Entre Nosotros Senior BFA Exhibit

My Senior Year

In December 2021, I participated in a group senior show with fellow classmates. This was my first gallery showing after a 3 year break. It feels good to resume progress on my Bachelor’s degree. I displayed 4 paintings from my ongoing series Only Free Men Ride Horses.

Only Free Men Ride Horses.

Who is legitimate? What is true? What is believable? My art represents the shift from myth to reality-- from fiction to fact. Fiction, anti-black racism, and colorism shape much of how people perceive history, family, and ancestry. Tonto and the Lone Ranger are commonly accepted yet completely unbelievable and historically inaccurate characters. They represent the obstacles Afro-Indigenous people faced. John Horse and Kowacochee (Wild Cat) were Indigenous leaders during the Second Seminole War (1835-1855). They escaped from the top military prison of their time, and no one knows how. This is one of many examples of how Afro-Indigenous people have survived and outsmarted colonial empires. The Seminoles are both African and American Indian and are one of many Indigenous nations that accepted African refugees. The United States government refused to recognize anyone with African ancestry as a free U.S. citizen or a Native American with full tribal rights. The rules of racism contradict themselves--Indians are white when it’s time to collect money, but moreno, prieto, negro, dark when it’s time to die. 

The reality is we’re still here. John Horse was a respected, wealthy warrior, translator, and diplomat. After several negotiations with the U.S. government fell through, Horse secured himself a steady job working as border patrol for the Mexican government and a land grant. He outsmarted the Texas Rangers and moved his people to Mexico. Many descendants of John Horse and Kowacochee live in Coahuila and South Texas. Patriotism and borders mean little to Indigenous people who value freedom and family.