Hispanic Heritage Month is a month-long celebration of Hispanic and Latino history and culture. While we celebrate Hispanic and Latino communites beyond this month, from September 15 to October 15 we give extra recognition to the many contributions made to the history and culture of the United States, including important advocacy work, vibrant art, popular and traditional foods, and much more. Here are two North Carolina artists that are making an impact on our community. Both have exhibited work at the Cameron Art Museum.
KAREN LYNCH HARLEY
Karen Lynch Harley is a Native American Artist. She is a member of the Haliwa-Saponi Tribe of North Carolina. Her work is inspired by her love of life and culture and usually tells a story. She believes art is therapy for the body and soul and enjoys sharing her gift with others to help them find their inner gifts and spirit. She pulls from her own roots to create art in a variety of art mediums. Karen’s work has been received nationally and internationally. Her work has been featured in numerous newspaper and magazine articles regarding her art and devotion to teaching others how to release their creativity through art. Karen has also illustrated 2 story books. One for the Piscataway Indians of Maryland and one, a story she created herself for children.
In Hollister, artists Karen Lynch Harley and her husband Phillip Harley, and members of the Haliwa-Saponi created two distinct murals, each with carved wood features. The first 6×20 foot artwork is located on the premises of the old council house along Highway 561. The second mural, measuring 12×68 feet, represents the medicine, wisdom, creativity and strength that is held within the Haliwa-Saponi Multipurpose Building, illustrated on the facade.
The desire is for this artwork to be used as a catalyst for continued conversation within the tribal community in Hollister, NC and a visual commentary of Haliwa-Saponi past, present, and future. The murals act as a catalyst for conversation and a visual commentary of the community’s past, present and future.
Click here to see a video of the project: https://www.facebook.com/share/v/1EukH17r7X/
To see her work on display, visit the Haliwa-Saponi Tribal Center at 39021 NC Hwy. 561 in Hollister or attend their annual powwow in April.
To visit her studio, contact Karen at ysaponi@aol.com.
SENORA RICHARDSON LYNCH
Senora Richardson Lynch is a contemporary Native American potter and a member of the Haliwa-Saponi tribe. She was a 2007 winner of the North Carolina Heritage Award, the 2013 recipient of the Lifetime Achievement Award from the River People Music and Culture Fest, and is recognized nationally for unique style of detailed, hand-coiled pottery. Lynch is a resident of Warren County, North Carolina.
Lynch began making pottery at the age of fourteen after seeing ancient pottery shards and assisting with a pottery class for Haliwa-Saponi tribal elders. She works with red and white clay and uses a traditional hand-coiling method which she makes her own by etching geometric patterns onto the surface. Lynch's pottery has been on display at the White House and the National Museum of Women in the Arts in Washington, DC. She has work on permanent display at the North Carolina Museum of History and in the National Museum of the American Indian's collection.
She claims that working with clay brings her back to when she was a child and played with the mud. Her inspiration for the designs she makes come from the night sky and through dreams.
Lynch teaches pottery, beading, basketry, and loom work. She also makes traditional regalia such as necklaces, earrings, chokers, leather bags, and dance sticks. She also travels throughout the state of North Carolina, teaching cultural presentations and workshops at University of North Carolina at Greensboro, and traditional pottery techniques at East Carolina University. Lynch also worked with students in Halifax County to create a mural at the Haliwa-Saponi Tribal School through the North Carolina Arts Council's Traditional Arts Program (TAPS). She also does week-long residencies with fourth grade students during the winter months. Some of her work is in the Smithsonian Museum in D.C.
In 2004, Lynch began a brickwork piece at The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill that she later completed in 2014. The piece, called "The Gift", incorporates imagery from Native American storytelling and the natural world. “The Gift’s” imagery includes turtles, eagle feathers, dogwood flowers, hills, water, and corn.
Her work is currently also marketed online in the website American Indian Made in North Carolina. Her work is now gaining international demand. She holds a year-round class about American Indians and culture.