Sadie Shields
Color fills the Goudi’ni Native American Arts Gallery as a story of culture is told through the threads of clothing and adornments inside. Root, Thread, Stitch | Fashion and Adornment, is the current exhibit at the gallery located inside the Behavior and Social Science Building (BSS) and running from Oct. 13 to Nov. 21. From past materials to present, the exhibit brings visitors through years of cultural fashion within indigenous tribes.
Brittany Britton is the director of the gallery, and said the exhibition represents Indigenous fashion through designers bringing traditional materials and cultural designs into contemporary fashion.
“We’re seeing what other designers from different tribes are doing,” Britton said. “And then how we can look at our local area and see what’s here.”
The exhibition features approximately 110 pieces, including jewelry, clothing and other forms of adornment. One of Britton’s favorite pieces can be seen on the flyers around campus advertising the event. A beaded cap created by Jaimoe Kibby, a Yurok Tribe member, which proved far more detailed in person.
“It looks good in photos,” Britton said. “But it’s even better up close.”
The cap reinterprets the Yurok tribes local woven caps through intricate beadwork. Kibby recently won second place for the beaded work he did on the cap at the Santa Fe Indian Market.
Putting the exhibition together required careful planning and creative display methods. Students in the Museum Gallery Practices Certificate program helped install the show while also learning how to properly handle and care for the artwork, Native American jewelry and regalia. The team worked to create displays that felt dynamic and not just like a jewelry story or museum, as many of the pieces are earrings or necklaces. Students even worked on making the mannequins and custom wall mounts for certain pieces.
Since the gallery is on campus, students have the opportunity to learn about the Indigenous culture and community as well as see how it has changed over the years.
For students who create their own work, the exhibit provides an opportunity to discover other artists with whom they can exchange ideas, and for visitors to gain inspiration from local creators.
The opening reception drew approximately 120 people over three hours. Some of the artists attending even wore their own creations for visitors to see the fashion outside of their gallery displays.
“It’s an opportunity for Native students and non-native students to see representation of particular styles and materials from other tribes,” Britton said.
The pieces donated not only tell the story of local indigenous wear, but also the future of where it’s going to be.
The gallery is free and open to the public Wednesday and Thursday 12 p.m. to 6 p.m. and Friday and Saturday 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Sadie is a reporter with an interest in covering and taking photos for sports and science. Reach her at sls331@humboldt.edu.