The Center of Southwest Studies (Center) is pleased to present Given Time: Sensory Aesthetics of Reclamation, an exhibition that explores Indigenous relationships to land and how it intersects with issues of sovereignty, environmental sustainability, colonialism and identity through the presentation of four films by prominent Native artists alongside selected objects from the Center of Southwest Studies' own museum collections that relate to and enhance the themes presented within the films. The exhibition is guest curated by Megan Alvarado-Saggese, PhD and features film works by Sky Hopinka (Ho-Chunk Nation/Pechanga Band of Luiseño Indians), Angelo Baca (Hopi/Diné) and New Red Order [Jackson Polys (Tlingit), Zack Khalil (Ojibway) and Adam Khalil (Ojibway)].
Given Time: Sensory Aesthetics of Reclamation, which is made possible with a grant from the City of Durango Lodger’s Tax Fund, will open with a reception on Thursday, October 24 at 4:30-6:30pm and the exhibition will run through April 24, 2025.
Notably, Given Time signifies a new and innovative direction for the Center by prominently featuring moving image as a central medium in the museum gallery space for the first time. The content of the video works presented foregrounds Indigenous voices and knowledge systems through recollections of personal and shared histories. Film, a vivid mode of direct storytelling, offers an immersive, transportive experience that brings us in connection with the artists’ vision, memories and perspectives.
Visitors will also engage with a unique and varied curated selection of objects from the Center’s museum collections by such artists as: Tony Abeyta (Diné), Berdine Begay (Diné), RC Gorman (Diné), Marietta Juanico (Pueblo of Acoma), Mabel Myers (Diné), Fritz Scholder (La Jolla Band of Luiseño Indians), Robert Dale Tsosie (Picuris Pueblo/Diné) and Sam Two Bulls (Oglala Sioux-Pine Ridge Reservation).
