Edgar Heap of Birds
Introduction
In tribal cultures throughout the world, birds -- frequently eagles -- are recognized as symbols of freedom and communication. Over the past decade, Heap of Birds has traveled widely using his art to connect his Cheyenne/Arapaho culture with the culture of many peoples. For this exhibition, which will travel to South Africa in the fall, Heap of Birds invited three other artists to participate - Goniwe, a South African; Ross-Meeks, a Narragansett/ Wampanoag; and Tall Oak a Mashuntucket/Pequot/Wampanoag. These indigenous artists have joined together to create the metaphorical dialogue expressed between eagles of Southern Africa and North America. Through this visual discourse personal, political, and communal notions are shared, reflecting the way in which art communicates across cultures.
Heap of Birds realized this project between January and February during his Art ConText residency. In addition to the work you see here he taught young people at the Fox Point branch of the Providence Public Library and in an after school program at Chariho High School on the ancestral grounds of the Narragansett tribe.
Exhibition images
