Left Behind to Bring Them Home
January 28- June 22,2024
This exhibit is our land acknowledgement practiced in ceremony between indigenous artists (Tongva & Pasifika) of the saltwater. Humans have the responsibility and obligation to take care and be part of the whole of nature. "It's important for people to know that these are not gestural acts but a tradition of indigenous communities sharing and extending respect, honor, and spirit." -Cindi Alvitre, Tongva guest curator & artist
Opening ceremony 1/27/24, Documented by Melodie Turori
Featured Tongva Artists:
Craig Torres
Weshoyot Alvitre
River Garza
Lazaro Arvizu
With contributions from Pasifika artists: Alf Bordallo, Micki Davis, JP, Kiki Rivera, Samantha Tagaloa,
Melodie Turori
Exhibit walkthrough, Video courtesy of Long Beach Convention & Visitors Bureau
About Cindi Alvitre, Guest Curator & Artist
Cindi Alvitre (Tongva) is a mother and grandmother, and has been an eductor and artist activist for over three decades. In 1995, she & Lorene Sisquoc co-founded Mother Earth Clan, a collective of Indian women who created a model for cultural and environmental education, with a particular focus on traditional arts. In the late 1980s, she also co-founded Ti'at Society sharing in the renewal of their ancient maritime practices of the coastal/island Tongva.
Cindi is the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act (NAGPRA) Coordinator & faculty at California State University Long Beach, American Indian Studies Program. As a cultural curator, her work extends beyond the physical manifestation of museum exhibition and into ceremonial expression that engages participants into native landscapes as a dimensional "refocusing of our cultural lens."
