“Disruption” shakes up Museum of the Cherokee Indian exhibit

by adminSep 9, 2022A&E, COMMUNITY sgadugi0 comments

By SCOTT MCKIE B.P.

One Feather Staff

The Museum of the Cherokee Indian is switching gears on its permanent exhibit and taking funerary and ceremonial objects off display. Taking these items off display created holes in the exhibit which have been filled with contemporary Cherokee art pieces.

A piece by Shennelle Feather, entitled “Medicine, Choose How You Use”, is on display in the Museum of the Cherokee Indian’s latest exhibit entitled “Disruption”. Feather’s piece replaces ceremonial Stomp Dance Shakers which were previously on display. The exhibit’s goal was to remove ceremonial and funerary objects that were on display and replace those with artwork from contemporary Cherokee artists. (SCOTT MCKIE B.P./One Feather photos)

The pieces create a different flow to the Museum exhibit and are collectively called “Disruption”. This new “exhibit” officially was unveiled on the evening of Wednesday, Sept. 7.

The One Feather toured the exhibit and spoke with Shana Bushyhead Condill, Museum executive director, and Dakota Brown, Museum director of education, on Wednesday morning.

“As we were thinking of what it would look like to see these empty cases, we thought, ‘what did we want our visitors to leave with? What did we want them to understand about why we’re doing it?’,” said Condill. “And the artist intervention was an idea we came up with that just seemed really, really natural. It sort of does two things. One is that it allows folks to understand that Native Cherokee artists are working today. And that no matter what their art is, that it’s inspired by our history, our past, all those things that we see in our Museum.”

She went on to say, “So, that was an exciting piece of it, but also giving them the opportunity to respond to this actual thing – seeing these empty cases. As an artist, how do you respond to that? So, that was exciting too, I think, to also give them that power and say, ‘alright, our visitors are walking through here. They’re seeing these empty cases. What do you want them to learn? What do you want them to know about that?’”

The exhibit was curated by Evan Mathis, Museum director of collections and exhibitions, and Brown, and it was designed by Tyra Maney.

Of the work itself by the contemporary artists, Brown noted, “We didn’t give any parameters to the artists other than the cases. We didn’t censor them in any way so what they created for these spaces is what they created. Because we did that, there was a lot of amazing things that happened with some of the pieces that they decided to submit. I think that Evan and I were pretty shocked by some of the artists. There were some artists that we knew to do particular types of artwork but, for this exhibit, completely changed that. We had no idea that they even worked in those mediums. So, they were able to create things that were really unexpected to us.”

She said Museum staff has been working closely with the EBCI THPO (Tribal Historic Preservation Office) to identify funerary and ceremonial objects, and Brown noted that the Museum wants to be at the forefront of Museum responsibility. “There are a few institutions that are beginning to take funerary objects off view. I think we did take it a step further because we felt a responsibility to some of the items and to our community to make sure that our ceremonial pieces came off view as well. So, anything that really might be dangerous for the public to see or might be misinterpreted in a way that it shouldn’t be by the public.”

The items will still be held by the Museum, Brown said. “Those items are going to be held in our collection. Part of the intent of doing that, of pulling the ceremonial items off view is to create better access for the community. Any community member can request to see these.”

Condill added, “I’m happy to say that institutions are coming to us to ask questions about their collections. So, it also felt like we needed to be a leader in that. If we have funerary or ceremonial objects on view, how are we supposed to consult with other institutions and help guide them?”

“Three Worlds” by Atsei Cooper

A panel in the exhibit speaks to the cultural significance of items within. “As more Indigenous scholars are emerging in the fields of history, archaeology, and anthropology, there is a visible shift in the use and interpretation of our Indigenous material past that extends beyond tribal museums. No longer trapped in glass cases, some of the ceremonial items will now be more accessible to our Cherokee citizens, and others will be returned to earth to be with our ancestors once again.”

Condill said, “Not everyone knows what NAGPRA (Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act) is, even, or how objects were collected in the first place and the ethics behind that. There’s a lot to unpack with all of it. But, the disruption of the timeline was a concept that we just all latched onto immediately and were like, ‘Yes!’.”

Brown said the items in the Museum’s collection have great historical and cultural value. “The Museum hasn’t been going out and digging things up. However, things have come into our collection. We get a lot of things given and donated to the Museum. I think most of our collection has come to us through that way, in donations…each funerary item that we have has its own story of how it came here.”

“Disruption” will run at the Museum until September 2023.

Information from the Museum lists the following artists and their pieces as being a part of the “Disruption” exhibit:

Matrilineage

Luzene Hill (Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians)

Beeswax, metallic cordage, paper

Ogana Etsi

Tyra Maney (Eastern of Cherokee Indian, Dine)

Cedar, acrylic paint, horsehair, commercial tanned buckskin

Certified Pot Dealer

Jakeli Swimmer (Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians)

Cardstock, ink, clay

Friendship Vase