Starr Hardridge, Muscogee Creek Nation
Black Snake, 2016
Starr Hardridge, a member of the Muscogee Creek Nation, painted this during a 2016 movement of artist driven protest against the Dakota Access Pipeline (DAPL). The snake is meant to represent a Lakota prophecy of a Great Black Snake that spreads destruction to the environment and the people inhabiting it, which is embodied by the DAPL project and the devastation that it brings in terms of infringing on the human right to clean water. The snake is severed, representing not only the duty to stop the pipeline, but the need to sever ties with the fossil fuel industry entirely. Label by Jackson Schiminger
Starr Hardridge’s Black Snake was made in support of the #NoDAPL movement led by the water protectors at Standing Rock. This painting shows a black snake that has been cut into many pieces. It references the Lakota prophecy of a giant black serpent destroying the land, water, and people. This prophecy was often referenced within the water protection movement comparing the Dakota Access pipeline to the black serpent. The snake in the painting is cut into many pieces to represent the many facets of the oil industry that must be dismantled in order to truly be free. Label by Becca Gurysh
In the center of the piece lies a wounded snake – this is representative of a tale from the indigenous tribe, the Lakota. According to their prophecy, a black snake symbolizes the deliverer of endings. For context, Hardridge made this piece about the movement against preventing the Dakota Access Pipeline. The snake therefore represents the ending of DAPL and also the harmful impacts of industrialization, especially fossil fuels. Also important to note, the title Black Snake is what many call the Dakota Access Pipeline. Therefore, the snake not only represents the Lakota prophecy, but is clearly metaphorically tied to the movement. Label by Grace Cohen
This painting depicts a figure from an old Lakota prophecy. A black snake, the bringer of end times. This painting is a reflection of the Dakota Access Pipeline threatening Native lands. For many, the black snake of doom has arrived in the form of oil pipelines. But here the snake has been cut into pieces, symbolizing a necessary killing of fossil fuels by the people. The woven textured style combined with the symbolism of the “Don’t Tread On Me” flag makes this piece strikingly historical. It is prophecy come to light, a repeating of history, a call to action, and a warning. Label by Lucas Theobald
Hardridge’s painting manifests a multitude of references, using the imagery of a black snake cut into pieces as a call to the “Join or Die” political cartoon of 1754, the Lakota mythology of the black snake as a harbinger of the apocalypse, and the black snake as representation of pipelines. The snake is imposed on a background of color blocking and geometric designs reminiscent of Muscogee patterns. Furthermore, Hardridge employs pointillism to both embody traditional beadwork techniques and create a visually stimulating piece. Label by Courtney Hand