The Return of the Force explored the significant influence of the Star Wars films on contemporary Native artists through an innovative collection of works addressing themes of resistance, place, belonging, and Indigenous knowledge.
The exhibition featured works by more than twenty artists, including Ryan Singer (Diné), Dwayne Manuel (On'k Akimel O'odham), and Christal Ratt (Algonquins of Barriere Lake). Singer is known for paintings that reference both Indigenous and popular culture, while Manuel combines street art with traditional O'odham imagery. Ratt contributed a wiigwaas (birch bark) Mandalorian outfit that explored the question, What if the Mandalorian were Indigenous? The exhibition brought together a wide range of media, including paintings, jewelry, regalia, sculpture, and wearable art.
The Return of the Force was a sequel to the Museum of Northern Arizona's 2019 exhibition The Force Is With Our People. Guest curator Duane Koyawena (Hopi) and Center Curator Elizabeth Quinn MacMillan expanded the original exhibition by inviting artists from beyond the Southwest and exploring additional themes, including the balance of the light and dark sides of the Force in relation to Indigenous worldviews. The exhibition also built upon the Center's earlier collaboration with Koyawena and Landis Bahe (Diné) on PIVOT: Skateboard Deck Art (2020).
The Return of the Force was made possible through generous grants from the City of Durango Lodgers’ Tax Arts and Culture Fund and the La Plata Electric Association Round Up Foundation.
Interested in reading more about the exhibition? See:
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Jonathan Romeo, "A Galaxy Not So Far Away," The Durango Telegraph, 21 September 2023
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Top Picks, "Contemporary Native Artists Present Vibrant Take on Star Wars," Durango Magazine, Winter/Spring 2023-24
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Judith Reynolds, “Meet HOPI R2-D2 at Fort Lewis College,” Durango Herald, 3 January 2024
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"Reclaiming the Force," Native American Art, April/May 2024
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Clark Adomaitis, "Return of the Force Exhibit at Durango's Fort Lewis College Comes to a Close," KSUT, 25 September 2024.
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Katie Chicklinski-Cahill, "FLC’s Center of Southwest Studies to Screen ‘Star Wars’ in Navajo," The Durango Herald, 20 September 2024.