Kanzaa She Said in the Name of Her Star, Chris Pappan

Exhibition Label: "Passages: Persistent Visions of a Native Place," Sep-2011, Nancy Mahaney I wanted to also give some of these pieces a contemporary context. One day while watching the classic movie The Wizard of Oz, I was stuck by a line in the movie: “…and Kansas, she said, is the name of her star…” Being of the people for whom the state was named gives this statement new meaning for me and I wanted to try and share this feeling. Here is a reproduction of an antique map of Eastern Kansas juxtaposed with an image of my daughter and a ghostly figure in the background. It is my belief that my ancestors are still with us and help guide us in ways that we cannot understand until we also reach that “star.”