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#Indigenous culture
#installation
#Jeffrey Gibson
#sculpture

Left: “The Enforcer” (2024). Right: “WE WANT TO BE FREE”(2024). Mural: “WE ARE MADE BY HISTORY” (2024). All photos by Timothy Schenck, shared with permission

Written in blocky, bright typography, “We hold these truths to be self-evident” wraps the top of the neoclassical facade of the U.S. Pavilion at the 60th Venice Biennale. The opening lines from the Declaration of Independence greet visitors to the groundbreaking exhibition the space in which to place me by artist Jeffrey Gibson, the first Indigenous artist to represent the U.S. with a solo exhibition.

A member of the Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians and Cherokee descent, Gibson has established a distinct visual language that incorporates psychedelic color palettes, text, graphic forms, and various materials with references to Indigenous life, queer culture, literature, music, and more.

In Venice, the artist invokes Layli Long Soldier’s “Ȟe Sápa, One,” a poem with a distinct geometric shape not unlike the ones he creates visually. As curator Kathleen Ash-Milby says, the work “extends the timeline of Indigenous histories. Jeffrey combines ancient aesthetic and material modalities with early 19th- and 20th-century Native practices to propose an Indigenous future of our own determination.”

Exterior view of ‘the space in which to place me’ (2024)

In Gibson’s practice and this project, language plays a critical role. Additional phrases appear throughout the exhibition, including on the bodies of two new monumental figures dressed in beads, fringe, and tin jingles. Titled “The Enforcer” and “WE WANT TO BE FREE,” the sculptures loom large and include lines from Reconstruction-era constitutional amendments along with the Indian Citizenship Act of 1924,  a long-overdue law granting basic rights to Indigenous people.

In another gallery are Gibson’s beaded birds, which draw on the Indigenous craft tradition of whimsies. A recurring interest for the artist, the objects “fell into a category of being kitsch novelty because they weren’t seen as being Native enough or Victorian enough for the times they were being made in,” he said. Beaded motifs also appear on a punching bag and a new trio of busts with long hair cloaking the faces, the latter of which is “intentionally indeterminate” in culture and aesthetics.

Birds from left to right: “we are the witnesses” (2024) and “if there is no struggle there is no progress” (2024). Wall works from left to right: “BIRDS FLYING HIGH YOU KNOW HOW I FEEL” (2024) and “IF YOU WANT TO LIFT YOURSELF UP LIFT UP SOMEONE ELSE” (2024)

Large-scale murals and paintings line the walls of each gallery, enveloping the sculptures and viewers in electrifying patchwork. As detailed in a lengthy profile in The New York Times, color plays a crucial role for the artist and his links to Native and queer traditions. “We’ve been dismissed as garish and too much because of our use of color,” he said. Instead, he uses such kaleidoscopic compositions to shift the perspective and offer a different view of past and present. With the pavilion, he “wanted to map out some moments in American history when there is this real promise of equality, liberty, and justice and then think about what those terms mean.”

the space in which to place me will be on view in Venice from April 20 to November 24. It’s worth picking up a copy of An Indigenous Present, Gibson’s critically acclaimed survey of Native North American art, to learn more about his thinking and work.

“WE HOLD THESE TRUTHS TO BE SELF-EVIDENT” (2024)

From left to right: “THE RETURNED MALE STUDENT FAR TOO FREQUENTLY GOES BACK TO THE RESERVATION AND FALLS INTO THE OLD CUSTOM OF LETTING HIS HAIR GROW LONG” (2024), “I’M A NATURAL MAN (2024), “LIBERTY WHEN IT BEGINS TO TAKE ROOT IS A PLANT OF RAPID GROWTH” (2024)

Exterior view of ‘the space in which to place me’ (2024)

Detail of “WE HOLD THESE TRUTHS TO BE SELF-EVIDENT” (2024)

Wall works from left to right: “BIRDS FLYING HIGH YOU KNOW HOW I FEEL” (2024), “IF YOU WANT TO LIFT YOURSELF UP LIFT UP SOMEONE ELSE” (2024), “GIVE MY LIFE SOMETHING EXTRA” (2024), “THE RIGHT OF THE PEOPLE PEACEABLY TO ASSEMBLE” (2024). Bird: “we are the witnesses” (2024)

Exterior view of ‘the space in which to place me’ (2024)

#Indigenous culture
#installation
#Jeffrey Gibson
#sculpture

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An unusual Volkswagen Beetle model featured a body made entirely of white wrought iron, complete with black vinyl upholstery and all its original gear from 1969.

