Big Cypress Seminole Reservation - Friday June 3, 2022: The Seminole Tribe of Florida announced a new exhibit today at its Ah-Tah-Thi-Ki Museum: "Home is Where the Heart Is." The exhibit opening is set for June 6. A reception will take place on that day from 10:30 a.m.-1 p.m.
This will be the first time the Ahfachkee School student artwork has been on exhibition in the Mosaic Gallery since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. This dynamic display features student work from all grades – kindergarten through grade 12 – and will run through August 31.
“This year’s Ahfachkee art exhibition is a colorful showcase capturing the excitement of being back in the art studio after emerging from the COVID lockdown. This exhibition showcases several independent pieces as well as two elaborate collaborative works,” said Ahfachkee art instructor Jennifer Brittingham. “When the reservation went into lockdown, it robbed students of their sense of community and their sense of home. As a result, this artwork is a response to students’ reaction returning to campus and working together towards a unified goal.
“One of the highlights in this exhibit, ‘Stained Glass,’ is a larger synergetic piece inspired by Spanish architect Antoni Gaudi. The structure is composed of 20 windows constructed with tissue paper, each personalized by individual students. Artist Jim Dine inspires our other collective display. An array of over-sized colorful hearts, each with their own expression, form a powerful statement of love and unity. This year’s show speaks volumes of working together after coming out of a long period of isolation; students working hand and hand, pouring their hearts out on paper, canvas, and plaster.”
The Mosaic Gallery at the Ah-Tah-Thi-Ki Museum is an ongoing collaborative exhibit space that features a rotation of displays featuring the artistic talents of Seminole Tribal members of all ages including students from the Tribal schools, or work from artists closely associated with the Seminole Tribe of Florida.
About Ah-Tah-Thi-Ki Museum
The Ah-Tah-Thi-Ki Museum opened in 1997 and is owned and operated by the Seminole Tribe of Florida. Situated in the Everglades on a 66-acre cypress dome on the Big Cypress Seminole Indian Reservation, the museum offers more than 5,000 square feet of gallery space. Exhibits feature rare artifacts and lifelike dioramas that depict Seminole life at the turn of the century. In 2009, the Museum became the first tribally governed museum to be accredited by the American Alliance of Museums. For more information, visit www.ahtahthiki.com and follow the museum on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. Ah-Tah-Thi-Ki Museum is located at 34725 W. Boundary Road, Clewiston, Florida.