Golga

Artist: Cara Romero

Culture/People: Chemehuevi

Place: California

Media: Limited Edition Archival Fine Art Photograph printed on Legacy Platine paper.

Dims: 40 x 26 in. (101.6 x 66.04 cm).

Date: 2021

Description: In our July 9, 2021 issue of The Virtual Coe, we shared how one of our Hands-On student curators engaged with our two pairs of Alaskan snow goggles. The story of these goggles continues into the project space. A few months ago, we were honored to work with photographer Cara Romero (Chemehuevi) for a photo shoot that she staged in the Coe’s project space. The shoot was a collaboration between Romero, the artist and recent IAIA alum Golga Oscar (Yup’ik), and works from the Coe collection. For the shoot, Cara and Golga created a powerful scene of Yup’ik cultural identity within the Coe space—snow machine and all. We were particularly thrilled to be able to have pieces from our collection present in the conversation that took place between artists and communities.

The image here, entitled “Golga”, includes the Coe’s c. 1875 pair of Yup’ik snow goggles. In addition to the goggles, Golga is wearing his own handmade pieces. Golga’s work focuses on creating a sustainable, ongoing dialogue with Yup’ik artistry, past, present, and future. Romero’s photography does a similar kind of work—centering Native peoples as not just subjects in images, but as vocal collaborators, actors, and agitators. We look forward to continuing to work with Cara in honoring the voices of our pieces and the stories that she so profoundly tells through her imagery.

Also, see NA0619.

RTC No: NA1825

Photo © 2021 Cara Romero