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| Artwork
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About the Artist
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Az Carmen is an enrolled member of the Chickasaw Nation of Ada, Oklahoma and is an active artist and community member.
She is currently a Tribal Community Coordinator for a non-profit organization and serves on the Oregon Indian Education Association Board, the OCIPSE board, and fundraises for higher education scholarships for Native students.
Az received her doctorate in 2006 from the University of Oregon and has worked with several non-profit agencies on Organizational Development. Her artwork is contemporary, but draws on a vast history of American Indian artwork and design. Her art includes paintings, sculpture, masks, clothing, and dolls.
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Az created the logos for the Urban Indian Health Institute’s WEAVING Project to combine American Indian ancestry within an urban setting in her artwork.
The Urban Indian Health Institute would like to thank Az Carmen for the wonderful work she has created for the WEAVING Project and the extensive work she is doing for our Native communities.
About the Artwork
The following are notes from the artist about the WEAVING Project Logo and artwork
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“The arch is actually a half circle. When we leave home, whether it is from the Rez or from the embrace of our family, we take with us memories, stories, love, and even sometimes, pain. We always remember how important the circle is in our lives. The arch for me, symbolizes that we are complex, interlinked, and always carrying the memory of what was before.”
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| “The urban feather contains the world that is not always Indian. Not the other way around. It is power in the knowledge of who we were, who we are, and who we will become.” |
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“The dancing woman remembers who she is through her dancing. She is never alone and her gift is in the story that her feet tell.”
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