| The Artist Board of the Fondo del Sol Museum & Visual Arts Center of Washington, D.C. presents a multi-media, interactive arts exhibition featuring the work of contemporary artists and writers of Powhatan Indian descent. The exhibition will be opened from November 1, 2005 through 2007. (For details call 202-265- 9235.) VISUAL ARTISTS Nadema Agard Bernie Boston* Phoebe Mills Farris* Craig Herndon* Georgia Mills Jessup* Krishna Mathias Camille Mosley-Pasley* Rose Powhatan*
exhibition are from the same family of accomplished arts practitioners who are descended from tribes within the Powhatan Confederacy. Fondo del Sol, 2112 R Street, NW, Washington, DC. |
Georgia Mills Jessup
Ms. Georgia Mills Jessup, a Washington, DC area artist, is
descended from the Pamunkey Tribe of Indians of Virginia, and is
the thirteenth of eighteen children of Joseph Mills of McLean,
Virginia. She received her Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from Howard
University and her Master of Fine Arts degree from Catholic
University. She taught painting, ceramics, sculpture, crafts and
doll-making in Washington, DC area schools and colleges, arts
workshops, and was the first artist-in-residence at the Smithsonian
Institution's Anacostia Museum. Ms. Jessup also served as the
Supervising Director of art for the District of Columbia Public Schools
from 1976 to 1980. Her diverse distinguished career as an artist and
arts administrator has resulted in her being awarded numerous
times for her professional achievements, which includes her
inclusion in juried arts exhibitions (her work was also chosen for
exhibition at the 1939 World's Fair in New York). Ms. Jessup's
biography and work is listed in numerous art directories and
catalogues, and she continues to participate in one-person and
group shows. One of her paintings ("Rainy Night Downtown") hangs
in the permanent Contemporary Collection of the National Museum
of Women in the Arts, in Washington, DC. Her murals and artwork
are included in the permanent collection of the Smithsonian's
Anacostia Museum and in many private collections.
Her daughters Rose (artist/actor/historian) and Marsha (medical
illustrator) are both award-winning artists. Ms. Jessup's sons Juaquin
(a past member of Mandrill) and Miklos are professional musicians.
Her grandchildren are equally gifted artists and writers. One
grandson, Alexei Auld, (Director of Legal Services for the Volunteer
Lawyers for the Arts [VLA] in New York City) was selected for
participation in the 2000 Sundance Native Writers Program. His
brother Kiros, a law student and screenwriter, acted with his mother
Rose in "The New World" movie, in the role of a warrior.
In her "We're Still Here" article, Ms. Jessup tells the story of her
Virginia Indian heritage which has greatly influenced her work and
that of her daughter Rose whose "Totems to Powhatan" appear to
the left. Ms. Jessup is also the aunt of the Emmy award winning
writer/producer David Mills ("Kingpin", "NYPD Blue", "The Corner",
"ER", "Homicide: Life on the Street"),.
descended from the Pamunkey Tribe of Indians of Virginia, and is
the thirteenth of eighteen children of Joseph Mills of McLean,
Virginia. She received her Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from Howard
University and her Master of Fine Arts degree from Catholic
University. She taught painting, ceramics, sculpture, crafts and
doll-making in Washington, DC area schools and colleges, arts
workshops, and was the first artist-in-residence at the Smithsonian
Institution's Anacostia Museum. Ms. Jessup also served as the
Supervising Director of art for the District of Columbia Public Schools
from 1976 to 1980. Her diverse distinguished career as an artist and
arts administrator has resulted in her being awarded numerous
times for her professional achievements, which includes her
inclusion in juried arts exhibitions (her work was also chosen for
exhibition at the 1939 World's Fair in New York). Ms. Jessup's
biography and work is listed in numerous art directories and
catalogues, and she continues to participate in one-person and
group shows. One of her paintings ("Rainy Night Downtown") hangs
in the permanent Contemporary Collection of the National Museum
of Women in the Arts, in Washington, DC. Her murals and artwork
are included in the permanent collection of the Smithsonian's
Anacostia Museum and in many private collections.
Her daughters Rose (artist/actor/historian) and Marsha (medical
illustrator) are both award-winning artists. Ms. Jessup's sons Juaquin
(a past member of Mandrill) and Miklos are professional musicians.
Her grandchildren are equally gifted artists and writers. One
grandson, Alexei Auld, (Director of Legal Services for the Volunteer
Lawyers for the Arts [VLA] in New York City) was selected for
participation in the 2000 Sundance Native Writers Program. His
brother Kiros, a law student and screenwriter, acted with his mother
Rose in "The New World" movie, in the role of a warrior.
In her "We're Still Here" article, Ms. Jessup tells the story of her
Virginia Indian heritage which has greatly influenced her work and
that of her daughter Rose whose "Totems to Powhatan" appear to
the left. Ms. Jessup is also the aunt of the Emmy award winning
writer/producer David Mills ("Kingpin", "NYPD Blue", "The Corner",
"ER", "Homicide: Life on the Street"),.
Georgia Mills Jessup with Totems to Powhatan
wood sculptures based on traditional totems
made by her daughter Rose Powhatan and
son-in-law Michael Auld, Vienna Metro Station,
1989.
wood sculptures based on traditional totems
made by her daughter Rose Powhatan and
son-in-law Michael Auld, Vienna Metro Station,
1989.
