Cultural Identity In Art

The Linfield Gallery is currently hosting an exhibit titled, “Alterations” by Wendy Red Star and Kaj-anne Pepper. The work of these two artists demonstrates the many ways in which cultural identity is expressed and perceived through a mixture of costumes, rituals, and traditions. The costumes, created by Wendy Red Star, mimicked those of traditional Crow dance outfits for males, which are now viewed as a form of women’s fashion. This exhibit is the first time that Red Star and Pepper have displayed their work collaboratively, and I feel that there is a strong connection between these two artists. They both illuminate different aspects of cultural identity and individuality through unique forms of creativity and entertainment. Wendy Red

Drips of blue paint were found leading from the circle of paint to the location of where this costume was hung. I really enjoy how the party hat, gloves, tights, and shoes were all integrated into this display, as well. The fact that all of Pepper’s clothing accessories were covered in paint and randomly tossed on the floor allowed it to be more interesting. If everything were to be symmetrically laid out, it would not have been as mysterious or fascinating. This aspect relates to the “AMUSE” acronym because the way in which the paint-coated items were dispersed added a bit of mystery to this exhibit, therefore leaving audience members open to interpretation. While watching the recording, I noticed that Pepper’s black and white dress look as though it were on backwards. In my opinion, the strings on a dress like this would tie in the back. After further thought, I predicted that Pepper wore it the way s/he did in order to remove it and hang it up without assistance after the

As I have already mentioned, she tended to fixate on the same color scheme. Also, Red Star incorporated feathers, tassels, or fringes into each and every dress. The use of these materials, especially the feathers, could have been influenced from her time spend on the Crow reservation. I enjoyed these additions to the dresses because it provided them with texture and allowed for movement. A few of Red Star’s dress designs were a bit complex. One of them was red, black, and white, included three different patterns, and incorporated fringes. Another dress that stood out to me was red blue and white. The red and white sections on the back had a feathery texture. The top of this dress was silky blue and included bells. The entire front was covered in fringes and was significantly shorter than the back of the dress. There is a strong cultural aspect in the dresses designed by Red Star, which was influenced by her own cultural experiences and traditions. Red Star has a special talent, which gives her the ability to make all of these different textures and patterns collaborate with each