Weber State University Mary Elizabeth Dee Shaw Gallery To Host Art Exhibition, "We Are The People" Featuring Contemporary Work by Indigenous Artists

OGDEN, Utah, Feb. 8, 2016 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The Weber State University Telitha E. Lindquist College of Arts & Humanities (www.weber.edu/cah) and the Mary Elizabeth Dee Shaw Gallery (www.weber.edu/shawgallery)  today announced the opening of its latest art exhibition, "We Are The People," which  features work by a diverse group of contemporary indigenous artists from both the United States and Canada. The exhibition will be making its world debut at Weber State University with an opening reception at the Mary Elizabeth Dee Shaw Gallery on Friday, February 26, 2016 at 7 p.m. and will run through April 8, 2016. Wendy Red Star, a member of the Crow Indian Nation, has guest curated this exhibition.

"This exhibition is an opportunity for Native American and First Nation artists to influence contemporary art discourse and challenge the misperceptions and preconceived notions  surrounding art made by Indigenous people today," said Lydia Gravis, director of Mary Elizabeth Dee Shaw Gallery. "Utah audiences will be given a valuable opportunity to explore their perceptions of contemporary indigenous culture through a variety of art experiences, including performance and new media."

"We Are The People" brings together eight distinguished contemporary artists from indigenous backgrounds working in new media, video, photography, performance and sculpture. Each artist actively investigates and engages with the concepts of nationhood, indigenism, ritualism and land. Artist and curator Wendy Red Star has tasked each artist to experiment with ideas that surround indigenous people and nations using their own unique experiences and artistry. "We Are The People" will feature the work of the following artists:

Amelia Winger-Bearskin, Iroquois
Elisa Harkins, Cherokee
Tanis S'eiltin, Tlingit
Tanya Lukin Linklater, Kodiak
Duane Linklater, Moose Cree
John Feodorov, Navajo
Peter Morin, Tahltan
Raymond Boisjoly, Haida

"I have assembled a select group of established and emerging contemporary native artists who collectively are changing and shaping pre-conceived notions about history, rituals and spiritualism," said Wendy Red Star, guest curator of the "We Are The People" exhibition.  "We each derive our heritage from indigenous tribes, but how we interpret and showcase our work is all very unique. Audiences will truly have an opportunity to be involved in the work in ways they never imagined and in turn I put the experience back into their hands to really consider how we are all interconnected," said Red Star.

The exhibit is free and open to the public. A panel discussion featuring several of the artists will take place on Thursday, February 25 at 6 p.m. at the Kimball Visual Arts Building. The opening reception will be February 26, 2016 at 7 p.m. "We Are The People" exhibition will run February 26 – April 8, 2016.

Share:  #WeberState to host #artexhibit #Wearethepeople open Feb. 26 - Apr. 8 visit    weber.edu/shawgallery for info

About the Telitha E. Lindquist College of Arts & Humanities
The Weber State University Telitha E. Lindquist College of Arts & Humanities teaches students to excel as they seek, understand, question and express complexities critical to the experience of being human. The Lindquist College of Arts & Humanities offers undergraduate degree programs in the following five areas: Communication, English, Foreign Language, Performing Arts and Visual Art & Design. Master's degrees also are offered in Communication and English. The college serves more than 2,000 undergraduate majors and 250 graduate students. The Lindquist College of Arts & Humanities is the Western region's foremost institution for student- centered teaching and research that investigates the human experience and aims to educate global citizens who are responsible, creative and critical artists, performers and communicators. For more information, please visit, (www.weber.edu/cah).

Contact: 
Christie Denniston, APR
Director of Marketing and PR
Lindquist College of Arts & Humanities Weber State University
Phone: 801-626-6431
Cell: 303-827-5164
Email: [email protected]

Photo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20160205/330367

SOURCE Weber State University, Lindquist College of Arts and Humanities