The National Museum of the American Indian Launches Ancestors Know Who We Are
Contemporary Black-Indigenous women artists Rodslen Brown, Joelle
Joyner, Moira Pernambuco, Paige Pettibon, Monica Rickert-Bolter, and
Storme Webber are featured in this digital exhibition.
The show takes its title from a letterpress print by Storme Webber,
created as a response to being told she was not Black enough or Native
enough.
Moira Pernambuco, “Troy” (1995), black and white photograph (Mamiya 6x7 (medium format) camera). Pernambuco’s Black Boy Beautiful, Black Boy Vulnerable
is an ongoing photography series that presents a counter narrative to
frequent depictions of Black boys and men today, documenting their
private, quiet, and vulnerable sides.
The Smithsonian’s National Museum of the American Indian presents the new digital exhibition Ancestors Know Who We Are,
featuring works by six contemporary Black-Indigenous women artists that
address issues of race, gender, multiracial identity, and
intergenerational knowledge.
Rodslen Brown (Black/Cherokee Nation, 1960–2020), Joelle Joyner
(African American and Kauwets’a:ka [Meherrin] descent) Moira Pernambuco
(African and Amerindian [Wapishana]), Paige Pettibon (Black, Salish, and
White descent), Monica Rickert-Bolter (Prairie Band Potawatomi, Black,
and German), and Storme Webber (Alaskan Sugpiaq [Alutiiq] and Black
descent) are the artists in the show.
“The women featured in this exhibition powerfully tell their stories
through the art they created,” said Cynthia Chavez Lamar, director of
the National Museum of the American Indian.
“As a museum, it’s important we share the perspectives of Indigenous
women to provide insight into their diverse experiences through
exhibitions like this as well as our programs.”
In addition to the works of art, Ancestors Know Who We Are
also highlights artist interviews and writings from Black and
Black-Indigenous scholars in the fields of history, gender studies, art
history, and education, including Kyle T. Mays (Black/Saginaw Chippewa),
fari nzinga, Lilian Sparks Robinson (Black/Sicangu Lakota), and Amber
Starks (Black/Muscogee Creek). Often written in the first person, these
short essays address the exhibition’s themes.
“The exhibition moves beyond the idea of the ‘Native experience’ or
the ‘Black experience’ to highlight how gender and mixed-race identity
informs art and creative expression,” said curator Anya Montiel (Mexican
and Tohono O’odham descent). “These artists have unique perspectives
and voices that speak to our current moment as a nation.”
The show takes its title from a letterpress print by Storme Webber,
created as a response to being told she was not Black enough or Native
enough.
This project received support from the Smithsonian American Women’s History Initiative.
To view this digital exhibition, visit americanindian.si.edu.
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