2012 State Native American Art Exhibit featuring Eastern Woodlands Artists at the Atrium Gallery

Rhode Island State Council on the Arts presents the "2012 1st State Native American Art Exhibit, featuring Eastern Woodlands Artists" at the Atrium Gallery @ One Capitol Hill. This exhibit is part of the New Visions New Curators Program.

Curator: Deborah Spears Moorehead

Curator Bio: Deborah is an internationally known artist from the Wampanoag Tribal Nation. She is a descendant of Massasoit through his daughter Amie. She is also Narragansett, Pequot, Mohegan, Nipmuc, and Mohawk. Deborah holds a Master of Arts in Culture and Traditional Sustainability from Goucher College and Bachelor of Fine Arts from Swain School of Design. She attended the Rhode Island School of Design for Sculpture and Jewelry in addition to Brown University for writing.

Deborah’s work focus is to assert the identity of the Eastern Woodland American Indian, past, present, and future. She was awarded the Youth Mural Project from the National Museum of the American Indian, Smithsonian Institute. Her work has been procured by the Mashantucket Pequot Museum and Research Center and Brown University. Art shows in and out the United States have made her an internationally known artist. She has shown her work at the Metropolitan Museum of Fine Art as well as many galleries and educational institutes such as Rhode Island School of Design, The Peabody Museum, and Harvard University.

Participating Artists: Deborah Spears Moorehead, Dawn Spears, Loren Spears, Minku Paul-Anderson, Penny Gamble Williams, Tall Oak Weeden, Veronica Delcourt, Dale Hazard, Robert Peters, Emma Joe Brennan, Leah Dlanes Roberts, Jasmine Moorehead, Julia Marden, Marlene Lopez, Jon Campbell, Venus Reels, William Donehey, Robin Spears III; Native Community Wellness Quilt Tomaquag Museum- Gabra Waloke, Ollison Best, Pearl Brown, Dawn Dove, Kamala Hopkins, Raven Machado, Cynthia Knight, Emily Manning, Joanne McQuire, Myra Perry, Pearl Perry, Loren Spears, Sierra Spears, Sky Spears, Summer Spears, Kris Stepney

Performances: Dawn Dove, Wesley Jennings, Ridge Spears, Delo Tate; Nettukkusqk Group- Pam Ellis, Jasmine Moorehead, Jacqueline Moorehead, Debbie Spears Moorehead; Eastern Medicine Singers- Daryl Jamieson, Ray Watson, Katherine Crippen, Artie Crippen, Dave Smith, Kevin Hazard, Michael Ras, Ollie Best, Desiree Abrahams, Michelle Johnson, Charlie Underbaggage, Tammy Ras, Merv Johnson

Partnerships: Tomaquag Museum, Narragansett Tribal Nation, Mohegan Tribal Nation, Wampanoag Tribal Nation, Pequot Tribal Nation, Maliseet Tribal Nation, Abanaki Tribal Nation, Passamaquoddy Tribal Nation, Penobscot Tribal Nation, Mic Mac Tribal Nation, Nipmuc Tribal Nation, New England Foundation for the Arts-NEFA, Honoring our Own Power, Rhode Island Indian Council, Maine Indian Basketmakers Alliance.

Atrium Gallery at One Capitol Hill
Rhode Island State Council on the Arts (RISCA) developed the Atrium Gallery to recognize talented artists from communities throughout the state. The Atrium Gallery hosts multidisciplinary exhibitions in partnership with diverse artists and cultural organizations. The gallery features a stunning tall glass ceiling with light that cascades into an open space surrounded by three walls of artwork. This has become a destination point for visitors and the many people who frequent the Administration offices at One Capitol Hill, while enriching the environment for hundreds of state workers in the building.

1st State Native American Art Exhibit
Native American Art Exhibition holds the distinction of being the first Regional Intertribal state art exhibit in partnership with Native American nonprofit organizations and artists. It is through these artworks that traditions, both old and new, evoke a story of cultural preservation. These exhibitions feature beautifully crafted folk and traditional art pieces, as well as newly created contemporary artwork.

New Visions/New Curators Program
The Atrium Gallery encourages the development of new curators and gallery directors from diverse communities through the New Visions/New Curators Program. Artists of color are provided logistical support to curate a show by defining a theme, professionally installing the artwork, and creating marketing materials that promote the exhibit. Previous participants have curated exhibitions in local and regional galleries and museums. This highly successful program has become an incubator for new curators that promote viewpoints and voices of artists of color.

The Rhode Island State Council on the Arts is a state agency supported by appropriations from the Rhode Island General Assembly and grants from the National Endowment for the Arts, a federal agency. RISCA provides grants, technical assistance and staff support to arts organizations and artists, schools, community centers, social service organizations and local governments to bring the arts into the lives of Rhode Islanders. To learn more visit www.arts.ri.gov