Image: Colleen Cutschall, 1990, Chiefs of the Pty Oyate Acrylic on canvas
Are These Things Not A Dream? is a group exhibition radiating themes of the sun and harvest.
The exhibition borrows its title from a large-scale installation by artist Rebecca Baird that presents an uncanny scene at the edge of a corn field. Viewers encounter an intricately painted wood fence with corn stalks and the shadow of an eagle flying overhead. This work speaks to the artist’s interest in dreams, natural materials, and her ancestral relationship to the prairies and buffalo.
In the gallery, there are other works that relate to themes of earth and sky, heat and haze, and clarity and disorientation. Sun-drenched landscapes depict seasonal activities of rural farm life, drawings share whispers in wheat fields, paintings reveal myths and legends, including the story of the Three Sisters (corn, beans, and squash), and prints refract the glow of summer moonlight.
Curated by Penelope Smart.
Are These Things Not A Dream? Late Summer Selections from the Permanent Collection runs until September 17.
Images: Rebecca Baird, 1984, Are These Things Not A Dream?, White ash, wood, enamel, mixed media
You may notice the sweet, earthy scent of dried sweetgrass in the room. Skillfully made corn husk dolls, sweet grass baskets, and domestic objects express interrelationships between people and plants and the abundance of everyday life.