The Mestizo Center is pleased to announce the last “Under the Skin” workshop Fall 2017. With the support of the Plateau Center for Research and Collaboration and Native American Programs and Native American Student Center we are honored to announce the visit of Black Feet Artist John Pepion this Thursday November 30. Students, faculty, staff, and community members will have two spaces to listen to John’s story and co-create ledger art. People are invited to attend either or both 😃10-12 we will be in Cleveland 21A and 2-5pm Mestizo Center Cleveland Hall 121 (Beside the Math Lab). A couple of links on John’s artistic are provided below. We hope you can join us in this semester’s last space of listening, dialogue, and creation. Our gratitude in advance for the support expressed to the Mestizo Center and “Under the Skin” series.
About John
John Isaiah Pepion is an artist who hails from the Blackfeet Nation in northern Montana. The art journey has been ceremonial for John as his understanding of his past, family, and culture grows with his work. He descends from Mountain Chief, a Blackfeet leader who preserved history through numerous winter counts. Through art, John finds personal healing and cultural preservation. He speaks with troubled youth in public schools to promote the benefits of art as therapy. John holds formal degrees in Art Marketing and Museum Studies from United Tribes Technical College and the Institute of American Indian Arts, respectively. However, his education continues with every piece he creates and with every story he shares. John incorporates traditional design elements into colorful contemporary illustrations, leaving his work highly recognizable. Most importantly, John’s art deepens his connections to self and place, providing him with a sense of strength.
About the Workshop
I start the workshop with an introduction of who I am and start talking about ledger art plus I show examples of my art. I explain the history of ledger art and where it’s at now. Then I share my work and tell my story. After that I hand out a few books on ledger art for youth and adults to view. Then I give the youth and adults actual antique ledger paper. I share how to draw my style of ledger horses or buffalo step by step
Dear followers of the Mestizo Center, we continue with our series of workshops this Fall 2017, exploring the complexities of identity formation. This Thursday, Faith Price, Assistant Director of the WSU’s Native American Programs, will share her experience as a mixed-race human being. In Faith’s words, in this workshop “we will explore the parts that make us whole, and the complexities of phenotype and racial identity”. This will also be a unique opportunity to learn from Faith’s skills to design and we will be co-creating with her a collective art piece. As usual, we will have wonderful food, conversations, and a great time.
Thank you for supporting #UnderTheSkin by spreading the word among your networks. Everybody is welcome. See you on Thursday, 2:00pm Cleveland Hall 121
About Faith Price
FaithPrice is the Assistant Director of WSU’s Native American Programs. She is of Wampanoag/African American/European descent. She grew up on the Flathead Indian Reservation in Montana, and graduated from the University of Montana. She has one daughter who is even more mixed race than she is 🙂 In her free time, Faith loves to sew and has her own fashion line called Powwow Baby.
