Un-settling: A Story of Land Removal and Resistance will be exhibited in the Massillon Museum’s Aultman Health Foundation Gallery from March 26 through May 22, 2022.
The exhibition is a visual accompaniment to the memories of yesterday and stories of today that parallel the words of Native American Joy Harjo, US Poet Laureate, in her award-winning book, An American Sunrise. In celebration of An American Sunrise, the contemporary Native American artists featured in Un-settling add their own reflections on removal and resistance.
Artwork by Native Americans across the country will be exhibited: Dakota Mace, Gregg Deal, Hulleah J. Tsinhnahjinnie, Jesse Cooday, Melanie Yazzie, Natani Notah, Norman Akers, and Will Wilson. The exhibition is co-curated by Dr. Shana Klein and Marissa Tiroly, Kent State University.
The Abolitionist Library is a component of the exhibition; visitors can spend time with a selection of books and articles that provides further context for the exhibit themes.
An American Sunrise is the 2022 book selection for MassMu’s NEA Big Read. Free copies of the poetry book will be available at the NEA Big Read Kickoff on Saturday, April 2, from 1:00 to 3:00 p.m. The kickoff marks the opening reception for Un-settling as well as Threads Moving Backward and Forward: Contemporary Textile Artworks from Ohio, which also complements the Big Read. Massillon Public Library, which has partnered with MassMu on the NEA Big Read for 15 years, will have its Bookmobile at the event.
Thirty community events will accent the NEA Big Read. Among them, MassMu will stream a live online curator and artist panel discussion on Wednesday, April 13, from 7:00 to 8:00 p.m. EST, via MassMu’s Facebook; later uploaded to YouTube. The panel will be moderated by co-curators Dr. Shana Klein and Marissa Tiroly. Artists Norman Akers, Gregg Deal, and Natani Notah will participate.
MassMu’s free monthly Brown Bag Lunch will feature Dr. John N. Low, Director, Newark Earthworks Center, on Tuesday, April 26, from 12:10 to 12:50 p.m., in Gessner Hall.
Klein will also moderate a discussion with Sundance, Executive Director, Cleveland American Indian Movement, on Thursday, April 28, from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m., also in Gessner Hall. The event is free and open to the public, but registration is required at MassMu.org/Tickets.
The highlight of the NEA Big Read, will be the keynote by An American Sunrise author Joy Harjo at MassMu on Thursday, May 5, at 7:00 p.m. Her presentation is free, but registration is required at MassMu.org/Tickets.
A related exhibition, This Is Home: Recent Painting by Luanne Redeye, can be seen from March 15 through May 14, 2022, at the Kent State University Downtown Gallery in Kent.
An initiative of the National Endowment for the Arts in partnership with Arts Midwest, the NEA Big Read broadens our understanding of our world, our communities, and ourselves through the joy of sharing a good book. This project is funded by the National Endowment for the Arts.
The Massillon Museum receives operating support from the Ohio Arts Council and ArtsinStark, as well as marketing support from Visit Canton. One Tiger and Rotary Club of Massillon have helped fund the 2022 NEA Big Read and the complementary Little Read.
For more information, call 330-833-4061 or visit massillonmuseum.org.
The Massillon Museum is located at 121 Lincoln Way East (Ohio Route 172) in the heart of downtown Massillon. A visit to the Massillon Museum is always free.
