CU prof’s art, curated by alum, exhibited in Big Apple
‘Telling stories through art-making to help educate and make people see a different side of the world is important to me,’ observes Melanie Yazzie, professor, artist and Native American
When the International Print Center New York opens its 2015-16 season this month, the work of three University of Colorado Boulder artists will be well represented.
Professor Melanie Yazzie’s art will be shown in Weaving Past into Present: Experiments in Contemporary Native American Printmaking, an exhibition organized by Sarah Diver, a 2013 CU-Boulder graduate.
Yazzie is head of printmaking in the Department of Art and Art History at CU-Boulder and also serves on the faculty of the university’s Center for Native American and Indigenous Studies.
Yazzie’s art, which is deeply rooted in the culture of her Diné (Navajo) background, is woven with the history of her people and elements of nature, adding texture and depth to her printmaking. Her screen prints in this exhibit are about the stereotypes she encounters as a Native American.
“I use reflections on history in my work every day,” said Yazzie, whose artwork has been shown in national and international exhibitions.
“I think of my people’s past and of humanity’s history as a whole. It helps me make work that speaks of truth and a world that I want to improve through the art-making process. Telling stories through art-making to help educate and make people see a different side of the world is important to me.”
Weaving Past into Present is an exhibition of current prints by Native American artists from across North America. More than 40 works by 12 artists are included with techniques ranging from lithography, etching, silkscreen, linocut and monoprint to three-dimensional multimedia constructions.
Diver, who was introduced to the idea of curating through the museum internship program in CU’s art-history department, served as projects coordinator for the IPCNY exhibition.
Diver graduated with a bachelor of arts in chemistry, studio art and art history and was named the outstanding graduate of the College of Arts and Sciences in her last semester. She is on track to graduate in May 2016 with a master’s degree in Modern Art: Critical and Curatorial Studies from Columbia University in New York City.
“I use reflections on history in my work every day. I think of my people’s past and of humanity’s history as a whole. It helps me make work that speaks of truth and a world that I want to improve through the art-making process.”
Diver hopes to continue staging exhibitions and is considering a number of career options, including being an independent curator or possibly starting her own non-profit exhibition space.
“This experience working with contemporary artists has been deeply rewarding,” said Diver. “I hope the works I selected surprise those who have preconceptions about what ‘Native’ art is. I feel these prints will ask the audience to re-assess their ideas about what Native artists bring to the table, and furthermore, I also hope visitors learn more about the often-untold history of settler colonialism.”
Jason Lujan, who earned his MFA from CU-Boulder in 2001, will also have artwork in the exhibit.
The Weaving Past into Present exhibition is on view Sept. 24 through Nov. 10 at the International Print Center New York, a non-profit institution devoted to the exhibition and understanding of fine art prints.
A common thread running through the exhibit is that the art made by the Native American artists speaks to the many themes that touch on the common experiences of contemporary life, according to Yazzie.
“I would like people to see that I am a weaver of thoughts and themes that are valuable,” said Yazzie. “And in that way I am a traditional Navajo weaver like my grandmothers Thelma Baldwin and Nesbah Yazzie.”
For more information on Weaving Past into Present, click here.
Kenna Bruner is a writer with Strategic Marketing Communications at CU-Boulder.