Statement for Burlap Series

As an enrolled member of the Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma, where I was born and raised, I have grappled with what it means to be indigenous or an American Indian. This is complicated as I am white passing and have enjoyed the privilege it has given me. However, no matter how far away I go, my heritage finds its way back in. It is rooted deep inside and my feelings are as mixed as I am. Reflection through time has given me perspective on some of the feelings I carry deep inside myself. We lived close to the land; raising animals, hunting, trapping, fishing, growing vegetables, as did my ancestors before me.

I ripped open burlap feed bags for cattle, carried root vegetables to the storm cellar, and lit it (soaked with used motor oil and gasoline) on fire to run through the woods for controlled burns. Burlap is rough, but useful and plentiful where I grew up. It is abrasive, like growing up in “Indian Country” can be.

I am using burlap as a metaphor for the memories I have of my youth. The natural fibers remind me of the prairie and the woven blankets and baskets of my tribe. By manipulating the natural material and making an impression, I remove the object and create my own visual narrative. The texture and movement is poetic and allows me to refine the roughness and reminisce with a newly found nostalgia.