Lauren Redniss

After speaking to the CU Boulder community on March 22, 2021, the artist Lauren Redniss chose a series of her illustrations that speak to our shared "Environmental Futures" and look to indigenous cultures for a better understanding of land ethics. She drew from her recent book, OAK FLAT: A FIGHT FOR SACRED LAND IN THE AMERICAN WEST (Random House Books, 2020), in which she examines the histories of Oak Flat in the Arizona desert--a holy place for Apache peoples and a deeply contested site for a copper mine.

The public mural is situated in downtown Boulder, upon the walls of the 6th Street underpass. Redniss linked several images, including a portrait of Apache activist Naelyn Pike, the Apache Tear Caves, and a variety of wildlife species. Support was provided by the City of Boulder Office of Arts + Culture, NEST Studio for the Arts at CU Boulder, and the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation.