When Heather Sincavage, director of the Sordoni Art Gallery, performed at the University of Colorado, she had a chance to see Minor Threat, an exhibition by Gregg Deal. Her first thought was how Wilkes University students would respond to Deal’s work, and her second thought was how to get his work to Wilkes. “It’s an Indigenous perspective, which is something we certainly have not focused on enough here, but he is tackling it in a way that is very contemporary,” says Sincavage.
After meeting with Deal, not only was Sincavage able to show the artist’s work on campus, but he made the trip from Colorado to help install the exhibit and deliver the opening night Art in Context lecture.
Deal introduced himself and his exhibit, I’m So Bored with the U.S.A, to a standing-room-only crowd at the Sordoni Art Gallery. As a member of the Pyramid Lake Paiute Tribe, Deal unapologetically reclaims Indigenous narratives and challenges the dominance of colonial histories. Heavily influenced by punk culture, Deal’s art dismantles stereotypes and questions the erasure of Indigenous identity in mainstream culture.
The exhibit’s title was taken from a song by the Clash, and Deal’s work shows a connection to the music that helped shape him. “There’s a punk ethos in there for sure. Doing what I want to do and owning it the way I want to own it and not making excuses for it,” says Deal of his work, which includes painting, performance art, sculpture and music.
The painting “Never Forget” covers the wall as visitors enter the gallery, while the neon cross, claw and arrow symbols of “Textile Series #3” shine from the other. “Indigenous Flag” hangs overhead. The acrylic on canvas of “The Punchline (Minutemen)” shows Deal’s pop culture influence while at the same time calling out the contrived Cowboys and Indians narrative that was crafted and romanticized to see more novels and comic books.
Deal’s sculpture, “The Space Where Spirits Get Eaten,” dominates the floor of the gallery. A pile of wooden chairs with the legs hacked by a machete, the piece speaks to the weaponization of chairs at boarding schools that housed Indigenous children and tried to force them to assimilate. At one such school, 120 miles away in Carlisle, Pennsylvania, the bodies of nearly 200 Native American children were found. The work also contains braided hair from Deal and two of his children. “It’s so powerful and so beautiful,” says Melissa Carestia, assistant director of the Sordoni Art Gallery. “With everything that is going on nationally, it’s really important for work like this to be confrontational and make you think.”
Gallery visitors can check out some of Deal’s performance art with a video of “The Last American Indian on Earth.” In this piece, Deal dressed in what appeared to be traditional Native American garb, though the items were store bought. By simply existing in a public space, Deal’s performance both recreates and confronts stereotypes. “I was sick of waiting for a phone call from a gallery and waiting for permission,” says Deal. “This was my moment to not ask for permission and just go do something.”
Guests can tap into more of this permission not required punk aesthetic at a listening station featuring vinyl that inspired Deal’s work. They can also check out songs from the Dead Pioneers, Deal’s punk band that grew out of one of his performance pieces. Signed by Hassle Records, the band will open for Pearl Jam this spring.
Though much of Deal’s work may seem confrontational, he does not approach the creative process with the purpose of trying to compel change. “I just make the work I’m called to make. There isn’t some grand agenda with the work I’m making,” says Deal. “I’m not trying to move the Earth with change.” He does hope visitors will leave the gallery with some new awareness. “If you can have compassion for someone, you should walk away with an understanding as a human being. Art in general can help us understand things. It helps us understand in a way we might not otherwise.”
Sincavage hopes that I’m So Bored with the U.S.A. brings people through the doors and gets them talking. “One of my goals in running this gallery is to provide people with an opportunity to understand each other,” she says. “And I think the only way to do that is to engage in conversation.”
Guests can stop by the gallery to check out the Deal exhibit through March 22. The Sordoni Art Gallery team also has a slate of events planned including zine workshops for adults and kids, plus an Art in Context Lecture on George Catlin, the artist born in Wilkes-Barre who rose to fame with his paintings depicting Native American life and culture.
Whether visitors browse, explore their own creative sides or dive deeper into art, the staff wants people to see the Sordoni Art Gallery as a place for everyone. “This is still a place where some people feel intimidated. They think they need to have experience, and they think they need to know art,” says Sincavage. “But no one’s going to quiz you when you come in and no one’s going to quiz you when you leave.”
Upcoming Events at the Sordoni Art Gallery:
Saturday, Feb. 22 from 2 to 5 p.m.
Zine workshop (for adults) led by Jess Meoni of the Scranton Punk Collective
Registration required. Email melissa.carestia@wilkes.edu.
Saturday, March 8 from Noon to 2 p.m.
All About Me zine workshop for kids
Thursday, March 20 at 5 p.m.
Art in Context Lecture “Catlin Revisited: Interpreting the Artist and His Legacy from Indigenous America” by Julia Grummitt, PhD
All events are free and open to the public.
For more information, visit wilkes.edu/sordoniartgallery.
