Avis Charley
Artist’s Statement
I create figurative drawings and paintings that explore our evolving Native American identity from pre-reservation period to the present day, from ancestral homelands to city life. I began my career with drawings on antique paper and used the female form as my main subject. Dakota people used pictorial images for hundreds of generations and used plant and mineral pigments to document our history on buffalo hides. "Ledger Art '' began as a male-dominated art form invented by my ancestors who were imprisoned far from our homelands. Colored pencils, crayons, and pages from discarded ledger books were adapted by folks such as Howling Wolf, Black Hawk, and many others to remember and document the masculine aspects of culture, depicting stories of hunting, fighting, and courting scenes. As a female ledger artist, I share stories of parenting, family, and community. My dynamic figures come alive and engage us with their humanity. They are empowered with bold colors and intricate details in their adornment as they assert their presence, narrative, and strength. I eventually transitioned from Prisma colored pencils
to oil paintings. I wanted to start portraying Indigenous women in modern settings celebrating resistance to assimilation and colonization with vibrant hues and details not possible in my ledger pieces. I aim to give voice to and center contemporary Native people by portraying how we continue to survive and thrive while maintaining cultural ties through our persistence and existence. This manifests itself in many ways, including our artistry, powwow culture, language work, returning home for traditional ceremonies, or participation in the growing activism in Indian Country. These are a few avenues that we might take to engage and remain connected to our communities. I am interested in the present moment and enjoy documenting our stories and experiences for future generations. The message I seek to communicate is that despite the tragedy in our collective history as Native people, the strength and resiliency derived from our Indigenous matriarchs, sisters, and daughters is what keeps us moving forward and inspiring others.
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Avis Charley (Spirit Lake Dakota/ Diné) is a visual artist born and raised in Los Angeles, California. She earned her BFA from the Institute of American Indian Arts in Santa Fe, New Mexico (2018). She is a ledger artist and painter who creates figurative drawings and paintings exploring the evolving Native American identity from pre-reservation period to the present day, from ancestral homelands to city life.
Ledger art was Charley’s first art form; she learned from and was encouraged by Terrence Guardipee (Blackfeet). Through colonial policies, Charley’s ancestors were imprisoned far from their homelands. While prisoners, they used colored pencils, crayons, and pages from discarded ledger books to share nostalgic stories of hunting, warring, and courting scenes. This graphic, narrative style became known as ledger art. Charley became a ledger artist to bring a woman’s perspective into a male-dominated art form; she shares stories of parenting, family, and community. Through portrait oil painting, Charley started portraying Indigenous women in modern settings. She began celebrating resistance to assimilation and colonization with vibrant hues and details not possible in her ledger pieces. Charley draws inspiration from her culture, friends, family, upbringing, and adornment. She creates work for future generations as she documents contemporary stories and experiences. Charley’s work centers Indigenous visibility with accurate representation, depicting the strength, resilience and beauty of Native women and peoples.
Charley’s work is in the permanent collections of the Eiteljorg Museum of American Indians and Western Art, Minneapolis Institute of Art, and Museum of Contemporary Native American Art.