0:00:00.000,0:00:29.960 ♪ethereal ambient music♪ 0:00:29.960,0:00:31.705 [bells jingling] 0:00:31.705,0:00:33.280 - [Cannupa VO] I think we all struggle 0:00:33.280,0:00:39.720 with what it means to belong to a place. 0:00:39.720,0:00:43.240 As an Indigenous person in North America, 0:00:43.240,0:00:48.640 there are complex[br]identities that are at play. 0:00:48.640,0:00:53.720 I am a citizen of the Mandan,[br]Hidatsa, and Arikara tribes. 0:00:53.720,0:00:54.440 So I was born 0:00:54.440,0:00:58.760 in Standing Rock Reservation[br]right on the Missouri River. 0:00:58.760,0:01:02.520 I think in its most honest[br]form, I'm river people, 0:01:02.520,0:01:06.480 and I'm living up here in[br]the mountains in New Mexico. 0:01:06.480,0:01:12.640 So I feel a little displaced. 0:01:12.640,0:01:16.040 After my family moved us[br]off of the reservation, 0:01:16.040,0:01:19.400 it felt as though my existence in both 0:01:19.400,0:01:27.400 of these worlds was in a[br]liminal space between the two. 0:01:27.400,0:01:29.060 [man] Okay, Cannupa, you ready? 0:01:29.060,0:01:29.840 [Cannupa] Yeah, hold on. 0:01:29.840,0:01:35.347 [indistinct chatter] 0:01:35.347,0:01:43.920 [Cannupa VO] So I exist in [br]the world between places. 0:01:43.920,0:01:47.600 What I'm trying to do is remove the idea 0:01:47.600,0:01:49.880 of art as an object and think 0:01:49.880,0:01:53.720 of art as a process. 0:01:53.720,0:01:59.800 Something in action, something living. 0:01:59.800,0:02:03.000 [bells jingling][br]-♪sparse curious synths♪ 0:02:03.000,0:02:04.800 I am building things. 0:02:04.800,0:02:07.440 I'm building things that[br]aren't these objects, 0:02:07.440,0:02:29.760 but conduits to share information[br]from culture to culture. 0:02:29.760,0:02:30.260 ♪♪♪ 0:02:30.920,0:02:34.720 There's a tendency to[br]perpetuate this Romantic 0:02:34.720,0:02:39.000 historical narrative of native people, 0:02:39.000,0:02:42.680 which is, "This is[br]primitive, this is ancient, 0:02:42.680,0:02:46.080 this is not present." 0:02:46.080,0:02:47.480 And so I started a whole series 0:02:47.480,0:02:49.320 of projects that were called, 0:02:49.320,0:02:51.160 and it's kind of an ongoing set of ideas, 0:02:51.160,0:02:55.240 but it's called Future[br]Ancestral Technology. 0:02:55.240,0:02:58.440 It's science fiction,[br]it's speculative fiction. 0:02:58.440,0:03:02.320 It's imagining what and[br]how our culture shifts 0:03:02.320,0:03:15.015 and changes into the future. 0:03:15.015,0:03:18.720 ♪airy ethereal music♪[br]And if it's hard to express what it means 0:03:18.720,0:03:22.320 to be Indigenous today, what does it look 0:03:22.320,0:03:25.040 like if I bypass today, 0:03:25.040,0:03:29.680 and consider what it means[br]to be in a distant future? 0:03:29.680,0:03:30.180 ♪♪♪ 0:03:50.720,0:03:54.320 So like all of the stuff[br]that we're using right now 0:03:54.320,0:03:58.520 is gonna be around for a[br]while, sitting in landfills, 0:03:58.520,0:04:00.120 and rather than recycling it 0:04:00.120,0:04:01.400 and turning it into[br]new products, 0:04:01.400,0:04:05.620 I'm like, "What do we do if we[br]just transform this material?" 0:04:05.620,0:04:09.640 [Cannupa] These are hockey gloves. 0:04:09.640,0:04:14.280 This is an old crochet blanket. 0:04:14.280,0:04:17.440 I maintain a hunter-gatherer of practice 0:04:17.440,0:04:21.040 in the 21st century, but[br]the fields that I navigate 0:04:21.040,0:04:23.040 are different. 0:04:23.040,0:04:25.880 All of the wool that I get[br]secondhand, it's leftover. 0:04:25.880,0:04:29.040 So there's very few things in the making 0:04:29.040,0:04:31.720 of any of this work that is dependent 0:04:31.720,0:04:34.640 on firsthand manufacturing. 