BMoCA’s Fall 2016 Present Box, Home: Contemporary Indigenous Artists Responding, is a two-week exhibition of contemporary Native American prints organized by Navajo artist Melanie Yazzie and presented in BMoCA’s entrance lounge. For the exhibition, Yazzie invited eleven other Indigenous artists to respond to their idea of “home” through a print exchange. Each artist was asked to make a print measuring 15 × 19 inches or 19 × 15 inches. Together, the 12 prints illuminate the diversity of personal definitions of “home,” and address the theme on many levels. The Indigenous artists gathered in this exhibition demonstrate a Native relationship to home and homeland, enmeshed in a history of defense, sacrifice, resiliency, and redefinition. Yazzie also invited Kevin Slivka, a non-native Indigenous Studies scholar, to contribute an essay about the project as well as a print.

The exhibition is part of Celebration! A History of the Visual Arts in Boulder (HOVAB), a community-wide cultural event that revisits the city of Boulder’s dynamic and diverse visual arts past through a series of exhibitions, film screenings, discussions, and more. Spanning 121 years of history, HOVAB will feature work by over 300 artists presented in venues across Boulder and Longmont from September 29, 2016 through January 15, 2017. Visit hovabcelebrations.org to learn more.

Home: Contemporary Indigenous Artists Responding will travel to Sojourner Truth Library at The State University of New York (SUNY) at New Paltz where it will be on view from December 4 – January 22, 2017.

Exhibition-related Events
get dirty: Printmaking with Melanie Yazzie
Thursday, November 10
6:30–8:00pm
$20 / $15 members
Melanie Yazzie leads a beginner’s printmaking instruction hour surrounded by Home: Contemporary Indigenous Artists Responding, BMoCA Present Box exhibition of contemporary Native American prints curated by the artist. No previous experience necessary, no tools required. Apron or old clothes recommended.

Present Box Reception
Wednesday, November 16
5:00–7:00pm
free and open to the public

Present Box is a series of temporary exhibitions that invite artists to transform BMoCA’s lobby and front entrance into innovative installations, performances, and events that last two weeks. Presented three times a year, the site-specific projects are intended to encourage artists to create work outside their comfort zone and to foster interactive participation. The exhibitions encourage experimentation and urge artists to test ideas and explore different approaches. Present Box exhibitions are always free and open to the public.

Sponsors: Lovedy Barbatelli, Ann Bateson & Frank Everts, Joan & Steven Markowitz, Gabrielle & Brad Schuller, Michael & Carlyn Smith