Proposal

31st Southern Graphics Annual Conference - Boston 2003 Proposal to exhibit portfolio Dog Head Stew Organizer: Elizabeth Stuck The Dog Head Stew portfolio celebrates Native American traditions and cultural persistence, which over time and situation has been redefined, honored, manipulated, categorized and stereotyped, but not vanquished. This portfolio invites personal and political expression honoring or criticizing past and present representations of Native American culture. The title, Dog Head Stew, comes from the story/recipe "Dog Head Stew (for Fifty People)" by Dorothy Pennington, which can be found in the book, The Way: An Anthology of American Indian Literature by respected Mohawk anthropologist and educator Shirley Hill Witt. It is the depiction of an imaginary feast in which the Indians throwing the feast pretend to live up to the stereotype of being savages to get rid of their unwanted white dinner guests. I feel this portfolio would serve as a needed representation of the Native American presence at the SGC conference due to Massachusetts' history of American Indian conflicts with the first settlers, the revolution, and the devastating results history had on many Native American tribes. Dog Head Stew is opened to printmakers working in traditional and non-traditional archival print media, regardless of cultural background. It is intended that this portfolio will open a dialogue on the representation of Native Americans in contemporary society and question historical representations in whatever venue it is shown. Desired participants will be chosen by slides whose work addresses historical or contemporary Native American Indian imagery, political, or cultural issues. I am predicting 23 artists to participate in the portfolio. The paper size is 15" x 20". An edition of 25 will be produced, the extra portfolios being donated to the Southern Graphics Council archives and West Virginia University.