“Stories of Land, Water, and People” is the sixth exhibition to be held at “Uba Seo: Nisenan Arts and Culture” in downtown Nevada City. The gallery and cultural space serves as a powerful focal point to raise the profile and tell the story of the Nisenan people of Nevada City Rancheria. This exhibit is part of the California Heritage: Indigenous Research Project (CHIRP)'s Visibility Through Art (VTA) initiative. Aims to raise public awareness related to social justice and engage the public through the perspective of environment-related issues such as land, water and people by coordinating collaborations between artists and tribal culture bearers. I am. This exhibition is funded in part by the California Council on the Arts, a state agency, through the Upstate California Creative Corps Program, administered by the Nevada County Arts Council.
Visibility Through Art is a community art initiative created annually as part of CHIRP's arts and culture program. Visibility Through Art is an intentional and informed collaboration between a local artist and members of his Nisenan tribe at Nevada City Rancheria. Each project explores a theme or subject matter important to the tribe and culminates in an annual exhibition. Art paves the way for meaningful conversations about topics that can reveal solutions that might not otherwise be visible. The Nisenan people are working to revitalize their culture and traditions after intense colonization and the California Gold Rush. Many traditional ways of life and ecosystems have been completely destroyed by exploitation and modernization. The once intimate, traditional and intuitive connection and understanding of the land has been forever changed. Current revitalization efforts of traditional Nisenan cultures around the globe are a result of racial discrimination, historical and generational trauma caused by genocide, removal from sacred sites, forced assimilation in Indian boarding schools, traditional and religious outlawing cultural practices and banning native languages and cultures. Through creative and artistic means, the Nisenan people collect and reorganize their remaining traditional Indigenous knowledge to process the complex layers of trauma and bring visibility to their stories, history, and culture. and envision a path forward in an ever-changing landscape. .
Uva Seo: Nisenan Arts & Culture is a gallery and cultural space located in downtown Nevada City. This gallery project falls under CHIRP's Arts & Culture Program and is another way to raise the profile of the Nevada City Rancheria Nisenan Tribe while fulfilling CHIRP's mission to preserve, protect and perpetuate Nisenan culture. “Uba Seo is another step toward restoring the tribe’s federal recognition.” Since opening in the spring of 2021, “Uba Seo” has become a platform for awareness, advocacy, healing, and community education. We have created a wealth of opportunities. This unprecedented social space is curated through the perspectives and voices of the Nevada City Rancheria Nisenan Tribe.
This art event was created to encourage conversations in our community about this land and the Nisenan people. It also helps raise the profile of the tribe. “The goal is to create conscientious works of art that encourage dialogue about Nisenan history and culture,” said Shelley Covert, spokesperson for the Rancheria Tribal Council of Nevada City and executive director of CHIRP. said. We were looking for a way to tell our collective story, and this seems to be working. Art is a great platform for having difficult conversations. Collaborating with local artists is not only fun, but also helps us achieve our goals. Our deepest desire is to bring awareness to local history and current issues through the medium of art. The unique pieces created each year through this project form the body of CHIRP's growing art collection.
Who is Nisenan and what is Chirp
The Nisenan are an indigenous people who lived here thousands of years before the California Gold Rush. Despite the destruction of their homelands, broken treaties, and forced assimilation, they remain in their homelands today and strive to reflect their identity in the fabric of their communities. President Woodrow Wilson created the Cement Hill reservation in 1913 and signed an executive order granting the tribe federal recognition. In 1964, the Nevada City Rancheria was one of 44 California Rancherias unfairly “terminated” by the U.S. Congress, and is now one of three California Rancherias awaiting restoration. ing. Until very recently, true and correct knowledge about the Nisenan people and their ancient presence in this land was completely erased from history, and the Nisenan people were almost forgotten. As tribes fight to restore federal recognition and sovereignty, the need for visibility is beginning to turn the tide of historical amnesia. Until recently, most of that education and change had to be borne by the tribes themselves. Therefore, the California Heritage: Indigenous Peoples Research Project, also known as CHIRP, was established to assist tribes in areas such as federal recognition, education, the arts, cultural resource protection, land development, community education and communications, media, and fundraising. I did. CHIRP's mission is to serve the needs of the Nisenan Tribe, to guide and inform relationships with Native American communities, and to stabilize Nisenan culture and communities, while educating and connecting the general public through philanthropic purposes. It is to let. CHIRP's 501 ©(3) status provides opportunities not available to Nevada City Rancheria, a terminated tribe.
- Show directed by Shelley Covert and Mila Clark
- Exhibition period: March 16, 2024 to March 2025
- Opening Art Reception: March 16th from 6:00pm to 9:30pm
- (7-8:30 p.m., Shelley Covert Opening & Artist Speaker)
- “Uba Theo: Nisenan Art & Culture,” 225 Broad Street, Nevada City CA, 95959
- Regular gallery hours: Thursdays and Sundays 12:00pm to 6:00pm | Fridays and Saturdays 11:00am to 6:00pm