Blog
'This Artist Reenvisioned Marvel Superheroes in a Traditional Native American Style'
Iron Man, Spider-Man, Thor and a dozen other superheroes teaming up to fend off an alien invasion. It sounds more like the stuff of the megaplex than the museum. But this larger-than-life scene, displayed in a richly colorful mural, is what visitors to the Smithsonian’s National Museum of the American Indian in New York City will encounter as they make their way from the grand rotunda to its exhibition spaces.Designed by artist Jeffrey Veregge, the work features all the elements of a great comic book battle—splashy text, panel-breaking brawls, giant villains and daring heroes. But the exhibition, titled “Jeffrey Veregge: Of Gods and Heroes,“ also tells a deeper story about cross-pollinating influences between Indigenous traditions and modern pop culture. Veregge is Salish, part of the Port Gamble S’Klallam Tribe in Washington State, and the mural uses phrases from his tribal language, S’Klallam, as well as motifs from his tribe to offer his own distinct take on these familiar characters.
So incredibly cool.
Saturday December 1, 2018