CCNA 2017: Luzene Hill "Enate" Action
449 views · Published 12 April 2017 · 5:47 · Indexed 8 November 2026
Channel: Portland Art Museum · 2017 · Education
Shapeshifting 6956 goddess figures, cut from cochineal dyed silk and layered in threes, represent the average number of Native American women sexually assaulted each year. Native women are three times more likely to be assaulted than other women in the US. The trio clusters, resembling feathers, attach to the cloak in a metaphorical mantle of empowerment and protection. Luzene Hill’s work included in this exhibition focuses on issues of violence against Native women, female empowerment, and native sovereignty—topics that Hill has addressed in her past work. Through a series of new works, she is merging her interest in the history and materiality of cochineal dye with the epidemic of sexual violence against Native women. Cochineal dye is a natural red dye developed from the carminic acid that is produced by a specific type of adult female insect in order to protect itself from predators. The dye has beenused in Central America for coloring fabrics yet was taken from and hoarded by the Spanish from the Mixtecs and others. Her large-scale hanging work of dyed silk and figural forms will also connect with the number 6956, which is the average number of Native women who report being sexually assaulted each year (and it’s important to note that only about 16% of sexual assaults are ever reported). portlandartmuseum.org/exhibitions/ccna-connecting-lines/ luzenehill.com Action performed by Luzene Hill Technical Director: Keith Hinze Produced by Portland Art Museum
