Native American Art and Culture exhibit opens in Ste. Gen
November is Native American Heritage Month and the Ste. Genevieve Art Guild is sponsoring an event, hosted by the Felix Valle State Historic Site, that showcases the rich cultural and artistic contributions of Native people who lived in this area long ago.
The exhibit opened Nov. 10 at the Felix Valle State Historic Site in Ste. Genevieve.
The centerpiece of the event is the opening of a display titled “Native Visions: Ancient Art in Ste. Genevieve County AD 100-1300.” The exhibit features the artistic contributions of Native peoples from the early Woodland Indians through the Mississippian Indians who established a major settlement here more than 700 years ago in what became the French community’s Big Field.
“Fine art has been created in Ste. Genevieve County for approximately 2,000 years,” Art Guild President Carolyn Bach says. “Long before the arrival of Europeans, a highly developed indigenous culture thrived along the Mississippi River and its tributaries. Their visions of the natural and supernatural worlds are available to us in the artifacts and images they left behind. We hope to share some of those with this display.”
The exhibit includes artifacts, photos and research-based reproductions of Native art found in Ste. Genevieve County, including a set of cave petroglyphs. It also provides information on the ways in which Native artists and artisans created their works and the meanings they may have attached to them.
Donna Rausch, director of the Felix Valle site, says the location of the exhibit at the site is particularly appropriate.
“I first came to the Shaw House in 1998 as an archaeology Field School participant,” Rausch says. “One of our excavations found Woodland Period pottery shards only 4 feet behind the building where this new display is housed. I have felt all along that Native American heritage is underrepresented in our interpretations, so I am particularly excited about this.”
The exhibit will be open Thursdays thru Sundays during the regular hours of the Felix Valle State Historic Site, located at the corner of Merchant and Second Streets in the National Historic Landmark District of downtown Ste. Genevieve.
For more information, contact the Ste. Genevieve Welcome Center at 573-883-7097 or online at www.VisitSteGen.com.
A Native American Art and Culture exhibit will be on display this month at Felix Valle State Historic Site in Ste. Genevieve.
November is Native American Heritage Month and the Sainte Genevieve Art Guild is sponsoring an event–hosted by the Felix Valle State Historic Site–that showcases the rich cultural and artistic contributions of Native people who lived in this area long ago, plus the work of a youthful Native American artist who is a current resident. The exhibit will open on November 10 at the Felix Valle State Historic Site in Ste. Genevieve.
The centerpiece of the event is the opening of a display titled “Native Visions: Ancient Art in Ste. Genevieve County AD 100-1300.” The exhibit features the artistic contributions of Native peoples from the early Woodland Indians through the Mississippian Indians who established a major settlement here over 700 years ago in what became the French community’s Big Field.
“Fine art has been created in Ste. Genevieve County for approximately 2,000 years,” Art Guild President Carolyn Bach says. “Long before the arrival of Europeans, a highly developed indigenous culture thrived along the Mississippi River and its tributaries. Their visions of the natural and supernatural worlds are available to us in the artifacts and images they left behind. We hope to share some of those with this display.”
The exhibit includes artifacts, photos and research-based reproductions of Native art found in Ste. Genevieve County, including a unique set of cave petroglyphs. It also provides information on the ways in which Native artists and artisans created their works and the meanings they may have attached to them.
Donna Rausch, director of the Felix Valle site, said the location of the exhibit at the site is particularly appropriate.
“I first came to the Shaw House in 1998 as an archaeology Field School participant,” Rausch says. “One of our excavations found Woodland Period pottery shards only 4 feet behind the building where this new display is housed. I have felt all along that Native American heritage is underrepresented in our interpretations, so I am particularly excited about this.”
The opening reception on November 10 at 1pm will feature Native American music and storytelling by Marc Chibitty and members of his family, special Native American food, and some background on the display.
The work of Bunny Chibitty, a 15-year-old Native artist who is a resident of Ste. Genevieve, will be displayed during the opening.
“We think of Bunny’s art as an example of a continuing, creative and artistic tradition,” Bach says. “And we are very pleased to display it as we honor this area’s very significant Native artistry, past and present.”
The exhibit will be open Thursdays thru Sundays during the regular hours of the Felix Valle State Historic Site, located at the corner of Merchant and Second Streets in the National Historic Landmark District of downtown Ste. Genevieve.
For more information contact the Ste. Genevieve Welcome Center at 573-883-7097 or online at www.VisitSteGen.com.
