Alison Marks

Tribe: Tlingit
Based In: Juneau, AK
Email: alison-marks@outlook.com
Website: alisonomarks.com

About the Art
There is a part of the Lifting the Sky story that stuck with me - when the creator tossed all the languages in different directions and the people wondered, "how will we communicate with each other?" Everyone knew one word and was able to move forward. I created a formline painting that depicts language being given to the people. A representation of language descending from sky, but as it descends, it is transforming into something else entirely. There is a mass extinction of Indigenous languages happening throughout the Northwest Coast. Our once intricate Indigenous languages are being changed into their simplest forms. Quicker means of communication like texting dominate communication, taking the place of traditional languages. Through technology we have access to a common language - English - but although it is convenient it usually contributes to the detriment of each respective culture.