Journeys in Spirit Traditional and Contemporary Native Art 2023
produced in partnership with the Museum of Indigenous People
with additional support by the City of Prescott and the Prescott Area Arts and Humanities Council
May 18 – June 18, 2023
Art has always played a powerful and integral role in traditional Native culture. Paintings and carvings of early ancestors can be found on the rocks and walls of sacred spaces and places, inside caves, canyon walls, ceremonial lodges, and mountainsides. Embellished relics from every day and ceremonial use have been found scattered in and around long abandoned community sites.
Today, many of the traditions continue to be handed down from generation to generation. Children are introduced to the arts at a young age. They are taught that color and imagery carry symbolic meaning and that through the arts stories can be told.
The mediums and style vary from tribe to tribe. Basketry, bead working, ceramics, silversmithing, weaving and woodcarving are traditional crafts, and they are often integrated into the making of weaponry, musical instruments, and ceremonial attire and props.
The Native artists of “Journeys in Spirit” come from varied backgrounds and cultures. Many of them live within and outside of their tribal communities. Some of them work in a traditional style while others work in the modern mediums of painting and photography. As varied as their art is, they share a common ground. They are Native artists, and there are stories to be told.
Our 2023 Exhibiting Artists
Fred Anthony, Hopi
Melanie Bernal, Hia-Ced O’odham
Delaine Tootsie Chee, Hopi
Karen Clarkson, Choctaw
Mosquito Hawk Cly-Blackwater, Navajo
Emma Dineh, Comanche, Yaqui, Chiricahua, Apache
Maryhelen Ewing, Muskogee Creek
Cleo Fred, Hopi
Philbert R Fred, Hopi
Kay Huston, Cherokee
Iris Jones, Yavapai-Prescott Tribe
Darren Kewanyama, Hopi
Fil (Yoimasa) Kewanyama, Hopi
Manuel Robert Lucero, Cherokee
Anita Layman, Cahuilla
Augustine Mowa Jr, Hopi
Kai Burton Duane Onsae, Hopi
Lori Ortega, Hopi/Tewa
Summer Pyeatt-Lansa, Hopi
Frances Quoteskuyva, Hopi
Kris Sekaquaptewa, Hopi
Mitchell Sockyma, Jr., Hopi
Duane Tawahongva, Hopi
Debra Vaughan, Apache
You are invited to come inside the 360 virtual tour of the 2023 exhibition and take your time touring the exhibit in its entirety Look for the
icons where you will be treated to closeup images and informational audio / video segments.
Then just as you might do in person, feel free to exit the ‘Tis building through the front door where you will be transported into the heart of downtown Prescott’s courthouse plaza 🙂