The Durango Creative District is gathering artists together for its latest exhibit, “Super-Powered Sovereignty: Indigenous Comic Book Art,” which will kick off with an opening reception Friday at the gallery.
It’s “a collaborative exhibition highlighting unique Indigenous stories told through the medium of comic book art,” according to a news release. “This exhibition will feature American Indigenous artists working in the vibrant world of comic book illustration, exploring themes rooted to sovereignty, identity and cultural empowerment through visual storytelling. Original paintings, prints and comic books depicting Indigenous superheroes, protectors and villains will all be on view.”
If you go
WHAT: Durango Creative District presents “Super-Powered Sovereignty: Indigenous Comic Book Art Exhibition.” Andrea Rose Descheenie, guest curator; featuring works by artists Shaun Beyale, Shamus Beyale, Keith Jim, Kayla Shaggy, Rod Velarde and Christian Kee.
WHEN: Opening reception: 5-8 p.m. Friday, exhibit runs to Nov. 28. Gallery hours: noon to 5 p.m. Wednesday to Friday; noon to 8 p.m. First Fridays; and by appointment.
WHERE: Durango Creative District Community Gallery, 1135 Main Ave.
MORE INFORMATION: Visit www.durangocreativedistrict.org.
Participating artists aren’t just from Durango – they include people from New Jersey, Phoenix and the Four Corners. Check out work from: Shaun Beyale, Shamus Beyale, Keith Jim, Kayla Shaggy, Rod Velarde and Durangoan Christian Kee.
According to the release, these artists “have worked with behemoths like Marvel, Scholastic Inc., and have had work in museum exhibitions, video games and film.”
The exhibit’s guest curator Andrea Rose Descheenie, a senior at Fort Lewis College, is a contemporary Indigenous artist and curator from the Navajo Nation of Chinle, Arizona. She is majoring in Communication Design with a Certificate in Museum Management, the release said.
The last time we spoke with FLC graduate Kayla Shaggy, she – and her art – had just been featured on an episode of the Netflix reboot of “Unsolved Mysteries.” Since then, she continues her super-prolific pace of releasing comic series, paintings, zines and whatever else she comes up with.
“I started a new comic series called ‘Death Becomes Her.’ It’s about lesbian vampires, and I’m working on the sixth issue right now, and it’s been very popular and well received,” she said. “I actually completed a successful crowdfund campaign to print issues one through four. I’ve been working on comics and making comics and attending zine fests and comic fests in the Southwest. I just finished doing a conference in Albuquerque where they used my art for their program.”
She said she was asked to participate in the comic book show and thought it would be a great way to get back to town.
She’ll also be at Maria’s Bookshop, 960 Main Ave., from 4 to 6 p.m. Saturday to sign copies of her work, which Maria’s has carried for years.
“(Durango is) where I went to school, and a lot of my friends are still there,” Shaggy said. “I know I have the fanbase there, because Maria’s sells my work, and they’ve been selling my work for years. So it’s kind of like, how does my dad put it? Like stomping grounds, old stomping grounds, plus it’s close to where my parents live. So I would say it’s a little bit of like a homecoming.”
She said she sees the genre of Indigenous comics becoming more and more popular – and there may be a practical side to it.
“I think mostly because it’s accessibility, because I know some craft-based work can be very expensive, or you need a mentor who’s very experienced in it,” Shaggy said. “I think too, (with) the Marvel Cinematic Universe and more and more graphic novels are being adapted. So, I think comics are returning, along with rise of zines, like self-published printed material. People like physical media, so yeah, but I think it’s still a growing thing.”
The exhibit at the Durango Creative District accompanies a citywide Native American Heritage Month Celebration coordinated by Durango School District 9R Title VI Indigenous Liaisons, including community-centered events throughout November that honor the cultures, contributions and living traditions of Indigenous peoples in the Four Corners region, the release said.
And for Shaggy, she said she hopes her art will encourage other people to get their own stories out in the public.
“I want people to be inspired,” she said. “I think the best thing I can hear from people, especially with my series ‘Death Becomes Her,’ is it makes people feel seen. It makes people feel heard, and most of all, it makes them want to draw their own story, whether it’s their story or a story that’s been inside of them and they’re worried about sharing it. But then they see me chugging along, and they’re like, ‘Wow, I want to do that, too.’ You could do that. It’s OK to do that.”
katie@durangoherald.com
