“Resilience: Honoring Those Lost, Those Murdered, and Those Who Still Search” Poetry and Discussion with Osage Artist Dante Biss-Grayson
The installation explores the root causes of the MMIW epidemic. Through spreading awareness the artist promotes actionable change.
According to the Urban Health Institute, 5,712 cases of MMIW were reported in 2016, of these, only 116 were logged into the Department of Justice Database.
Dante Biss-Grayson, in this ongoing installation, honors those lost, those missing, and those murdered. The work is a live creation that will include, open discussions, poetry creation, art creation, new media, and virtual activism via social media platforms.
By creating art, and externalizing the emotions felt, the artist intends to bring greater awareness to this issue, and inspire action.
Space is limited for the in-person event; pre-registration is recommended.
Questions? Please call (860) 868-0518 or email events@iaismuseum.org. This is a FREE event, but donations are appreciated. Donations will go towards a scholarship fund for emerging Native artists.
“Violence against Indigenous peoples is a crisis that has been underfunded for decades. Far too often, murders and missing person cases in Indian country go unsolved and unaddressed, leaving families and communities devastated. Whether it’s a missing family member or a homicide investigation, these efforts will be all hands on deck. We are fully committed to assisting Tribal communities with these investigations, and the MMU (Missing and Murdered Unit) will leverage every resource available to be a force-multiplier in preventing these cases from becoming cold case investigations.” – Haaland, the first Native American Interior Cabinet Secretary said.
For more information https://www.bia.gov/bia/ojs/missing-murdered-unit
Photo Credit: Dante Biss-Grayson #SkyEagleCollection
