Family and Friends : Honoring the Nine Mounds of Verona – CODAworx

Family and Friends : Honoring the Nine Mounds of Verona

Submitted by Dennis -RedMoon Darkeem

Client: CUNA Mutual Group

Location: Madison, WI, United States

Completion date: 2022

Project Team

Stone and tile designer

Jim Belilove

Jim Belilove

Digital Works

RedMoon Arts Inc

RedMoon Art Movement Inc

Overview

Artist, Educator, Community and Cultural Practitioner.
My work is inspired by creating community, reflecting on history, environment, and human connections.
My practice incorporates building on layers of new and old experiences to form new narratives.
My work is mixed media and multidimensional, which allows experiences of being engaged, enlightened, and educated. I use installation, photography, sculpture, drawing, painting, sound, and performance as vessels to balance ideas of transformation, Honor, and the future generation. My aesthetic is inspired by my cultural background as a descendant of
Wind clan band of Yamassee Creek-Yat’siminoli of the Southeast ( South Carolina, Florida & Mexico), the descendant of the Mound Builders. In this work Family and Friends, I celebrate the diverse, rich culture and customs of indigenous country. I honor the Ancestral Nine Mounds. The number nine is a traditional ceremonial number too many Muskogean people. I wanted to acknowledge the Mounds in Verona and all the existing Mounds in Wisconsin.
This work size is 15ft x 24ft made from precious stones and painted ceramic tiles.

Goals

As a descendant of the Mound builders it is important for me to recognize and honor the
Mounds and all four directions.
Through this work I wanted to bring awareness to the history of the nine mouths in Vernon and the cultural connections to land and waters.
Some of today's modern tribes who are descendants of the Mound Builders include the Cherokee(Tsalagi),
Creek, Fox, Osage, Seminole, Shawnee and Yamassee.
-I find inspiration in exploring connections between time and space. I enjoy blending modern techniques with traditional customs. I am motivated by sharing the rich Indigenous culture of the East Coast. I want to bring attention to East coast Indigenous Arts and cultural traditions.
I specialize in storytelling through installation, public art, performance, sculpture and two-dimensional works. In my art, I explore themes, concerns, and ideas around land, water connections, community healing, identity and the Black and Indigenous perspective.

Process

I had an amazing time working with the staff of CODAworx, CUNA Mutual Group, Project manager David Wells and Alyssa K. Ryanjoy.

Additional Information

Www.DennisRedMoonDarkeem.com