“Land, Lines, Blood, Memory,” scheduled to be shown at Bannister Gallery at Rhode Island College from March 26 through April 24, is a solo exhibition of photo-weavings by California-based Indigenous American artist Sarah Sense. The show relates a layered multi-generational timeline exploring the history of American indigenous experience across colonized generations. Curated by Dr. Sara M. Picard, Professor of Art History at RIC and coordinated with Gallery Director Dr. Victoria Gao, the show includes works from the artist’s 2024-2025 “I Want to Hold You Longer” series coupled with a new installation.
Sense said that the installation would have images of current landscapes she’s taken photographs of in California’s National Parks blended with historical photographs from the 1890s. Also included will be what the artist describes as “a blanket quilt,” the design of which she remembers from childhood. These parts will be woven together using traditional Chitimacha and Choctaw basketry techniques to create a landscape of immersive storytelling.
The framed works from her “I Want to Hold You Longer” series of photo-weavings reflect her practice of researching land allotments, deeds and maps — information that she gathers and manipulates into long reed-like strips of photographic content, which she then weaves into indigenous basket patterns using traditional techniques.
