From the artist: “The idea for this suite of four dresses came from the practice of requesting four veterans to stand in each cardinal direction for protection when particular ceremonies are taking place. My mother is a veteran. In thinking through the ways the women in our lives stand guard, protect, and nurture our well being, the idea for this set of four was born. Each print is individually named with a quality that embodies the ways they care for us all. Yet, this list of qualities could go on and on and each person carries multiple roles. This list is simply a starting point, an acknowledgement and gesture of gratitude for the many women in my life that have helped Create, Nurture, Protect, and Lead in ways that have taught me what it means to be a good relative.”

Martin’s current work deals with reconstructing the identity of Black women by piecing together the signs, symbols, and language found in what could be called everyday life from slavery through modern times. Martin’s goal is to create images as a visual language to tell the story of women that have often been marginalized, offering a different perspective of the lives of Black women.

The artist uses two coyotes in this work, often depicted as characters of dual nature representing both creator and destroyer, suspended in a mirrored relationship, symbolic of the balance between two opposites. This scene plays out between two borders of a stencil pattern, which represent ribbon work found on traditional American Indian clothing (details which are incorporated into much of Buffalohead’s recent work).

Other works by Mungo Thomson also available.

Alexa Horochowski’s work addresses the interrelatedness of natural forces (e.g., weather, erosion, plant life), globalization, culture, and matter. The interplay of natural, industrial, and cultural phenomena finds a distilled, physical expression in her hybrid objects.

Since the late 1980s, Jim Hodges has created a broad range of work exploring themes of fragility, temporality, love and death utilizing a highly original and poetic vocabulary. His works frequently deploy different materials and techniques, from ready-made objects to more traditional media, such as graphite, ink, gold leaf and mirrored elements.