TVLE, Okla.- Mvskoke artist and Tulsa resident Carly Treece is curating an exhibit titled “Keepers of the Land” at the Sovereign Santa Fe 2023 Art Expo from Aug.18-20. The large contemporary Native art show coincides with the annual Santa Fe Indian Art Market.
Treece spoke with Mvskoke Media about her experience curating the show during a “Live Wire” interview on Aug. 9th. Treece, who was asked to curate the show within a show by Sovereign Santa Fe and on the themes of the exhibit said;
“This exhibit explores the rich and deep-rooted connection between Indigenous people and the lands we live upon. As the original inhabitants and caretakers of these lands, the artists offer their unique interpretations of what it means to be a keeper of the land. This exhibit incorporates the spiritual, physical and emotional connection of the land between past, present and future generations.”
Artists featured in “Keepers of the Land” include Shane Brown (Cherokee), Sam Regan (Cherokee), Brittany Postoak (Mvskoke), Haley Gallegos (Osage/Comanche), Jessie Haase (Cherokee), Dean Wyatt (Cherokee), Jaime Misenheimer (Choctaw), Chris Thompson (Seminole), Jeremy Thompson (Seminole), Walela Knight (Cherokee/Choctaw), and Lisa Rutherford (Cherokee).
This is not Treece’s first curated show. Her co-curated exhibit, of which she was lead artist, “WORK OF SOVEREIGNTY featuring 13 COUNTIES” was shown at the 101 Archer Gallery in Tulsa this past spring. The abstract landscape painter has upcoming work in an October exhibition, “Survived By” at Positive Spaces in Tulsa. The all Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) women and two-spirit artists show will open with a fashion show by Osage design company, Burning Wagon Designs.
It will also feature a short film about Emily Morgan, a 23-year-old Choctaw woman who was found murdered outside McAlister in 2016 to raise awareness for the Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women (MMIW) movement. Treece will also be showing art at the Cherokee Art Market with the Southeastern Indian Artists Association in October.
“Keepers of the Land” is one of three different exhibits included in Sovereign Santa Fe 2023. “Collective Wisdom” curated by Billy Hensley (Chickasaw) and “Pivot” curated by Landis Bahe (Navajo), Kandis Quam (Zuni/Navajo) and Roberta Begaye (Navajo) will also show works by Indigenous artists with a range in different media. All exhibits will be shown each day from 10 a.m.-7 p.m.
Images of featured works can be found on the exhibit’s Facebook page, Keepers of the Land Exhibit. Keep up with Treece’s work at tvlsestudios.com. She can also be reached at carly@tvlsestudios.com.
