An opening reception for the Stolen Sisters exhibit was held in the Greenhill Center of the Arts atrium at the University of Wisconsin – Whitewater on Jan. 30.  The exhibition features Indigenous artists and allies addressing a range of experiences and emotions surrounding violence against, loss of indigenous women, and also celebrates survival.

     Professor Teresa Faris, a faculty member in the Department of Art and Design and artist, along with Nieves Galvan, a UW-Whitewater alumni and artist, organized the exhibit.

     The issue of Missing and Murdered Ingenious Women (MMIW) is gaining national attention due to activism and proposed legislation at all levels of government.  Our women and girls are being taken away in alarmingly high numbers.  Our women are murdered at a rate ten times higher than other ethnicities, and it’s the third leading cause of death, according to the Centers for Disease Control.

     The MMIW movement happening all across Indigenous nations demands attention for improved safety, investigations, searches, and prosecutions in these cases.

     Materials in the exhibition range from works on paper, metal, clay, mixed-media, quillwork, textile, and paint.

     The Crossman Gallery at the University of Wisconsin – Whitewater was chosen as a platform for this Stolen Sisters project because Wisconsin is home to eleven registered tribal communities, and the adjacent Interstate 90 acts as a main corridor for missing persons. 

     I-90 enters Wisconsin from Minnesota over the Mississippi River just northwest of La Crosse and exits into Illinois near Janesville and Beloit.  I-94 joins I-90 near Tomah, and the two run concurrently to Madison.  I-93 also connects near Portage.  The three routes continue for approximately 30 miles.

     Organizers acknowledged two Native nations with handouts at the opening reception that read, “Welcome to the Stolen Sisters exhibition.  We acknowledge the ancestral homeland of the Ho-Chunk and Potawatomi tribal nations for which this exhibition resides.”

     Artists include Antoinette Thompson, Alfonso Cervera, Avis Charley, Chrystal Tourtillott Lepscier, Craig George, Courtney Leonard, Dakota Mace, Diane Hill, Drew Askenette Lacefield, Elias Jade NotAfraid, Gregg Deal, Harmony Hill, Jennifer Conners, Jennifer Curtis, John Hitchcok, Kaluhyak le Stephenie Muscavitch VanEvery, Laritza Garcia, Lorena Lazard, Lydon Tsosie, Nieves Galvan, Ray Scott, Rebecca Burns, Sebastian Carre, Scott Hill, Shawn Stevens, Teresa Faris, Tim Hererra, Tom Jones, Tonya June Rafael, and Valaria Tatera.

     Stolen Sisters exhibition runs from Jan. 30 to Feb. 29 at the Crossman Gallery, 950 W. Main Street, Whitewater, WI 53190 in the Greenhill Center of the Arts building.  The Crossman Gallery is open Monday through Friday from 10:00 AM to 5:00 PM, Monday through Thursday evenings from 6:00 PM to 8:00 PM, and Saturdays from 1:00 PM to 4:00 PM.