Art Show

Moundbuilders: Exploring the Ancient Southeastern Woodlands will feature artwork inspired by this journey. Monotype prints, paintings, digital photography, and mixed media art by Linda Lomahaftewa and America Meredith will be on display from May 25–June 2, 2012 at Ahalenia Studios, 2889 Trades West, Unit E, Santa Fe, NM. Map.

Opening reception: Friday, May 25, 6-9 pm.

About the Journey

Pinson greenstone pendantFor two weeks, Choctaw-Hopi artist and professor Linda Lomahaftewa and Cherokee artist and lecturer America Meredith traveled through the south to visit archaeological sites in Oklahoma, Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, Georgia, North Carolina, and Tennessee. Our goal is to further our research of the Mississippian and earlier indigenous cultures and the iconography of the Southeastern Ceremonial Complex. We both visited the mother mounds of our respective tribes for the first time. Our hope is to better understand connections between ancient peoples and contemporary tribes, intertribal relations, and the way oral histories connect to the land.

We extensively photographed these sites and will place some of our photographs into the public domain to be used by teachers and artists. The new artwork inspired by the trip will be be exhibited in the spring of 2012 at Ahalenia Studios in Santa Fe. We will give presentations of our travels in both New Mexico and Oklahoma, with the goal of sharing information and creating dialogue with artists, writers, storytellers, and researchers from a wide range of tribes.

Locations Visited