TIME EXPOSURES
PICTURING A HISTORY OF ISLETA PUEBLO IN THE 19TH CENTURY 
2009, Traveling Exhibition FUNDED by The National Endowment for Humanities, “We The People” project.
Exhibition Design: kGz Studio with the full participation and guidance of the Isleta Pueblo Cultural Affairs Committee.
Fabrication: Kenji Kondo Studio http://www.kenjikondo.com

This multilingual exhibit of Isletan Images employs historic photographs, a variety of media, oral narratives from Isletan elders, as well as ethnohistoric documentation to tell the story of the cycle of the traditional year as it was observed at Isleta in the 19th century.  The exhibit speaks to the essence of traditional Puebloan life, as well as to the dynamics of arrival of the Americans and the change affecting those traditions.  The exhibit consists of approximately 120 photographs taken by Charles Lummis, Adam Vroman, Edward Curtis, George Wharton James and many other renowned photographers.  The final section of the exhibit examines the historic photographs as products of white culture, exploring the underlying ideas and values of the photos and asks “what kind of record they truly represent of our people and our ways.”

HEARD MUSEUM Exhibit overview

Isleta is one of nineteen Pueblo Indian communities in New Mexico.  https://www.isletapueblo.com

“We remain a traditional society today. We speak Tiwa, our native language, as well as English. We work “out” in the white world and continue ancient practices at home. We live as Americans in the outside world and connect with our ancestors in our village. This exhibit is about this transitional period and this way of surviving that defines who we are today – people living in two worlds.” 

Isletan Elder