Diversity of American Indian art showcased at Epcot exhibit
of the Epcot exhibit, a dress by designer Loren Aragon was inspired by patterns on a 1900s jar.
“You get a chance to see the relationship between the palette and the color of some of the traditional art and how it plays out in a contemporary way,” Smith said. “You see that side-byside in many of the cases. … You’ve got this great portfolio of work in the exhibition.”
In the same showcase as Aragon’s fashion is an Apache-inspired skateboard, created this year by Douglas Miles Sr. of San Carlos, Ariz. Some items have a traditional sensibility but were made in recent times. For example, baskets woven to look like corn cobs — seen in the Eastern Woodlands case — were made around 2010 by Jennie Brown of Shelbyville, Mich.
The oldest piece in the exhibit is a 1890s Chilkat blanket from Alaska. It’s made of wool, cedar bark and dye.
Also noteworthy: Elaborately beaded Sioux dolls from the 1990s, sailboat models from Hawaii, purses and pouches from the Arctic, a Choctaw bracelet that has a certain (but coincidental) MagicBand vibe.
The exhibit also includes stations that can present the image and voice of some of the artists. Piped-in music, performed by American Indian musicians, supports the objects and regions represented, Disney says. Jumping out on the playlist, posted on a wall, was Robbie Robertson, who’s of Mohawk descent. (Hat tip to my Shazam app for recognizing “Kawaipunahele” by Keali’I Reichel.)
The exhibit, which replaced “Re-Discovering America: Family Treasures From the Kinsey Collection,” is expect to remain for about five years. The gallery is included in regular Epcot admission.
“We’ll be changing out pieces so that it will be refreshed on a fairly regular basis,” Smith said. “There are so much art in the community. We want to basically showcase as much as we can over the next five years.”