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January 31, 2007
Lifting the Veil: New Mexico Women and the Tricultural Myth
The history of New Mexico and the Southwest as a tricultural, harmonious community is constantly recounted to every local schoolchild. It is proclaimed in brochures designed to lure tourists and nurtured by galleries and artists. And the story goes like this: First there were the Indians, who were conquered by the Spanish, and then the Anglos came and took control; and now, after generations, the families of three cultures live and work side by side, separately but harmoniously practicing their traditions and making their art.
On March 2, 2007 the Institute of American Indian Arts Museum will open Lifting the Veil: New Mexico Women and the Tricultural Myth, an exhibition addressing issues and concerns about power, exclusion and the perpetuation of the tricultural myth. According to the curatorial statement, this myth imposes categories of racial and cultural separation that deny complex identities and family histories. The exhibition features the work of twenty-nine women artists in a variety of media, all of whom address some aspect of identity in their work, in their statements, and in their lives.
This inclusive exhibition, which may be seen by some as a departure for the Institute of American Indian Arts Museum, is deeply relevant to issues of Native American identity. Within the IAIA community, we deal with these issues every day. Some of our students struggle with identity – and it can be painful.
Through its work and writing the exhibit challenges the uncritical acceptance of the prevailing mystique, and reveals present-day realities about the multicultural identities of New Mexico. As much as possible, the selection of artists represents the multiple heritages present in the contemporary Southwest: African-American, Jewish, Afghani, American Indian, European, etc.
Diane Reyna, one of the exhibition curators, says “In this society, it’s often easier for me to say ‘I am a Pueblo woman,’ and to repress the other aspects of my identity – Spanish, Apache, Kiowa, Cree. And the same is true of many of people, including Spanish who have been disenfranchised from their Pueblo heritage. People stick to the stereotypes because it preserves the status quo expected by society.”
In addition to Reyna, the curatorial team includes Tatiana Lomahaftewa-Singer, Paula Rivera, Ann Filemyr, Barbara King, and Sandy Vallaincourt. One of the curatorial concepts that came out of the dialogue states: “when we acknowledge a mixed identity, we tend to be regarded as ‘less than.’ Instead of repressing compound identities, we need to assert the right to embrace our families, and our whole family history, and not have that negated by simplistic myths. It is a matter of acknowledging each other as whole people.”
“According to the myth, restrictions have been placed on artists with regards to their artwork,” Paula Rivera points out. “Hispanic people are known only to produce religious iconographic art, Native people are known only as pottery and basket makers, Anglos ‘define’ contemporary art, etc.”
Why limit the artists to women? Women embody the fabric of interrelationships between families and communities. They are less likely to exclude their children and grandchildren. Moreover, women nurture our family relationships and accept the truth of our identities.
Click here to download full press release in PDF format.
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