Student Art Show

A student art exhibit displayed in the art gallery on campus celebrates and reflects Native American Activist Clyde Warrior.

From May 7 to May 16, the students of Cypress College were able to express their creativity as a part of the Student Art Exhibition in the art gallery on campus. With dozens of eye catching and bold pieces, it is easy to get lost in the art of the gallery. As the 2019 Spring semester comes to an end, it is the perfect time to celebrate Chargers various artistic views, talents and styles.

The student art exhibit celebrates Clyde Warrior, a Native American activist and leader, orator and one of the founders of the National Indian Youth Council. The art gallery is set up in three different sections providing an overview of Warrior’s life, starting from his birth in Ponca City, Oklahoma, and his upbringing in White Eagle to his rise of work in activism. This section of the exhibit, located to the left, reflects on Warrior’s life and includes artwork to amplify the meaning of his observation that, “My life was my tribe.”

This thought made by Warrior was not only to the Ponca people and Native people but to all people. A bold, ceramic sculpture that reflected this thought was made by Emily Casares called “Untitled”. The sculpture on the wooden panel has ceramic made heads of a girl who all seem to be the same, however have different characteristics to them. One has crazy eyes with the teeth of a saber-tooth, while one is painted green and looks dead while another has daisies for eyes. The piece reflects Warrior’s statement of “My life was my tribe” because although all the heads are different and may be brought together by chaos, they are still in sync.

The right of the exhibit has pieces organized around Warrior’s powerful admonition that “If you don’t speak, no one will listen”. This statement, along with the art attached, pulls the audience into the ideas, values and spirit that made Warrior’s activism come to life. In the center of this section, there is a tree branch hanging from the ceiling as if it is floating in mid air. This piece of art reminded me of the idea in which a tree falling in the woods may be silent if no one hears it. This idea is philosophical thought experiment which raises questions regarding observation and perception. In an activist stand point, one must speak and make a noise for others to observe views.

The final component of the gallery is located in the center at the entrance. These pieces reflect “Gone but never forgotten”, on behalf of Warrior’s activist spirit that will live on forever. Karen Castellon created an enormously tall piece called “Time Zone” where wooden panels are covered in bright green vines and clocks are hanging from the vines. It seems as if these clocks have been in the same place forever, which is why vines are overwhelming them but the clocks will stay for eternity.

All of the pieces in the gallery reflect Warrior’s famous views of “My life was my tribe”, “If you don’t speak, no one will listen”, and “Gone but never forgotten”. Warrior’s values are used today and people will learn from his activism work forever.