Indigenous Arts

New RI Museum: Recently incorporated, the Museum of Fine Tribal Art seeks a home in RI.

The newly established Museum of Fine Tribal Art, MoFTA will host high-quality tribal art and is currently freely accessible to the public. Tribal art is the visual art and material culture of indigenous peoples, encompassing diverse forms like pottery, textiles, sculptures, painting, and masks (my favorite!). Masks are art and spiritual tools vital to continuity […]

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Tara Moses, Trinity Rep/Brown MFA candidate, on the direction of directing

We recently sat down with Brown/Trinity Rep’s MFA in Directing candidate Tara Moses. Although it was too late to include in our recent Indigenous Issue, the wide-ranging discussion included Moses’ thoughts on Indigenous directing and where that form can fit in modern theater. You can see an example Nov 9 and 10 at the Pell […]

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Talking with Lorén M. Spears

Our state is home to a unique and inspiring institution, the Tomaquag Indigenous Museum in Exeter. The museum is led by executive director Lorén M. Spears, an artist and author with a background in education. Spears is an enrolled Narragansett Tribal Nation citizen. Tomaquag is the only museum in Rhode Island entirely dedicated to telling […]

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Shells of History: Lessons from Narragansett Tribe member and artist Allen Hazard

A stretch of sandy beach. Opaque turquoise waves illuminated by waning fall sun. A gentle cold breeze ripples through the quiet air, the quietness of no paved roads, no cars, no buildings. Young members of the Narragansett tribe roam under the blue sky, fluffy cumulus clouds and the waving leaves of orange trees their only […]

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