Myaamia Ribbonwork Exhibition open through June 13, 2020
“Myaamia Ribbonwork” provides a historical context and background to the contemporary revival of ribbonwork among the Miami people. Myaamia ribbonwork is an artform based on the layering, cutting, folding and sewing of ribbons to produce beautiful and complex geometric designs. Since time immemorial, Myaamia ‘Miami Indian’ people have decorated their clothes and bodies using variations on these geometric patterns that are reflective of community traditions, stories and beliefs. It is these geometric patterns that make Myaamia ribbonwork unique from the ribbonwork that is created by other tribal groups.
Myaamia Ribbonwork is a community-curated exhibition developed in collaboration with the Miami Tribe of Oklahoma. Tribal representatives include George Ironstrack and Kara Strass, both staff at the Myaamia Center, Miami University; Julie Olds, Cultural Resources Officer, Miami Tribe of Oklahoma; and Scott Shoemaker, Thomas G. & Susan C. Hoback Curator of Native American Art, History & Culture, The Eiteljorg Museum of American Indians and Western Art, Indianapolis, Indiana, who served as a consultant to the project.
The exhibition corresponds with the 20th anniversary of the establishment of the Myaamia Project and is in conjunction with the 2020 Myaamiaki Conference at Miami University.