0:04:34.640,0:04:37.320 Anytime I go to a thrift[br]store, if they've got an Afghan 0:04:37.320,0:04:41.400 and I like its color[br]story, I will dive in... 0:04:41.400,0:04:47.480 and it's like navigating[br]the detritus of America. 0:04:47.480,0:04:49.480 And it's important to tell these stories 0:04:49.480,0:04:53.120 for future generations because[br]a lot of Indigenous cosmology 0:04:53.120,0:04:55.360 is based on sustainability. 0:04:55.360,0:04:58.520 Like, "You are an[br]extension of the land, 0:04:58.520,0:04:59.560 you belong to the land." 0:05:00.120,0:05:01.280 Could I imagine a future 0:05:01.280,0:05:05.065 where we all understood that collectively? 0:05:05.065,0:05:09.160 - [newscaster] A protest in North Dakota[br]against a major oil pipeline 0:05:09.160,0:05:10.640 continues to grow. 0:05:10.640,0:05:14.520 Over 100 Native American[br]tribes have joined the fight 0:05:14.520,0:05:15.760 against the project, 0:05:15.760,0:05:18.960 saying that it threatens[br]one tribe's water supply 0:05:18.960,0:05:21.265 and its sacred land. 0:05:21.265,0:05:24.720 - [Cannupa VO] In Standing Rock, that[br]was described as protest. 0:05:24.720,0:05:25.480 But the reality 0:05:25.480,0:05:29.120 of that situation was[br]everybody who came there 0:05:29.120,0:05:34.760 was standing to protect[br]water more than against oil. 0:05:34.760,0:05:38.320 Seeing a riot police line, 0:05:38.320,0:05:43.560 the gear that they wear is[br]just completely dehumanizing. 0:05:43.560,0:05:48.440 And so I was inspired by[br]civil unrest that unfolded 0:05:48.440,0:05:51.880 in Ukraine where people[br]were bringing mirrors 0:05:51.880,0:05:56.520 to the front line so that the[br]police could see themselves. 0:05:56.520,0:06:00.000 I went to a hardware store and designed 0:06:00.000,0:06:04.720 and made these mirrored[br]shields in the parking lot, 0:06:04.720,0:06:10.289 and made a video to show how to make them. 0:06:10.289,0:06:10.320 ♪energetic inspiring music♪ 0:06:10.320,0:06:13.120 The main thing is that[br]it's an empathetic response 0:06:13.120,0:06:17.040 to violence. 0:06:17.040,0:06:20.320 ♪♪♪ 0:06:20.320,0:06:22.080 At the time that we were bringing 0:06:22.080,0:06:25.920 500 shields into Standing Rock, the police 0:06:25.920,0:06:28.320 and these private security forces, 0:06:28.320,0:06:30.400 they were confiscating anything 0:06:30.400,0:06:34.240 that could be considered a weapon. 0:06:34.240,0:06:35.600 And we decided 0:06:35.600,0:06:39.360 that the best way to hide these pieces 0:06:39.360,0:06:44.220 was to utilize my privilege as an artist. 0:06:44.220,0:06:45.760 ♪♪♪ 0:06:45.760,0:06:48.240 And we were like, "No,[br]these aren't shields. 0:06:48.240,0:06:59.360 It's just an art piece." 0:06:59.360,0:07:09.795 [footsteps in gravel] 0:07:09.795,0:07:13.560 - Mm.[br]There were antelope horns on this piece, 0:07:13.560,0:07:18.400 and I think I locked moisture[br]in and they exploded. 0:07:18.400,0:07:23.960 The unfortunate thing is they[br]fell on some of my son's work. 0:07:23.960,0:07:28.520 My oldest boy, EO, made[br]this little guy, he says 0:07:28.520,0:07:36.080 it's a monkey, and my[br]youngest, we've got this, 0:07:36.080,0:07:36.400 I don't know, 0:07:36.400,0:07:40.640 it looks like a Texas toast[br]hamburger with a face on it? 0:07:40.640,0:07:54.773 And here's my spider head. 0:07:54.773,0:07:57.920 ♪sparse ethereal music♪[br]Oh, here's the fam. 0:07:57.920,0:07:59.320 Hey boys. 0:07:59.320,0:08:05.000 [Ginger VO] During the [br]pandemic, everything shut down. 0:08:05.000,0:08:07.680 Before that, Cannupa was traveling 80, 0:08:07.680,0:08:10.360 80, 90 percent of the time,[br]of the time, 0:08:10.360,0:08:13.720 and it wasn't sustainable. 