Life Blood: Women in Haudenosaunee Art
Life Blood: Women in Haudenosaunee Art
October 14 - November 11, 2011
In recognition of November as Native American Heritage Month, the Wilson Art Gallery, located in the Noreen Reale Falcone Library at Le Moyne College, along with the gender and women’s studies program, will sponsor an exhibition of traditional and contemporary works of Haudenosaunee women artists, as well as works that honor women by other Haudenosaunee artists. The exhibit will run from October 14 to November 11, 2011 and can be seen during regular library hours.
A Thanksgiving Address will be held in the Wilson Art Gallery from 3:00 - 4:00 pm on Friday, October 14, followed by the opening reception from 4 - 6 p.m. The event is free and open to the public.
According to Tom Huff, curator and artist
The exhibit features the contemporary mix medium works by local Haudenosaunee women who draw on traditional culture and beliefs. Tradition is the ‘life blood’ of these contemporary works. These traditions extend from the oral history of the creation story that honors Mother Earth and acknowledges women’s relationship with Grandmother Moon and Life Giving Sustenance, the Three Sisters. As a matrilineal society, women are held in high regard for their leadership roles within the community and family. Within the Haudenosaunee Nations, women carry the title of clan mothers who oversee ceremonies, give clan names and maintain the authority for choosing and removing chiefs within the nation’s traditional council government. Within the family, women are the center of support and the lifeline in everyday life and decision making that sustains the strength of the extended family. This exhibit honors and celebrates this continued role of women through artistic expressions, maintaining the ‘life blood’ of the nations.
For more information, call (315) 445-4153.
ADDENDUM
Haudenosaunee Social Dance
Friday, Nov. 11, 4:30 p.m.
James Commons, Campus Center
Join the Haudenosaunee Dance Troupe for social dance, poetry readings and art and craft vendors. The event is part of the closing of the Wilson Gallery Exhibit, Life Blood: Women in Haudenosaunee Art, and in celebration of Native American Month. Free.