We are excited to announce our acquisition of Nicholas Galanin’s Dreaming in English (like our ancestors moved), one of nine monotypes created for our exhibition, Nicholas Galanin: Dreaming in English.
We technically have two pieces on campus from Galanin right now: one temporary, one permanent. Unshadowed Land is a year-long outdoor work meant to transform a soil silhouette of Andrew Jackson into a garden of Catawba corn, recognizing the settler history of the Carolinas while celebrating the resilience of indigenous people. This first piece is meant to grow, to weather, and finally — when no longer visible — to rest within the memory of this healing land.
“Culture is rooted in connection to land; like land, culture cannot be contained [. . .]”
Nicholas Galanin
The second piece Dreaming in English (like our ancestors moved) engages with time in a different way. In a monotype, the face of the ink is ephemeral, but the impression is permanent and can never be replicated. Galanin’s relationship with the medium through his gestural sweeps access muscle memory; the process and imagery are deeply embedded in his cultural traditions. The memory of harvest, of rowing, of ancestral tools, and human connections are breathed into a singular print. In the airy monotype with gold leaf, this continuum of cultural memory takes shape as a delicate but resilient dance.
This acquisition is an invaluable addition to the very limited number of works in our collection by Indigenous artists, a Gallery Purchase made possible by Joan Huntley Art Acquisition Fund.
