Artist Unveils Celestial Sculpture at Angel Mounds

As visitors enter the interpretive center at the Angel Mounds State Historic Site, they can now enjoy a stunning new sculpture that offers a modern take on the historic site’s rich story.

Unveiled this summer, the untitled work was created by renowned Native American artist Yatika Starr Fields. While his piece is the largest artwork now featured at the site, it is one of many works by modern Indigenous artists showcased throughout the interpretive center.

“As a Native and Indigenous artist, to have work included where these stories are prevalent and important, and to have your artwork be part of that story … and to have your work be that focal point, I think that’s a really great inclusion, a really great honor to have,” he said.

An Osage, Muskogee and Cherokee artist from Tulsa, Okla., Fields generally works as a painter, but he said he enjoyed branching out to incorporate new techniques and materials while creating this piece.

The sculpture features celestial iconography that holds significance for Tribal Nations, including black-and-white tile mosaics that represent the Milky Way and a central sun symbol that is a familiar representation at Angel Mounds and many other Mississippian sites.

The two-tiered wooden body of the artwork features a copper finish that gives a nod to the metal items that were historically traded by the people of the Mississippian culture who once inhabited Angel Mounds.

Fields said he hopes this new sculpture will help visitors create connections and develop a deeper understanding of both past and present Native American culture and identity.

“I want this piece to be like a mechanical version of our cultural ties to a natural past and show that we are still connected to that natural past,” he said.

Legal Disclaimer:

EIN Presswire provides this news content "as is" without warranty of any kind. We do not accept any responsibility or liability for the accuracy, content, images, videos, licenses, completeness, legality, or reliability of the information contained in this article. If you have any complaints or copyright issues related to this article, kindly contact the author above.