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A contemporary native arts exhibit opens next week at the Anasazi Heritage Center.<\/p>\n
\u201cAncestral Homelands: Connection to Land, Space and Time\u201d is being curated by the Institute of American Indian Arts in Santa Fe. The artwork was created by current and past students, faculty, and staff.<\/p>\n
An opening reception with refreshments will be on Friday Dec. 5 at 5 p.m. Artists will be present to meet and discuss their work. McKeon Dempsey, Ms. Navajo Nation, will give a speech.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe are really honored to host this exhibit,\u201d said Bridget Ambler, supervisory curator for the Anasazi Heritage Center. \u201cThe Institute has produced some of our nation\u2019s most well known artists.\u201d<\/p>\n
Contemporary paintings, sculptures, ceramics, and jewelry are featured. The exhibit explores how contemporary native art is influenced by cultural ancestors and traditions.<\/p>\n
The free exhibit is especially poignant, Ambler said, because the Four Corners is the actual ancestral homeland for Southwest tribes.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat is the common thread for the artists, showing how they connect their heritage with art,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
Especially riveting is a four-piece mural on Wounded Knee by special needs artist Aiden Ashley.<\/p>\n
\u201cLater in the year their will be a performance piece done by Ashley on his artwork,\u201d Amber said, adding the artist will also be at the opening.<\/p>\n
Ambler said the exhibit is a chance for students to curate, and provides a unique opportunity for the public to view modern Native American art.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe have a tendency to think of native arts as something stuck in the past,\u201d Ambler said. \u201cThis show debunks that stereotype. The artwork is very fabulous, refreshing and unexpected.\u201d<\/p>\n