Description of Work

1800s Blackfeet Tipi Dichotomy - 2021 - Maya, After Effects, Substance Painter, Zbrush, Photoshop - Not for Sale

Artist's Statement

1800s Blackfeet Tipi Dichotomy, is a historical, artistic rendition of a 19th century Native American Blackfeet Tipi. The interior of the structure presents a warm and inviting atmosphere where small aspects of a traditional culture present itself in this conical form, frozen in a forgotten time and degraded by outside forces. The exterior shows the culture’s conflict with the modern world and the difficulties that the Native American culture faces. The peaceful interior of the tipi is contrasted by the exterior, which shows a stark dissonance between the traditional culture and the polluted environment that surrounds it.

While they have suffered greatly, Native Americans and their culture have been able to survive and endure centuries of cruelty and greed at the hands of colonizers and businessmen. Their strength and tenacity as a people is commendable, and yet we do not now, nor did we ever give them the attention they deserve. The country that we live in, that we value as a land of the free, was not free. It was stolen from the inhabitants that occupied this land and who valued it for what it originally was. This piece is a dichotomy representing two different time periods that are shown through the respective interior and exterior views. The interior represents a culture before it was mutilated and diminished. The exterior combines the past with some present-day problems such as oil drilling, fracking, and pollution.

The goal of this work is to bring to light Native American culture and how it has changed due to the greed of the oil industry and the government. Many Native American cultures are racked with poverty and poor health, and it was the direct actions of the United States that caused these situations to arise. The Blackfeet Nation in Montana is just one of hundreds of Native cultures that have been impacted by the government and colonizer mentality over the centuries. Understandably, it can be difficult to be concerned about something that is not directly impacting your life, but that does not mean that we should be ignorant to these situations. This work is designed to bring one culture that our country has drastically changed and marginalized to the viewer's attention.

Artist's Website: https://www.lauryntaylorthomas.com/

If you wish to purchase any of these pieces, please contact the gallery director, Jacqueline Nathan (jnathan@bgsu.edu.)