As part of the Martin Luther King, Jr. Days of Dialogue, the UW Art Museum is holding a Panel Discussion on David Bradley’s exhibition “This is Indian Country.”
This event will take place today, Tuesday, Jan. 30, with an exhibition preview at 6:30 p.m. followed by the panel discussion at 7:00 p.m.
“My personal intent is always to open the door for others to see multiple cultures from different vantage points,” Angela Jaime, Director of the American Indian Studies Program, said.
Jaime has been involved in many Days of Dialogue events.
“My involvement in Days of Dialogue and this particular art exhibit is really bringing in a Native American woman perspective on it, but I think it does a really great job of complementing the MLK Days of Dialogue in that it’s creating a discussion,” said Jaime.
Jaime will be joined by colleagues Caskey Russell, a professor within the UW American Indian Studies Program, as well as Nicole Crawford, Curator of Collections at the UW Art Museum.
David Bradley, the artist whose work is being featured and discussed, was born in Minnesota to a Chippewa family.
“When he was very young, he was given up for adoption, which is a really common story for native youth, and unfortunately, he was raised outside of his culture,” Katie Christensen, Curator of Education and Statewide Engagement from the UW Art Museum, said.
Bradley later moved to Santa Fe, New Mexico where he was able to get back in touch with his Native American background and the traditions of his culture. His work reflects the Native American experience in modern day U.S.
“[He] uses humor and levity to talk about some of the challenging topics that face a lot of native people,” said Christensen.
David Bradley’s work lends itself to the MLK Days of Dialogue well, in that it allows for a discussion on the issues and events that affect all those who don’t feel they fit perfectly into the mold of American society, including the Native American population.
“We’ve been planning this exhibition for a really long time, but it’s at this almost serendipitous moment that the university is adopting and embracing our own native population,” said Christensen.
Not only has this exhibit fallen into place at a time of local change, but it has come at a time of year when the nation is reflecting on the societal changes fostered by Martin Luther King Jr.
“The whole purpose of MLK [Day of Dialogue] is about dialogue,” said Jaime. “It’s about opening the conversation up, opening yourself up to understanding a different perspective, hearing multiple perspectives and sort of taking that into account and thinking about it in a more critical way.”
Jaime has made it her goal and intent to embrace different perspectives, backgrounds and questions at the upcoming panel discussion she is leading with her colleagues.
“On a very personal level, Nicole and Caskey and I, we all have a very unique sense of humor, so I don’t think it’ll be by any means a serious conversation to the point where people won’t feel comfortable and relaxed enough to ask the critical questions,” said Jaime.
The panel’s purpose is to allow community members alongside students to learn and grow with their knowledge of prevalent issues that can hopefully be resolved as a sense of awareness is shared.
“We’re really trying to create an atmosphere and environment for this to happen where people can laugh about these things and relax and realize that it’s okay to ask any kind of questions,” said Jaime.
Not only will the panel be open-ended, but also help others be open-minded, especially in relevant problems faced by American society today.
“I think opening the door through a little more humoristic perspective and an artistic mode will be really fun,” said Jaime. “It’ll be a way that we can have that conversation without taking ourselves too seriously.”
