Surrender Art Exhibition by Jihan Gearon

This event is a fundraiser for Culture Connection AZ. Ticket includes admission, 2 drink tickets (alcoholic or non-alcoholic), light hors d'oeuvres, live music from Ginger String Quartet, and a talk by the artist. 

About the Artist

Jihan Gearon is an Indigenous feminist, artist, political educator, organizer, and leader in Indigenous environmental justice. She is Diné and Black from the community of Old Sawmill, Navajo Nation. Her work over the past 15 years – particularly with the Black Mesa Water Coalition, Indigenous Environmental Network, Climate Justice Alliance, and Grassroots Global Justice Alliance – has made her a nationally recognized movement leader in environmental and climate justice, just transition, Indigenous Peoples’ rights, and indigenous feminism. Her paintings bring her passions in life together, showcasing feminine energy, connections with the natural world, and the future of a healthy planet. Jihan was awarded the NDN Changemaker Fellowship in 2020, the Black Women Green Future Award in 2021, and is featured in the recently released book Notable Native People.

Website: www.jihangearon.art

About the Show

These 27 pieces were painted over the four years, 2019 – 2022, leading up to, during, and following the covid19 pandemic. They are my questions, visions, and wisdom gained throughout this global time of uncertainty, isolation, and fear. These emotions overlapped with and were multiplied by a major change in my life, shifting away from my 15 years of work and leadership in the environmental justice movement.

Surrender – to surrender, to give oneself up – is the key theme of this body of work. In surrendering I’m learning to believe in myself; give and receive love more deeply; foster excitement instead of fear; and transform bitterness, isolation, and ego into compassion, wisdom, and awareness that all is connected.

I feel it crucial to share my journey through the pandemic. It is cathartic for me and I believe potentially for others as well. As a “mixed race” woman, I see myself as a bridge builder. Therefore, while many of my paintings are based in Diné (Navajo) and Indigenous culture, I’ve prioritized creating images that can be felt and understood by many cultures.

- from artist Jihan Gearon 

Exhibition on display through the end of November at The Historic Ice House in downtown Flagstaff.