Rafael Esparza-Prieto, raised in a family of blacksmiths in Mexico, earned his nickname “Blackie” from years working in the forge. At a local auto parts store in Zacatecas, he crafted a wrought iron Beetle to serve as a store sign. This led to a commission from Volkswagen for promotional use at the 1968 Mexico City Olympics. His creations, known as “Wedding Beetles,” became popular at VW dealerships globally. After moving to California, Esparza-Prieto added two more to the total of approximately 23 existing Wedding Beetles. His unique design has inspired others to create similar versions.

h/t: vintag.es

This is it. The 2024 NFL Draft is this week. With only a couple of days left before the mocks stop and the real thing commences, we take a look at the Dallas Cowboys situation to try and figure out what the team may try and do when they are finally on the clock.

Dallas Cowboys Mock Draft 2024

For this exercise, we used the Pro Football Network Mock Draft Simulator

24) Graham Barton, OL, Duke

Photo by David Jensen/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images

Graham Barton falling to the Cowboys in Round 1 would be a dream come true for a lot of those around the team. The former Duke Blue Devils’ LT has position flexibility, with a lot of people believing he will transition to C in the NFL. However, some believe he can stay out at tackle as well as play guard, setting up Barton to be one of the truly unique prospects of this class.

56) Jonathon Brooks, RB, Texas

Photo by Chris Leduc/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images

There may be too much writing on the wall here to ignore, and this mock draft isn’t about what I would do, but more of an exercise trying to demonstrate what the team might do. ESPN NFL insider Adam Schefter alluded to the fact that many around the league feel that the Cowboys passing on Brooks here at pick 56 would be a surprise, so we’ll believe him.

He is a super-talented RB who can be the best in this class, but is coming off an ACL tear which always gives you pause. The Cowboys will ultimately feel comfortable with the evaluation as it was their team doctor who did the surgery and will pull the trigger here to keep him in-state.

87) Ricky Pearsall, WR, Florida

Photo by Jonathan Bachman/Getty Images

The Cowboys have Ceedee Lamb for now and into the future, and with Brandin Cooks only having one year left on his deal, this may be the time to bring in a guy who can be a dynamic complement to Lamb for now and for years to come. Ricky Pearsall can be that guy. He is an exciting prospect who honestly has a chance to go much earlier than this.

If still on the board, despite other needs, this provides an offensive spark plug for the Cowboys to add and this would be an excellent selection in the third round.

174) Marist Liufau, LB, Notre Dame

Photo by Brandon Sloter/Image Of Sport/Getty Images

The Cowboys will be looking for linebacker help and while they do not get it early in this mock draft, they still get a Senior Bowl guy on Day 3 to feel good about. The former Notre Dame linebacker is an intriguing prospect with lots of good things put on tape.

Get him into Mike Zimmer’s system with Erick Kendricks and Damone Clark around him and he may be able to develop into a quality second-level player in the Cowboys’ defense.

216) Jowon Briggs, DT, Cincinnati

Photo by Ian Johnson/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images

The Cowboys love investing in defensive line help and Briggs comes in and adds another moldable piece to the mix. The Bearcats DT comes to Dallas following a solid outing at the Shrine Bowl in which he had some impressive work in front of the Cowboys contingent.

They got a good look at him, and with his body of work and traits, the Cowboys add an intriguing defensive piece to the mix.

233) Sundiata Anderson, EDGE, Grambling State

Photo by Rich Graessle/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images

High ceilings and moldable traits are what the late rounds are all about, and Grambling State’s Sundiata Anderson is exactly that. A freakish EDGE rusher who looks every bit the part of a big-time pass rusher.

The Cowboys draft him with the hopes they can get him in the building and mold a pass rusher out of untapped potential, a true Will McClay special.

244) Anim Dankwah, OT, Howard

David Banks-USA TODAY Sports

We talked about freakish traits and Dankwah is every bit of that. The Howard University OT is 6’7” 353 lbs, and has over 35” arms. He is a massive human being that teams will love to take a late-round flyer on. The Cowboys will look for tackle help early, and while the board doesn’t fall for them that way here, adding a late Day 3 prospect that has a ton of moldable traits is at least a solid consolation prize.