Exhibit III - Honoring Native America

Guardians and Sentinels

"Guardians and Sentinels," 1994

Susie Bevins Ericsen/Qimmiqsak (Inupiat) (1941 - )

Susie Bevins Ericsen/Qimmiqsak (Inupiat) b. 1941
"Guardians and Sentinels," 1994
Aluminum, 9'x 12' x 1"
Municipality of Anchorage, Alaska

Susie Bevins Ericsen or Qimmiqsak, her lnupiat name, is one of the first Native women artists to successfully explore sculpture. She works in a mixmedia format and is one of the few Native artists that has explored the arena of monumental outdoor sculpture. For several years now, she has been very successful in the arena of public art commissions in her home state of Alaska. Bevins Ericksen's "Guardians and Sentinels," is an example of one of those commissions. The sculptures' permanent home is at the Anchorage Police Department Training Center.

The three cut aluminum figures are representative of guardian spirits known to the Native people of the North. Many of Bevins Ericsen's artworks are inspired by lnupiat stories she heard as a child. She has also incorporated other Northwest Native legends into her art. Her work celebrates Native culture and speaks to the survival of a people.

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