Protecting Unity with Hope, Roberta Iyua

Artwork Overview

Roberta Iyua, Protecting Unity with Hope
Roberta Iyua, Protecting Unity with Hope
Roberta Iyua
Protecting Unity with Hope
2020
Roberta Iyua
Cultural affiliations: Navajo
Protecting Unity with Hope, 2020
Material/technique: seed beads; Pellon; polyester; cotton; buckskin
Credit line: Collection Nerman Museum of Contemporary Art, Johnson County Community College, Overland Park, Kansas
Accession number: EL2024.020
Not on display
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Label texts

Native Fashion
Covid-19 disproportionately affected Natives due to structural inequalities like access to healthcare. According to one CDC study, American Indians and Alaska Natives experienced Covid-19 at a rate 3.5 times higher than the white population. In the face of this increased risk, many Native artists explored ways to communicate physical and cultural resilience. These protective masks reflect the artists’ communities through style, materials, and symbolism while conveying community care as a collective value.

Exhibitions

Native Fashion
, curator