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Image 1 of 1
Image 1 of 1
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I made this piece during an artist internship at a school I was attending. The program offered me some insight on coastal climate barriers and how indigenous peoples were coming together to overcome them. Again, during a time when Coyote was ever present in my life. I was reading an article on a person who was advising a gas company on possible drill sites in Alaska. This person was claiming to be of Alaskan native descent, claimed to be a member of community. I read that they were simply trying to bring “economy” and “investments” to their community. I spent four months listening to all the hard work and community outreach these coastal areas were doing to simply halt the deterioration of their homes. At some point during this I thought, what if Coyote had done this? So you see Coyote in the foreground, northern lights streaking upward over a darkened mountain range. Coyote wears a long apron, old and damaged. Instead of standing in the crystal clear waters near the land, it is thick with sludge, it soaks into his clothes, crawling upward, ever reaching for more. The water is made from a USGS survey map of Alaskan coast lines, torn up and jagged, smashed to the canvas with little care and intention, much like these drill sites tearing through our homelands. Directly above Coyote’s head, which is hanging low as he stares down at his hands as if to say “What have I done?”, you will see what appears to be a cluster of stars. In actuality, they aren’t even stars, it is the immense satellite train known as Starlink streaking across the sky. In this age, you can’t even trust the stars to be who they say they are, so you must operate with caution and consideration for not just short term gains, but long term effects for our children and grandchildren. What will we leave them now? Multimedia on stretched canvas. 24” x 30”x 0.75”
I made this piece during an artist internship at a school I was attending. The program offered me some insight on coastal climate barriers and how indigenous peoples were coming together to overcome them. Again, during a time when Coyote was ever present in my life. I was reading an article on a person who was advising a gas company on possible drill sites in Alaska. This person was claiming to be of Alaskan native descent, claimed to be a member of community. I read that they were simply trying to bring “economy” and “investments” to their community. I spent four months listening to all the hard work and community outreach these coastal areas were doing to simply halt the deterioration of their homes. At some point during this I thought, what if Coyote had done this? So you see Coyote in the foreground, northern lights streaking upward over a darkened mountain range. Coyote wears a long apron, old and damaged. Instead of standing in the crystal clear waters near the land, it is thick with sludge, it soaks into his clothes, crawling upward, ever reaching for more. The water is made from a USGS survey map of Alaskan coast lines, torn up and jagged, smashed to the canvas with little care and intention, much like these drill sites tearing through our homelands. Directly above Coyote’s head, which is hanging low as he stares down at his hands as if to say “What have I done?”, you will see what appears to be a cluster of stars. In actuality, they aren’t even stars, it is the immense satellite train known as Starlink streaking across the sky. In this age, you can’t even trust the stars to be who they say they are, so you must operate with caution and consideration for not just short term gains, but long term effects for our children and grandchildren. What will we leave them now? Multimedia on stretched canvas. 24” x 30”x 0.75”