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Territorial Dispatch

YSAC Presents Indigenous Student Artist Gallery Exhibit

Oct 23, 2024 12:24PM ● By Yuba Sutter Arts & Culture News Release
This gathering of young artists provides a glimpse into tribal landscapes of the region. Photo courtesy of Yuba Sutter Arts & Culture [7 Images] Click Any Image To Expand

MARYSVILLE, CA (MPG) - Yuba Sutter Arts & Culture is presenting the annual gallery exhibition and artist reception featuring artwork by a group of remarkable young Native American artists. The works on display embody the gifts of the land and the artists’ transformative labor. This gathering of young emerging artists provides a glimpse into the tribal landscapes of the region and the active connections that have been maintained for millennia.

The exhibition is being held in the Gallery at Yuba Sutter Arts & Culture, 624 E St. in Marysville. On Friday, Nov. 8 from 5 to 7 p.m., Yuba Sutter Arts & Culture will host a free “Meet the Student Artists” reception. Free refreshments will be provided and will feature appetizers based on traditional native American food traditions.

The American Indian Education Program, under the direction of Pat Bennett, is part of the Marysville Joint Unified School District. With more than 40 different tribes represented, the program serves approximately 1,000 American Indian students in the Yuba-Sutter area. Most students are of Cherokee, Choctaw, or Maidu descent. The program provides tutoring, craft classes, field trips, a variety of hands-on experiences and classroom presentations.

The American Indian Education Program of Marysville’s goal is to provide students with the opportunity to become engaged in the educational process by helping them to master basic skills, become knowledgeable about their cultural heritage, and strengthen their ability to make good choices for their future. The program achieves these goals by offering academic assistance, promoting cultural enrichment activities, and providing students with opportunities to develop good decision-making skills.

The student’s artwork represents generations of “traditional ecological knowledge” or TEK. These young artists work in cultural mediums that share a commitment to the TEK practices going back thousands of years. TEK forms the basis of seasonal practices that affirm the intergenerational relationships of the animals, the plants and the people.             

Plenty of free parking is available on the streets adjacent to the gallery and theater and at the Umpqua Bank and Bank of America parking lots directly across the street.