Pictured is the group with their finished artwork. Pictured, back row from left, are Susan Camin, Amanda Smith, Jazmyne Barreca, Emma Packard, Elizabeth Tombs, Victoria Miller and Kristina Smith; in the front row, from left, are Marissa Berthiaume, Morgan Watkins, Alicia Twoey, Janae Conklin and Samantha Caldwell; not pictured, are Kaitlin Kipp, Conner Spicer, Cassidy Bond and Chantel Fineout.
Pictured, is the finished art.
Pictured, is the art class with beadwork artist Karenlyne Hill. From left, are Kristina Smith, Elizabeth Tombs, Emma Packard, Alicia Twoey, Samantha Caldwell, Kaitlyn Kipp, Marissa Berthiaume, Conner Spicer, Jazmyne Barreca, Cassidy Bond, Janae Conklin, Karenlyne Hill (Bead Artist), Susan Camin (Art Teacher), Victoria Miller and Morgan Watkins. Not pictured are Chantel Fineout and Amanda Smith.
Pictured, is Karelyne Hill, Onondaga Nation.
Pictured, Hickory Edwards, Onondaga Nation, shows the Two Row Banner.
Over the past year, Owego Free Academy (OFA) art students in Susan Camin’s sculpture class had the opportunity to learn about Native American art and culture firsthand. Hickory Edwards, a canoe maker and paddler from the Turtle Clan of the Onondaga Nation and Karenlyne Hill, a bead artist from the Snipe Clan, Onondaga Nation, gave presentations about their traditional ways.
The project, “Connecting Cultures: Home of the Indians,” was inspired by recent efforts to “polish the covenant chain” of treaties between the Haudenosaunee Confederacy (People of the Longhouse) and people living in the traditional homelands of theirnations. The Owego-Apalachin school district is located in these homelands. Karen Kucharski, an alumnus of OFA, acted as both teaching artist and project manager.
The resulting student art project is now on permanent display in the school’s side lobby. The 5-foot by 4-foot sculptural relief depicts the Great Tree of Peace standing tall on the back of a turtle, which symbolizes North America. These rest on the Two Row wampum belt, symbolizing peace and friendship forever among people of different cultures. This central image is surrounded by representations of animals and plants of the region. Some of the animals denote Haudenosaunee clans, such as the Wolf, Turtle and Hawk, and ceremonial plants, including the Strawberry, Corn, Beans and Squash.
The Onondaga Nation is one of six indigenous nations of the region that make up the Haudenosaunee Confederacy. The other nations include the Mohawk, Oneida, Cayuga, Seneca and Tuscarora. They made several attempts to keep peace and friendship with early settlers and recorded these agreements in wampum belts, such as the Two Row or “Guswenta.”
The students did a great job bringing together their individual artworks to create the collective piece. Each student designed their own ceramic tile by first carving out a drawing from a mold and pressing clay into it, which was then fired and tinted. They worked together with various other techniques to create the overall piece, using recycled materials that work in harmony with the theme of environmental responsibility. Susan Camin got permission from professional artist, Mark Langan, to incorporate his technique of cardboard layering, which previous classes of had used for abstract compositions. Two of these designs are also on display.
This project was made possible, in part, with public funds administered by The ARTS Council of the Southern Finger Lakes and funded by the New York State Council on the Arts. Funding for materials was a joint effort of the grant and the O-A district.
Karen Kucharski wanted to create the opportunity to bring Native people into the school, which is nicknamed, “Home of the Indians.” The students learned of some traditional musical instruments, dances, the beaded regalia they wear – as in Karenlyne Hill’s beautifully crafted designs, and ways they honor Mother Earth. Susan Camin said the students designed the water waves and beaded disks to represent the two Onondaga speakers who shared their talents and stories with the class.
Students commented about how they would like more people to understand the Haudenosaunee culture. They showed interest in getting together more often so the native people can share their knowledge, such as how to develop peace and friendship between people and how to protect the environment, as Hickory Edwards related in his river journey stories.
Alicia Twoey, one of the art students, commented about the river journeys, “I enjoyed Hickory’s stories and hope that someday I can be a part of something that amazing.” Alicia, and the rest of the 2015 OFA sculpture class, was part of something amazing, and you can see for yourself by viewing the art they created now on display. A dedication is being planned for later this season.
