CREDIBLE, SMALL SECRETS

Printed cotton fabric, nylon thread, human hair, glass beads, walrus stomach, reindeer and sheep rawhide, acrylic polymer, steel pins, 2007-2023.

Credible, Small Secrets is a series of work in response to the many painful accounts of abuse I have heard. These unspeakable acts are at epidemic proportions in our state and on Indigenous lands. These works speak about pain, fear, anger, loss of innocence and the impact this injustice has on the sense of self, family and community. A secret is, by definition, something hidden, unspoken, repressed, and kept unknown. Often historical trauma creates ‘secrets’ and despite the challenging and negative taboo of talking about these issues they must be voiced in order to transform, to promote healing and awareness and to break the cycle of abuse. This piece represents all 355 communities in the state of Alaska.