0:08:13.720,0:08:17.400 - Thanks guys. 0:08:17.400,0:08:21.880 I don't know where my art[br]practice is different than my life 0:08:21.880,0:08:24.440 and they're a part of my life. 0:08:24.440,0:08:27.080 Hey, if you guys want to[br]make something alongside me 0:08:27.080,0:08:29.240 you can go grab some clay outta my studio. 0:08:29.240,0:08:34.360 - [Ginger VO] This past year we've been traveling 0:08:34.360,0:08:35.905 with our whole family. 0:08:35.905,0:08:37.320 - [Cannupa VO] We homeschool our children, 0:08:37.320,0:08:40.800 had been homeschooling 'em[br]even prior to the pandemic. 0:08:40.800,0:08:41.720 Bringing them along 0:08:41.720,0:08:46.520 on these trips is a important[br]part of their education. 0:08:46.520,0:08:50.320 - And we thought that doing 0:08:50.320,0:08:53.600 that would create a healthier bond 0:08:53.600,0:08:56.200 with all of us. 0:08:56.200,0:08:59.040 [Cannupa] What do they say? 0:09:00.240,0:09:01.840 "You've got to get your[br]own house in order... 0:09:01.840,0:09:08.360 [chuckling] before you[br]start telling somebody else to clean up." 0:09:08.360,0:09:11.560 ♪♪♪ 0:09:11.560,0:09:14.800 I have a hard time with[br]the title of artist, 0:09:15.680,0:09:17.040 that's what you do. 0:09:17.040,0:09:17.680 That's who you are. 0:09:17.680,0:09:18.440 You're an artist. 0:09:18.440,0:09:21.120 You are what you do, right? 0:09:21.120,0:09:23.560 So I'm an artist,[br]because I make art. 0:09:23.560,0:09:27.600 And I'm like, "Do I, though?" 0:09:27.600,0:09:31.520 I always like to think[br]of myself as an engineer, 0:09:31.520,0:09:35.400 and I talk about[br]bridge-building as an artist. 0:09:35.400,0:09:37.840 And the gap that I'm[br]trying to span is the gap 0:09:37.840,0:09:39.800 between all of the different communities 0:09:39.800,0:09:42.680 and cultures that I interact with. 0:09:42.680,0:09:48.400 [Cannupa] So we're just rolling[br]these cubes into spheres, 0:09:48.400,0:09:50.360 and once they're spheres, you'll take one 0:09:50.360,0:09:52.480 of these little skewer sticks 0:09:52.480,0:09:57.800 and pierce the clay into a bead. 0:09:57.800,0:10:02.560 The grasslands where I'm from[br]are dependent on buffalo. 0:10:02.560,0:10:05.760 And so the 20,000 that[br]are living wild today, 0:10:05.760,0:10:08.120 I thought it would be a great gesture 0:10:08.120,0:10:11.400 that we make a bead to[br]represent each of them. 0:10:11.400,0:10:14.560 Even just rolling that clay in your palm, 0:10:14.560,0:10:17.400 there is no two that will be the same. 0:10:17.400,0:10:28.479 And the idea is us in[br]relationship with one another. 0:10:28.479,0:10:30.320 ♪pensive ethereal music♪[br][Cannupa VO] So the Bison Bead project is part 0:10:30.320,0:10:36.560 of this ongoing series called 'Counting Coup.' 0:10:36.560,0:10:38.800 and the intentions were[br]basically just trying 0:10:38.800,0:10:44.320 to re-humanize data, you know? 0:10:44.320,0:10:47.200 The first work in that[br]series is called 'Every One,' 0:10:47.200,0:10:49.360 and the number of beads represents missing 0:10:49.360,0:10:59.000 and murdered Indigenous relatives. 0:10:59.000,0:11:09.191 [bells jingling][br]0:10:59.040,1193:02:47.295 0:11:09.191,0:11:12.480 ♪♪♪[br]Indian and American history aren't told 0:11:12.480,0:11:13.600 in an honest format. 0:11:13.600,0:11:16.960 They're told as a myth. 0:11:16.960,0:11:19.960 It is the myth of the individual 0:11:19.960,0:11:23.400 who had to raise themselves[br]up out of nothing. 0:11:23.400,0:11:27.440 - I like the shoulder pads with it. 0:11:27.440,0:11:29.340 - All right, you got that pod? 0:11:29.340,0:11:31.560 [Ginger] Yeah, I got it. 0:11:31.560,0:11:36.080 I think it comes from a[br]group of men who decided 0:11:36.080,0:11:39.840 that they were no longer[br]gonna be a part of England. 