traditional gorget representing their ancestry and Oklahoma City. Tensions rise when an unanticipated addition is brought to the challenge forcing on-the-fly changes. Whose design will soar above the rest?"

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-udqYrQ5aRg

About "Maker Nation Challenge":
Makers, crafters and artists square off to create the most iconic art piece that best represents their city. From glass-blowers and chalk artists to metalsmiths and tattooers, see who Host Ashley Adams and the judges will crown the victor.

Get the Channel: https://bit.ly/3NerXQI

Stream Maker Nation Challenge on the Very Local App
https://www.verylocal.com/apps/
#DIY #MakerNation #Makers #NativeAmericanArtists #Coppersmiths #NativeAmericanCoppersmiths

#AmericanIndianAirwaves welcomes John Kush of the #Chumash community to discuss the upcoming international #IndigenousArt exhibit #DecolonizeNativeArt (D.N.A.) with #art from #IndigenousArtists across Turtle Island

https://soundcloud.com/burntswamp/decolonize-native-art-international-exhibit-in-the-chumash-nation
#Indigenous #NativeAmericans #FirstNations #NativeAmericanArt #NativeAmericanArtists #DecolonialStruggles

"In her recent LRB Winter Lecture, #HazelVCarby discussed ways contemporary #IndigenousArtists are rendering the ordinarily invisible repercussions of #ecocide and #genocide visible. She joins #AdamShatz to expand on the #artists discussed in her lecture, and how they disrupt the ways we’re accustomed to seeing borders, landmasses, and landscapes empty – or emptied – of people."

https://www.lrb.co.uk/podcasts-and-videos/podcasts/the-lrb-podcast/remembering-the-future

"Remembering the Future": https://www.lrb.co.uk/podcasts-and-videos/videos/lectures-events/remembering-the-future
#NativeAmericanArtists #Indigenous #art

From the Smithsonian:
"The Codes We Carry" (2022) brings together a team of sled dogs dressed in tuppies, or blankets, that represent specific diseases.
Artist Erica Lord (Athabascan/Iñupiat) created the blankets using DNA analysis that produces color-coded geometric patterns. Each tiny glass bead correlates to one segment of genetic code. She trimmed the dog blankets with fabric, fringe and bells, as is found in many historic examples.
Lord’s dog blankets represent diseases that have had a particular impact on Alaska Native tribes, such as diphtheria, smallpox, ovarian cancer, tuberculosis, diabetes and COVID-19.
The dogs' blankets carry the disease burdens, but they also deliver the cures: antitoxins and vaccines...

See this piece in “Sharing Honors and Burdens: Renwick Invitational 2023,” with artworks by six Native American or Alaska Native artists, now at our Smithsonian American Art Museum and the Renwick Gallery's #RenwickGallery.
#AlaskaNativeArtists #NativeAmericanArtists