A new exhibit at Amplify Arts’ Generator Space honors the connection between Indigenous peoples and plants native to the region. Unceded Garden, organized by the Unceded Artist Collective, uses the role that plants play in medicine, a vital resource for life, and “plants as a nation.”
The exhibit description reads: In individual and collective actions, Unceded Artist Collective members transpose the sights, sounds, and smells of the garden onto the gallery space in video and installation work created with the plants that remediate its soil and feed its stewards. In doing so, Unceded Garden raises questions around indigenous land use and sovereignty critical to dreaming a better world for other species–and each other–into being.
Collective members include Nathaniel Ruleaux, Sarah Rowe, Mi’oux Stabler, and Jennie Wilson, who have also been working in partnership with the Indigenous garden at Joslyn Castle. The exhibition does include work created from fresh and dried plant materials, so individuals with allergies or sensitivites are encouraged to wear masks.
Following the opening reception, the installation will be available for viewing by appointment.
About the members
Unceded Artist Collective is a community and directory of Indigenous artists who reside and create art in the land of the Umónhon & Očhéthi Šakówiŋ (aka the colonized Omaha Metro). It seeks to honor the past, while advocating for a future in which indigenous persons have a place at the table.
Sarah Rowe, based in Omaha, focuses on “cross cultural dialogues by utilizing methods of painting, casting, fiber, performance, and Native American ceremony in unconventional ways. A decendent of Lakota and Ponca Nations, Rowe’s work is participatory and implores viewers to re-image traditional Native American symbology to fit the current landscape.
Nathaniel Ruleaux, a founding member of Unceded Artist Collective and a member of the Oglala Lakota Nation, combines modern art with traditional Indigenous imagery. Recently he worked with Opera Omaha for its 2023-2024 season and the national 2022 Indigenours Featues Survey.
Mi’oux Stabler, a member of the Umo “ho” Nation in northeast Nebraska, has been focused on revitalization of traditional languages and stewardship. She is a mother, artist, land tender, and cultural land advocate.
Jennie Wilson, who is a citizen of the Cherokee Nation who grew up in the unceded land of the Umónhon & Očhéthi Šakówiŋ in Nebraska, focuses on various traditional practices, such as food, language, cultural and artistic traditions. Her work utilizes natural materials such as clay, gourds, and cornhusks.
Learn more about the exhibit here.