Despite immense disruption of lifeways and centuries of outside influence, New York State's First Nations are culturally and governmentally distinct, and today remain deeply invested in this designation. While language, values, ceremony, and territory unite and define these communities, the most compelling voice of their expression is that of the artist. The practice and teaching of fine craft traditions and the application of new materials to contemporary concerns speak of distinct identity and inform future generations.

SECTION I:  REMEMBRANCE, REFLECTION, RENEWAL

These visual statements hold history and stories - both treasured and traumatic. In the weave of a splint, the brush of paint against canvas, the stories are remembered, and retold - a practice of physical recordkeeping as ancient and multi-faceted as the people themselves.