Co-written with Allyson Wainright
The WCU Fine Art Museum purchased an America Meredith painting in 2017 and loved it so much, they invited her back to have her own solo exhibition, Outspoken, which is running from January 15 to May 3 2019.
America Meredith is Swedish-Cherokee painter, printmaker and educator living in Santa Fe, New Mexico.
Meredith began exhibiting her artwork in 1995 when she went to the The Art Institute of American Indian Arts. Since then, her work has been in exhibits in Siberia, Japan, the United Kingdom, France, Ireland, Canada and throughout the United States.
Her artwork mainly focuses on human relations with other living things, cross-cultural communication and the Cherokee language.
See parts of her exhibit at the Bardo Fine Art Museum.
Carolyn Grosch, curator for WCU Fine Art Museum, chose the specific artwork featured because they incorporate Cherokee syllabary, reference Cherokee oral histories, and utilize text from found objects. All the artwork featured address the importance of language.
“This exhibition is a great opportunity to learn more about Cherokee language and culture, to reflect on humanity’s place in the natural world, and to be inspired by an artist who is committed to building bridges across cultures,” Grosch explained.
Meredith has created a lot of artwork over the years, but WCU Fine Arts Museum is home for what Meredith credits as her best work. Adoduhisodiyi Sakonige Ugitsisgv (Remaking Blue Dawn), a part of the Cherokee Medicinal Formulae series showcases imagery unique to Cherokee culture.
America Meredith, Adoduhisodiyi Sakonige Ugitsisgv (Remaking Blue Dawn), 2011, acrylic on cradled clayboard, 40 x 30 inches. Photo provided by https://www.wcu.edu/bardo-arts-center/fine-art-museum/current-exhibits/america-meredith.aspx.
“It’s important for the public to see imagery of living Native people today in all of our diversity and see that we are still carrying our cultures forward,” Meredith said via email.
Grosch agrees that Adoduhisodiyi Sakonige Ugitsisgv (Remaking Blue Dawn) is an important piece, tagging it as a favorite of the collection. The art series, The Cherokee Spokespeople Project is an important piece as it demonstrates how the Cherokee language is still a living system that continues to grow and change with the generation of speakers, Grosch said.
Meredith spends most of her time editing First American Art Magazine, but her art lives on.
“My goal with art is to express my lived experience as a Cherokee woman today and share Native histories with the broader public,” Meredith said.
Other Exhibits and events happening at the WCU Fine Art Museum:
- Artist in Residence: Mary O’Malley which will be on April 2, 2019 from 4:30 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. O’Malley will be giving a free-to-the-public lecture on her ceramics.
- Artist in Residence: Michael Byron which will be on April 11, 2019 from 4:30 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. Byron will give a free-to-the-public lecture about his artwork.
- School of Stage & Screen: Beauty and the Beast which will be on April 11-13, 2019 from 7:30 p.m. to 10 p.m. and again on April 14, 2019 from 3 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. Purchase tickets here.
- Limitless Snowflakes, a student-organized art exhibit reflecting the campus theme of Defining America, will be on display in Gallery 130 of the Bardo Art Center from April 18, 2019 through May 2, 2019.
