She Never Dances Alone
In celebration of Indigenous Peoples Day, we’ve shared a special release of She Never Dances Alone by Jeffrey Gibson, which the artist describes as “an ancestral call for strength and healing for all Indigenous people,” and in particular, “a recognition of the power of Indigenous women.”
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She Never Dances Alone is presented in partnership with Brooklyn MuseumLocation:
New York, New YorkRegion:
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UrbanLarge Intended Impact Area:
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OVERVIEW
A multi-channel video created specifically for the screens of Times Square, She Never Dances Alone (2019) is Gibson’s celebration of the Indigenous matriarchy, centering on the jingle dress dance, a powwow dance that originated with the Ojibewea tribe and is traditionally performed by women to call upon ancestors for strength, healing, and protection. As Sarah Ortegon, an acclaimed jingle dress dancer and Miss Native American USA 2013–14, performs in handmade dresses adorned with jingles or rows of ziibaaska’iganan (metal cones), the swaying colors, textures, and patterns pop against a black background and fold into kaleidoscopic abstractions. Ortegon’s image multiplies within each screen and across the plazas, creating the impression that many women have come together to dance over Times Square. The video ends with a close-up of Ortegon’s face after she has stopped dancing, calming her breath as she stares intently ahead — and at the people watching from below.
ABOUT THE PROJECT
An artist of Choctaw and Cherokee descent, Jeffrey Gibson combines elements of traditional Native American craft with the visual languages of modernism to draw powerful personal, cultural, and historical connections between the two. Gibson’s work across painting, sculpture and installation is invariably vibrant and visually rich. He is known for using traditional Indigenous materials, including animal hides, glass beads, and tipi poles, alongside more contemporary mediums such as video, paint, and ceramics to create wearable sculptural garments, stand-alone sculptures, mixed media paintings, and immersive installations.