Friday, Nov 5, 2021
Colorado Springs residents inhabit the unceded territory of the Ute, Cheyenne, and Arapaho Indigenous peoples. Indigenous peoples have occupied the region for well over 400 human generations and have faced the atrocities of colonization twice over. The first was with the Catholic Europeans, which in the name of “God, Gold, and Glory,” exterminated 9 out of 10 Indigenous humans in the Americas and triggered what can be considered as the Indigenous Dark Ages. The Indigenous population went from an estimated 55 million to a Holocaust number of 5 million and removed the Indigenous humans from their ancient and established culture. The remaining 5 million naive Indigenous humans repopulated the Americas to be colonized by the Christian Europeans a second time. Account for these atrocities is not a priority for our post-colonial government, resulting in generational trauma towards all humans of the Americas and the world.
The discounting of the Indigenous Genocide is evident within our post-colonial culture and everyday life. For example, Colorado Springs host the Garden of the Gods, which is sacred grounds for the Indigenous peoples yet monetized to become one of the nation’s most-visited public Parks. The Park has an estimated six million visitors per year from the United States and more than 60 countries worldwide. The established Garden of the Gods lookout points, picnic areas, and hiking trails host signs with park information and prescribed nationalistic history that gets consumed by the estimated six million visitors per year.
The art created is a custom 18×13 magnetic sign that replicates the design style of the signs at High Point Overlook Parking Lot 9. The overlook features an oversized metal frame with four signs and space for the custom sign installation without damaging physical property. The magnetic sign communicates truth within a world of nationalistic traditions. My goal is to sensitively expose the tourist to the region’s real history that we now call Colorado. The controlled approach to this artwork allows the sign’s display longevity vs. immediately being taken down by the colonizer culture that oppresses the world.
My art navigates the realms of history within neo-colonial times, I hope to spark curiosity towards understanding human tendencies and overcoming social, economic, and cultural issues by not repeating history. This type of reflection allows for a proper understanding of our modern-day problems and consciously shift away from theological debate and obsolete traditions to a realistic account of the present moment.
Decolonizing is for everyone.
#decolonizationart aka #realism
#selfhealingmovement aka #onlytakewhatyouneed