Rose Powhatan
Rose Powhatan is co-founder/director of the Powhatan Museum
of Indigenous Arts and Culture. She is descended from the
Pamunkey (mother) and Tauxenent (father) Indian Tribes of
Virginia. Ms. Powhatan also works as an artist/historian/storyteller.
(Left) 2005: Rose Powhatan with her contemporary Eastern
Algonquin totem. The sculpture, made from wood, vines, clay and
adorned with wild turkey feathers, honors her ancestor Keziah
Powhatan. Keziah Powhatan was the leader of a Northern Virginia
Indian band of Tauxenents (Dogues) whose "hostile actions" led to
the removal of the first Fairfax County courthouse at Tyson's
Corner, VA in 1752 (she claimed ownership of the land). The
D.A.R. plaque (below) was erected to record the incident (near
Chain Bridge Road and Courthouse Road in Fairfax County).
Rose Powhatan is a mixed-media artist, educator and cultural
practitioner. She earned her honors undergraduate and graduate
degrees in studio arts, art history and education from Howard
University in Washington, D.C., and completed graduate studies at
University of London (in the UK). As a visual artist, Ms. Powhatan
has created paintings, murals, installations, prints, and totem
poles- all infused with culturally-based Eastern Woodlands
symbolism. She is also a storyteller whose film work includes her
appearances in "The New World", the HBO mini-series "John
Adams", and Jamestown Settlement's "1607:A Nation Takes Root".
Ms. Powhatan's work as an educator and curriculum writer includes
her having taught studio arts, theatre and humanities courses in
the United States and the United Kingdom for over 25 years, in
addition to her authorship of new courses and instructional
materials. Her creative writing consists of autobiographical and
historical material, as well as staged plays.
Numerous awards have been presented to Ms. Powhatan in
recognition of her diverse achievements in the arts, education and
community service. Select board memberships include the John F.
Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in the Nation's Capital, the
Intertribal Women's Circle, and ATLATL National Native Arts
Network (the nation's premiere Native American arts organization).
Ms. Powhatan is also a former Cafritz Foundation and Fulbright
Foreign Scholarship Fellow, whose membership in the British
Fulbright Scholars Association underscores her support for
promoting positive international solidarity. She is the Assistant
Chief of the Tauxenent Nation of Fairfax County and the tribe's
2007 co-founder.
of Indigenous Arts and Culture. She is descended from the
Pamunkey (mother) and Tauxenent (father) Indian Tribes of
Virginia. Ms. Powhatan also works as an artist/historian/storyteller.
(Left) 2005: Rose Powhatan with her contemporary Eastern
Algonquin totem. The sculpture, made from wood, vines, clay and
adorned with wild turkey feathers, honors her ancestor Keziah
Powhatan. Keziah Powhatan was the leader of a Northern Virginia
Indian band of Tauxenents (Dogues) whose "hostile actions" led to
the removal of the first Fairfax County courthouse at Tyson's
Corner, VA in 1752 (she claimed ownership of the land). The
D.A.R. plaque (below) was erected to record the incident (near
Chain Bridge Road and Courthouse Road in Fairfax County).
Rose Powhatan is a mixed-media artist, educator and cultural
practitioner. She earned her honors undergraduate and graduate
degrees in studio arts, art history and education from Howard
University in Washington, D.C., and completed graduate studies at
University of London (in the UK). As a visual artist, Ms. Powhatan
has created paintings, murals, installations, prints, and totem
poles- all infused with culturally-based Eastern Woodlands
symbolism. She is also a storyteller whose film work includes her
appearances in "The New World", the HBO mini-series "John
Adams", and Jamestown Settlement's "1607:A Nation Takes Root".
Ms. Powhatan's work as an educator and curriculum writer includes
her having taught studio arts, theatre and humanities courses in
the United States and the United Kingdom for over 25 years, in
addition to her authorship of new courses and instructional
materials. Her creative writing consists of autobiographical and
historical material, as well as staged plays.
Numerous awards have been presented to Ms. Powhatan in
recognition of her diverse achievements in the arts, education and
community service. Select board memberships include the John F.
Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in the Nation's Capital, the
Intertribal Women's Circle, and ATLATL National Native Arts
Network (the nation's premiere Native American arts organization).
Ms. Powhatan is also a former Cafritz Foundation and Fulbright
Foreign Scholarship Fellow, whose membership in the British
Fulbright Scholars Association underscores her support for
promoting positive international solidarity. She is the Assistant
Chief of the Tauxenent Nation of Fairfax County and the tribe's
2007 co-founder.
Arts Exhibition
(Below) An exhibition of works by artists and writers descended from diverse Powhatan Indian tribes of Virginia
opened in Washington, D.C. in honor of National Native American Month (2005) and the 2005 ATLATL-National
Native Arts Network Conference (held at the National Museum of the American Indian). All but three of the artists
and writers are members of the Miles/Mills and Boston families. The exhibition continued from 2006 into 2007.
opened in Washington, D.C. in honor of National Native American Month (2005) and the 2005 ATLATL-National
Native Arts Network Conference (held at the National Museum of the American Indian). All but three of the artists
and writers are members of the Miles/Mills and Boston families. The exhibition continued from 2006 into 2007.
"Shaman", mixed media, Georgia Mills Jessup
Powhatan Museum
of Indigenous Arts and Culture
WRITERS
Alexei Auld*
Kiros Auld*
Sienna Farris*
Jack Forbes
David Mills*
Alexei Auld*
Kiros Auld*
Sienna Farris*
Jack Forbes
David Mills*
Copyrighted 2007 by Auld/Powhatan