Where We All Live
I was one of 16 local artists to have been awarded opportunities to realize new artwork for the new Omaha Central Library. For my piece Where We All Live, I created a video series displayed on an interactive table in the library’s children’s section.
These four video subjects are chosen to reflect themes commonly found in children’s books. When my own child was young, we spent many hours after school browsing library shelves and reading together. It is from these fond memories that I found these four recurring themes, suggesting that storytelling is a fundamental part of how we navigate and understand the world we share.
In my artwork I’m inspired by mythologies and tales told by my Ute and Navajo ancestors. Many of them use environmental elements such as stars and animals as a conduit for teaching a lesson or telling a meaningful story. I like that many of these narrative methods have been used worldwide over time and are currently seen in many children’s books today. Some examples would be using an animal character to teach a lesson about greed, or seeing a bird shaped cluster of stars in the sky and telling a story about a great mythological creature who keeps balance in nature.
I see this video artwork as a way to create a connection between art and libraries, to foster an interest in reading, and show how my work has been inspired by books, libraries, and tales. For visitors to this video series Where We All Live, the themes seen will hopefully inspire conversation and wonder for kids and parents alike, and is supported by my personal recommended reading collection, along with Omaha Library QR codes, for further investigation.
This project was created without the use of AI software.
Thank you to @coroncoromusic for the audio and programming, Corson Androski for programming, Amplify Arts for their support, the selection committee, Heritage Omaha and The Omaha Public Library.