Native Space: Mescalero Apache Artwork in Zero-G

ALLYSA KAZHE, BROOK OWENS FELLOWSHIP

As the Brooke Owens Fellowship representative, my project goal is to spread the fellowship mission through a creative storytelling piece, “to boost capable young women and other gender minorities who aspire to explore our sky and stars, to shake up the aerospace industry, and to help their fellow people here on planet Earth.” I created my artworks to demonstrate and invite others to see the relationship between Indigenous culture and the Western Aerospace industry as a woman.

A set of artworks were created on two eagle feathers showcasing Pueblo and Mescalero Apache geometric designs with Acrylic paint. The larger feather has a Mescalero Apache star, moon, clouds, and the space shuttle Endeavour painted with traditional colors from the medicine wheel (black, red, white, and yellow). The smaller feather shows a black and white Pueblo design, most commonly done on pottery combined with symbols of the Sunface. A ceremonial feather with beadwork along the leather tie was worn to honor the flight. This feather was worn at my high school graduation as well as my Mescalero Apache coming-of-age ceremony in Mescalero, NM. A Balance Silk Scarf with Acoma Pueblo geometric designs showcases artist Michelle Lowden’s intentional use of patterns and shapes found in nature and represents the balance we all strive for. Lowden’s design also embodies the aspiration we have to be more intentional with choices in our lives. I personally chose her work to acknowledge the long-standing relationship between the modern aerospace industry and a traditional Native culture. A relationship that may be difficult to create on a personal level but can be balanced and should be balanced through our choices.

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See yourself in space—Aurelia Institute