Miami University Art Museum and Sculpture Park

February 2020

Art Museum E-News

LEARN MORE ABOUT THIS MONTH'S FEATURED EXHIBITION: MYAAMIA RIBBONWORK

EXHIBITION OVERVIEW

peepankišaapiikahkia eehkwaatamenki “Myaamia Ribbonwork” provides a historical context and background to the contemporary revival of ribbonwork among the Miami people. Myaamia ribbonwork is an artform based on the layering, cutting, folding and sewing of ribbons to produce beautiful and complex geometric designs. Since time immemorial, Myaamia ‘Miami Indian’ people have decorated their clothes and bodies using variations on these geometric patterns that are reflective of community traditions, stories and beliefs. It is these geometric patterns that make Myaamia ribbonwork unique from the ribbonwork that is created by other tribal groups.

Myaamia Ribbonwork is a community-curated exhibition developed in collaboration with the Miami Tribe of Oklahoma. Tribal representatives include George Ironstrack and Kara Strass, both staff at the Myaamia Center, Miami University; Julie Olds, Cultural Resources Officer, Miami Tribe of Oklahoma; and Scott Shoemaker, Thomas G. & Susan C. Hoback Curator of Native American Art, History & Culture, The Eiteljorg Museum of American Indians and Western Art, Indianapolis, Indiana, who served as a consultant to the project.

The exhibition corresponds with the 20th anniversary of the establishment of the Myaamia Project and is in conjunction with the 2020 Myaamiaki Conference at Miami University.

MYAAMIA RIBBONWORK FEATURED OBJECTS

mahkisinaakana “Mocassins”; Buckskin, wool, silk and glass beads; Collection of the Cranbrook Institute of Science, Bloomfield Hills, MI CIS2207

mitemhsa ataahsema “Woman’s Leggings”; Wool, cotton and glass beads; Collection of the National Museum of the American Indian, Smithsonian Institution

ahkimotayi “Panel Bag”; Hemp yarn/twine and wool

Collection of the Cranbrook Institute of Science, Bloomfield Hills, MI CIS 2311

CHECK OUT WHAT ELSE CAN BE FOUND IN THE EXHIBITION IN OUR ONLINE CATALOG

MYAAMIA RIBBONWORK UPCOMING PROGRAMS

Exhibition Talk

Wed, Feb 5 | 3 PM

peepankišaapiikahkia eehkwaatamenki ‘Myaamia ribbonwork’

George Ironstrack, Assistant Director, Myaamia Center

The Myaamia people are producing ribbonwork once again after losing possession of their cultural heritage for more than a century. This presentation will explore how ribbonwork was produced, the joy of discovery, reconnecting with cultural heritage objects and the techniques necessary to produce them today.

Make & Take

Wed, Feb 19 | 7-8:30 PM Wed, Mar 11 | 7-8:30 PM

peepankišaapiikahkia ahkwaatantaawi ‘let’s make Myaamia ribbonwork’!

Karen Baldwin, Cultural Resource Office, Miami Tribe of Oklahoma and Kara Strass, Director Miami Relations

The presenters will share the history of the Myaamia ribbonwork artform and provide a demonstration of how to create ribbonwork. Attendees will have the opportunity to make and take home their own paper ribbonwork bookmark.

NOTE: Pre-registration required due to limited seating. Register by e-mail: collinc5@miamioh.edu or call (513) 529-2243.

Artist Talk

Thu, Mar 5 | 5:50-7:05 PM

peepankišaapiikahkia eehkwaatamenki aacimooni (A Ribbonwork Story): Recovery and Renewal of Myaamia Ribbonwork’

Scott Shoemaker

My work as an artist is about recovery and renewal of the art of Myaamia ribbonwork. As a child, my only exposure to ribbonwork was through old family photographs. My interest in learning ribbonwork coincides with my involvement in the revitalization of the language. Ribbonwork has many parallels with our language in that it is an expression of ancestral knowledge, has suffered a period of dormancy, was scattered to places far away from our community, has been brought out of its dormancy, and is once again a part of how we are as myaamiaki (Miami people).

OTHER FEBRUARY EVENTS

CURRENT EXHIBITOIONS

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