Whole Of American History
Acrylic and mixed media (molding paste and stones) on gesso panel, 24" x 36"
It’s been said that the bulk of human history is “a catalog of crimes.” In particular, the history of the United States is one of settler colonialism - the founding of a state based on the ideology of white supremacy, the widespread practice of African slavery, and a policy of genocide and land theft. “From California . . . to the Gulf Stream waters” (as sung by Woody Guthrie) are interred the bones, villages, fields, and sacred objects of North America’s indigenous peoples. Buried deeper still are their collective stories, largely forgotten and suppressed, thanks to a dominant - and highly deficient narrative - that ignores our country’s rich multicultural heritage. These accepted myths persist, not for a lack of free speech or poverty of information, but rather for an absence of motivation to ask questions that challenge our nation’s accepted history.
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