How We Rebuild Our World

How We Rebuild Our World, by Paige Pettibon, Stonington Gallery website

How We Rebuild Our World, by Paige Pettibon, Stonington Gallery website

Name/Title

How We Rebuild Our World

Entry/Object ID

2023.1.35

Description

Watercolor and gouache painting, with gold leaf on handmade paper, portrait of a Tlingit woman, Stephanie Masterman, depicted wearing a woven headband, red coat with fur collar, in front of cedar fronds, with a mirrored image of muskrats above.

Artwork Details

Medium

Watercolor

Made/Created

Artist Information

Artist

Paige Pettibon

Role

Painter

Date made

2021

Dimensions

Height

17-1/4 in

Width

14 in

Copyright

Copyright Holder

Paige Pettibon

Interpretative Labels

Label

This portrait is of Stephanie Masterman (Tlingit). She is a culture keeper, and an advocate for social issues impacting Native communities. The cedar boughs are medicine across Native cultures. The reflective foil implies introspection of processing tragedy, then we ask ourselves, how will we rebuild our world.?

Label

“One of my favorite stories is how muskrat helped rebuild the land after a great flood. The flood swept the land away making it hard to live. Muskrat dove down to the bottom of the water bring dirt up with him. Slowly, with the dirt muskrat brought up we were able to make the land well for everyone. For me this story is about coming together to rebuild after tragedy. This portrait is of Stephanie Masterman (Tlingit). She is a culture keeper, and an advocate for social issues impacting Native communities. Her kind and warm nature is a key reason why she is a strong leader and able to bring people together. The cedar boughs are important medicine across Native American cultures. The aluminum foil has reflective qualities representing the introspection of how we have processed tragedy, then we ask ourselves, how will we rebuild our world?” -Paige Pettibon