Aug. 23—TAHLEQUAH — Connection is the theme of Kindra Swafford’s exhibit on the Cherokee Cultural Pathway, and a specific “glitching” process is depicted in several pieces.
The art in Swafford’s exhibition is inspired by connection – to plants, people, community, friends, family and how they are all connected. The exhibition runs until the end of October.
“There’s a great piece called ‘Mosquito Bite’ that embodies this,” Swafford said. “You go and the food chain starts with a mosquito that bites you, then there’s a dragonfly that eats the mosquito, then a kestrel that eats the dragonfly, and then the red-breasted hawk eats the kestrel.”
Swafford’s pieces fit with the Cherokee Nation’s efforts to bring the message of connection and culture to Tahlequah, creating a literal connection between the three museums located close to each other downtown.
Exhibit director Karen Shade-Lanier of Cherokee Nation Businesses said the trail focuses on showcasing Cherokee artistic culture and numerous permanent artworks have been installed there since its opening.
“Almost from the beginning, we have placed temporary artworks on this site,” Shade-Lanier said. “These are reproductions of artworks that are printed on pedestals at a large scale and distributed around the site so that they can get lost in the lush, beautiful landscape, the natural environment, and the walls and the sand.”
These are Cherokee artists who bring their vision to life to tell visitors an artistic and creative story, Shade-Lanier said.
“It also serves a very practical purpose: It allows us to connect our cultural and historical sites in downtown Tahlequah so that visitors who want to see all or just some of these sites have a safe way to explore these places,” Shade-Lanier said.
Swafford just returned from the Santa Fe Indian Market, hosted by the Southwestern Association for Indian Arts in Santa Fe, and sold two of the “glitches.” Several pieces in the exhibit were made using this method.
“I’m known for my overexposure work — like when you put on 3D glasses, you get distortion — so I do that in Photoshop and then paint it with watercolors,” Swafford said. “It took me about three years to master that and get to the point where I could even create a glitch.”
Three pieces that are examples of flawed work are “Bat Mask,” “Fluid” and “Deer Womxn,” Swafford said.
“‘Deer Womxn’ is spelled with an ‘x’ to symbolize inclusivity,” Swafford said. “I’m nonbinary, so having a nonbinary image or representation is very important to me, that’s why I did this.”
The piece also suggests that Deer Woman puts things in order and keeps them in the right order – just as nature does – and that aspect is included in the piece “Deer Womxn,” Swafford says.
“As a kid, art was kind of an escape for me. I was a big athlete, so art was never a priority,” Swafford said. “But I always drew, and my art teacher in middle school really pushed me and got me my first exhibitions.”
Shade-Lanier said Swafford is the third artist to feature on the trail, the first being Traci Rabbit and the second being Roy Boney Jr.
“With Kindra, we wanted to bring in a new artist who has a vision that is creative, beautiful, vibrant, but definitely individual and all his own,” said Shade-Lanier.
Kelly Anquoe, manager of the Tahlequah Creates Art Gallery, found two pieces – “Deer Womxn” and “Uktena Wood Mask” – particularly appealing, and the darker theme was more in keeping with his personal taste.
“A third work – ‘Fluid’ – is also interesting as it incorporates the artist’s interest in nature as well as her own personal anatomy, which retains a primal quality as opposed to external resources,” said Anquoe. “Her use of glitch art is worth mentioning, especially as it is not typically used here.”
Swafford helps new artists get into museums, art exhibitions or galleries and supports them in presenting their work in exhibitions.
Inkslingers is a group Swafford has worked with. The group contacted bars and music venues, hosted art pop-ups, and taught people how to print and calculate their budget. Swafford wants to continue this type of work in a new studio they’ve set up in their home.
“Then it evolved into something that I could share with others and brighten their day as well,” Swafford said. “I was actually going to study biology at Northeastern State University, but then I saw that they had an art program and I said, ‘I’ll take an art class as an elective.’ I switched to fine arts and have been pursuing that program ever since.”