0:11:39.840,0:11:41.280 They were gonna remove their self 0:11:41.280,0:11:46.480 from their ancestral place, 0:11:46.480,0:11:48.960 and the violence that[br]that displacement inflicts 0:11:48.960,0:11:51.640 on everybody else around it, 0:11:51.640,0:11:53.680 you have to have this myth 0:11:53.680,0:11:58.960 in place that justifies the[br]brutality of individualism. 0:12:01.280,0:12:05.041 -Papa.[br]-[Cannupa] Yeah? 0:12:05.041,0:12:05.067 - Do this.[br][bells jingling] 0:12:05.067,0:12:11.260 [Cannupa VO] But it's just a myth[br]and it's just a story. 0:12:11.260,0:12:15.878 - Okay, that's great. 0:12:15.878,0:12:19.960 - When we do it again, spend[br]a little more time going back 0:12:19.960,0:12:23.350 like featuring your back. 0:12:23.350,0:12:24.949 - [sighs] Okay. 0:12:24.949,0:12:30.560 - [Ginger] There is an entire ecosystem[br]around successful artists. 0:12:30.560,0:12:32.400 They're getting support[br]from their partners, 0:12:32.400,0:12:34.800 from their parents, from their friends. 0:12:34.800,0:12:45.010 - Thank you, Ginger! 0:12:45.010,0:12:45.038 ♪curious ethereal music♪ 0:12:45.038,0:12:51.280 - I wanna be artist/game[br]designer/YouTuber. 0:12:54.360,0:12:58.840 - All I wanna do when[br]I grow up is figure out 0:12:59.720,0:13:02.640 what I wanna do when I grow up. 0:13:02.640,0:13:07.800 - I believe that when[br]my children are my age, 0:13:07.800,0:13:10.200 the definition and the exploration 0:13:10.200,0:13:15.720 of what art is hopefully[br]is so much broader. 0:13:15.720,0:13:20.000 It's like, "Can you do whatever[br]you do beautifully in your life? 0:13:20.000,0:13:24.600 Can you make your[br]life beautiful?" 0:13:24.600,0:13:28.760 Today we celebrate individuals,[br]we celebrate genius. 0:13:30.120,0:13:38.645 But it's not sustainable. 0:13:38.645,0:13:41.626 ♪tender synth music♪[br]- [Ginger] Careful, buddy. 0:13:41.626,0:13:43.640 - [Cnnupa VO] We are dependent [br]not just on each other, 0:13:43.640,0:13:49.640 but our relationships to the[br]environment and other species. 0:13:49.640,0:13:51.880 ♪♪♪ 0:13:51.880,0:13:55.480 The truth of our daily lived life is one 0:13:55.480,0:13:58.760 of integration, is one of integrity. 0:14:01.760,0:14:03.960 That's how we survive the future. 0:14:03.960,0:14:09.434 ♪ethereal ambient music♪[br]♪♪♪ 0:14:44.920,0:14:47.880 Hello, my name is Azikiwe Mohammed. 0:14:47.880,0:14:54.120 I am happy to have been featured by [br]Art21 in their series New York Close Up. 0:14:54.120,0:14:58.720 As you may or may not have seen, [br]I do a lot of different stuff, 0:14:58.720,0:15:04.320 and trying to explain it to people [br]can be a little chewy sometimes. 0:15:04.320,0:15:07.640 Now, I can say I make a lot [br]of stuff and then point them 0:15:07.640,0:15:09.040 somewhere. 0:15:09.040,0:15:12.320 That is all thanks to Art21. 0:15:12.320,0:15:15.000 If you like watching people make some stuff, 0:15:15.000,0:15:22.680 Art21 is an unlimited 24/7 resource of all [br]kinds of stuff from all different people. 0:15:22.680,0:15:26.720 There's educational resources, [br]engaging public programs, 0:15:26.720,0:15:31.800 and workshops for teachers that can [br]help bring art into the classroom, 0:15:31.800,0:15:32.640 which, very often, 0:15:32.640,0:15:35.240 is a burden left on the teachers. 0:15:35.240,0:15:39.360 But Art21 helps lift that burden by letting us, 0:15:39.360,0:15:41.560 the people who make some of the stuff, 0:15:41.560,0:15:44.760 bring some of the stuff into the classroom 0:15:44.760,0:15:48.960 via the films and resources that Art21 provides 0:15:48.960,0:15:50.560 free of charge. 0:15:50.560,0:15:55.200 Art is limitless, and Art21 is for everyone. 0:15:55.200,0:15:59.080 Please consider giving to Art21 [br]to help make the stuff that 0:15:59.080,0:16:01.720 we make through Art21 0:16:01.720,0:16:07.000 available for free to everybody [br]for years and years to come. 0:16:07.000,0:16:09.376 Thank you.