"Cheyenne Visions II connects the lives of past
artists––the makers of Cheyenne objects––with
the contemporary lives of Cheyenne people and artists of today.
By traveling to communities throughout Cheyenne country, the exhibition
provides an opportunity for Cheyenne people and the general public to
interact with Cheyenne objects on a more personal level. I would like
to thank photographer Bill O'Connor and curator Nancy Blomberg, both
of the Denver Art Museum, for helping me express the importance and
beauty of the Cheyenne objects in the exhibition.
The
Cheyenne Visions II website offers opportunities to interact
with the objects in the Cheyenne Visions II exhibition and establish links
with the Cheyenne people. I hope the site will inspire visitors to share
their own stories and interpretations of Cheyenne objects.
I would like to thank linguist Lenora Hart Holliman and language instructor
Joyce Twins for the Cheyenne translations on this website."
––Gordon Yellowman, Cheyenne chief and
curator of Cheyenne Visions II
"In reflecting back on this project, it struck me that it is a
living, growing entity—like a tree that we have been cultivating
since Gordon Yellowman and the late William Fletcher first visited the
Denver Art Museum in 1995 to survey our Cheyenne collections and discuss
projects of mutual interest.
Over the years we have kept in close and continual contact, and the
seed sprouted through the fertilization of our rich discussions. The
seedling grew taller and stronger through conversations about how to
overcome the separation between Indian Country and museums. And it began
to branch out and bud as we began to work together on the Cheyenne Visions
II exhibition and website, which tell the story of the Cheyenne people
and their history through the artworks in the museum’s collection.
It is my hope that we will all continue to nourish this tree, and that
it will bear fruit for all the generations who follow us."
––Nancy Blomberg, curator of native
arts, Denver Art Museum
