Rose Powhatan (born 1948) is an American mixed-media artist, author, and activist.[1] Powhatan is an inaugural member of the Culture Caucus at the Lincoln Center.[3] She is a Cafritz Foundation and Fulbright Scholar member.[1] Powhatan attended Howard University and the University of London.
Rose Powhatan | |
|---|---|
| Born | Rose Jessup |
| Nationality | American |
| Education | Catholic University, Georgetown University, and Trinity University, University of London[1] |
| Alma mater | Howard University (BFA, MA)[1] |
| Known for | founding the Pamunkey Museum[2] |
| Spouse | Michael Auld[1] |
| Mother | Georgia Mills Jessup[1] |
| Awards | Cafritz Foundation fellow, Fulbright Scholar fellow[1] |
Background and family
editPowhatan was born in Washington, D.C.[4] Her mother is artists Georgia Mills Jessup.[5] Rose Powhatan married Michael Auld, and their son is Kiros Auld.[5]
She has stated, "I am an Indigenous female elder descended from the Pamunkey and the Tauxenent (Dogue) tribes.[6] Gary Gray, former chief of the Pamunkey Indian Tribe states that their chief in the 1980s "handed out 'paper cards' to [Kiros] Auld's mother and grandmother" and, "We spent several years using exact criteria, and they didn't meet it. Kiros's family know they are not enrolled citizens of the tribe.'"[7]
Her extended family includes 29 art practitioners.[1]
Education
editPowhatan attended Howard University in Washington D.C., where she studied studio arts, art history, and education. She completed her graduate studies at the University of London.[4]
Museum
editPowhatan and her husband, Michael Auld, cofounded the Powhatan Museum,[2] in Washington, DC, 2000.[8] Their website and collection provide information on the first European encounters in the Americas; the Powhatan Confederacy of the Virginia Territory and the Indigenous Peoples of the Caribbean, the Taino and Kalinago (Island Carib).[9] The Powhatan Museum should not be confused with the Pamunkey Indian Museum and Cultural Center, a tribal museum in King William, Virginia.[10]
Artworks
editPowhatan's artwork calls for respect for Indigenous cultures. She researches traditional Eastern Woodlands Indigenous designs for her artwork.[3]
"Soweto/So-We-Too" is a silk-screen print that expresses the connection of Native and other oppressed people.[3] Palestinians, Native Americans, and South Africans are represented by cultural symbols that are related to traditional housing.[3] The colors in the print symbolize the four sacred Native American colors, directions, and races of humanity.[3]
"Fire Woman Warrior" is a sculpture of Keziah Powhatan.[11]
"Pocahontas Unmasked" is a print of a distant maternal cousin.[12] This print is Powhatan's interpretation of an unmasked English version of Pocahontas.[5] It is based off of John White's watercolors based on the Amerindian phenotype from 1585.[13]
Exhibitions
editSolo exhibitions
edit- "Age-Old Tribe's Dream Painter," Fondo Del Sol, Washington D.C, December 19, 1990-January 26, 1991.
- "Culture Caucus Summer Festival: Rose Powhatan," The Reach at The Kennedy Center, Washington, D.C., September 2-3, 2022.
- "Wingapo! Welcome to the Native American Dance Circle," The Kennedy Center, Washington D.C., July 8-July 10, 2021.
Group exhibitions
edit- "Totems to Powhatan," Vienna, Virginia, metro station, 1988.[3]
- "'SUBMULOC': REVERSING THE TIDE," Fondo Del Sol, Washington, D.C., June 26, 1992-July 11, 1992.
- "The Land Carries Our Ancestors: Contemporary Art by Native Americans," National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C., October 4, 2023-January 15, 2024.
- Visual Power: 21st Century Native American Artists/Intellectuals, 2005, traveling exhibition, curated by Phoebe Farris
Film
editPowhatan appeared as an extra in the 2005 historical film The New World.[14]
Publications
editBooks
edit- The Things I Prefer to Be Forgotten (by Alexei Auld, illustrated by Powhatan) (2014)
- Tonto Canto Pocahontas (by Alexei Auld, illustrated by Powhatan) (2013)
Articles
edit- My American Liberty Story: Rose A. Powhatan
- Opinion | D.C. Once Had an Indigenous Queen, Cockacoeske, the Queen of Pamunkey. Remember Her Story.
External links
editReferences
edit- ^ a b c d e f g h "Rose Powhatan | Kennedy Center". The Kennedy Center. Retrieved 2024-03-31.
- ^ a b "Woolly Mammoth to host free evening of work by Native artists". DC Theater Arts. 2023-01-12. Retrieved 2024-03-31.
- ^ a b c d e f Farris, Phoebe (2005). "Contemporary Native American Women Artists: Visual Expressions of Feminism, the Environment, and Identity". Feminist Studies. 31 (1): 95–109. doi:10.2307/20459008. hdl:2027/spo.0499697.0031.105. ISSN 0046-3663.
- ^ a b "Indigenous Story-Teller Rose Pwohatan a Feature during Kidz Harvest Fest Friday Oct. 30". Indian Village 2023. Retrieved 2024-03-31.
- ^ a b c Auld, Michael (2021-09-15). "Telling D.C.'s Story: Who are the Indigenous Washingtonians? | Cultural Survival". www.culturalsurvival.org. Retrieved 2024-05-12.
- ^ Powhatan, Rose (2021-03-26). "Opinion | D.C. once had an Indigenous queen, Cockacoeske, the Queen of Pamunkey. Remember her story". Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved 2024-05-05.
- ^ Vincent, Isabel. "Activist who claims ties to Pocahontas is not part of her tribe, according to former chief". MSN. p. 11 December 2024. Retrieved 12 December 2024.
- ^ "Powhatan Museum". AllBiz. Retrieved 12 December 2024.
- ^ "Telling D.C.'s Story: Who are the Indigenous Washingtonians? | Cultural Survival". www.culturalsurvival.org. 2021-09-15. Retrieved 2024-05-12.
- ^ "Museum & Cultural Center". Pamunkey Indian Tribe. Retrieved 12 December 2024.
- ^ "Keziah Arroyah "Fire Woman Warrior" and Mr. Bryant, is this junky genealogy?". 2016-04-07. Retrieved 2024-05-12.
- ^ Auld, Michael. "WASHINGTON DC's ONLY REAL ROYALS?". yamaye-mike.blogspot.com. Retrieved 2024-05-12.
- ^ Auld, Michael. "WASHINGTON DC's ONLY REAL ROYALS?". yamaye-mike.blogspot.com. Retrieved 2024-05-12.
- ^ Auld, Michael. "WASHINGTON DC's ONLY REAL ROYALS?". yamaye-mike.blogspot.com. Retrieved 2024-05-12.