Fire Keepers

In the season of the winter solstice, Stonington’s December Group exhibition Fire Keepers will highlight the importance and the power of the element fire. Throughout millennia, fire has provided humans with a place to gather, share stories, and sing songs. Around the communal fire is where culture is passed down from generation to generation. Whether it is outdoors or in our homes, the fire is where we naturally gravitate towards. We experience the warmth of our loved ones huddled around the fireplace or jovial laughter while preparing holiday meals together in our kitchens.  We congregate around bonfires as a part of winter ceremonies, the cold biting at our cheeks. Light and heat become things we cherish when the rainy, darker days are upon us and the quiet of winter sets in.

Fire Keepers features artworks from contemporary Indigenous artists of the Pacific northwest that are keeping their native traditions ablaze. The pieces in this exhibition vary in medium from hand carved wooden panels painted in the lively reds and oranges reminiscent of fire to intricately painted watercolors that express the warmth and strength of family togetherness reaching back to their ancestors. 

          In a celebration of the power and symbolism of fire, “Fire Keepers” brings together a collection of artworks that honor the enduring significance of this elemental force, while highlighting the cultural traditions preserved by contemporary Indigenous artists of the Pacific Northwest. 

Exhibition Dates: