In the Eye of the Beholder

Shan Goshorn's art is self-evident

(Courtesy of the Artist)

By Enrique Limón

Efimera, tradition and a new take on ancestral rights collide in the skillful hands of Shan Goshorn of the Eastern Band of Cherokee, as the concept-based artist presents her latest body of work, We Hold These Truths.

Featuring contemporary baskets that have been inspired by age-old technique, Goshorn chose paper as her artist's medium. But not just any kind. By reproducing historical documents and weaving them into her pieces, Goshorn's works challenge, defy and bring new light to the significance of treaties, ancestry rolls, land titles and more.

One grouping, "They Were Called Kings" (pictured left) serves as an homage to three Cherokee warriors who traveled to England in 1762 to meet King George. Another basket titled "10 Little indians" depicts 10 Native American children from five different tribes. On its backside, a second picture shows them shortly thereafter donning military uniforms and with shorn hair, thus illustrating their "civilized" reform.

The Oklahoma-based artist continues her poetically transgressive concept with each unique artwork.

The pieces ultimately re-interpret penned history, and set the stage for a dialogue many generations in the making.

WE HOLD THESE TRUTHS

4-6 pm Saturday, May 31

Museum of Contemporary Native Arts,

108 Cathedral Place,

922-4242

Santa Fe Reporter

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