Tribal art exhibit on display at 'Uba Seo in Nevada City

Appeal-Democrat, Marysville, Calif.
Updated ·2 min read

Mar. 6—'Uba Seo: Nisenan Arts & Culture in Nevada City will be presenting its sixth exhibit, "The Story of Land, Water, and People," starting on March 16.

This exhibit, curated by Shelly Covert & Mira Clark, is part of California Heritage: Indigenous Research Project's Visibility Through Art initiative and is funded in part by the California Arts Council through the Upstate California Creative Corps program.

'Uba Seo: Nisenan Arts & Culture is a gallery and culture space in downtown Nevada City that focuses on raising visibility and telling the stories of the Nevada City Rancheria Nisenan Tribe.

Since opening its doors in the spring of 2021, 'Uba Seo has worked to create rich opportunities for visibility, advocacy, healing, and community education as curated through the perspectives and voices of the Nisenan people.

"The goal is to create conscientious art pieces that inspire dialogue about Nisenan history and culture," said Shelly Covert, spokesperson for the Nevada City Rancheria Tribal Council and executive director of the indigenous research project. "We were looking for a way to tell our collective story and this seems to be working. Art is an incredible platform to engage in difficult dialogue. And collaborating with local artists has not only been a pleasure, but it is helping us achieve our goals. Our deepest hope is to bring about awareness of local historic and current issues through the medium of art."

Participating tribal artists include Shelly Covert, Ginger Covert, Lorena Davis, Sarah Thomas, Cindy Buero, Debra McBrien, Saxon Thomas, Tiffany Adams, Deerstine Madrone Suehead, Nikila Badua, Maile Claire, Mira Clark, Jan Michelle Sawyer, and Ruth Chase.

This new showing will be on display until March 2025. An opening art reception will be held on March 16 from 6-9:30 p.m. with an opening speech by Shelly Covert and artist speakers from 7-8:30 p.m.

Regular gallery hours are from noon to 6 p.m. on Thursdays and Sundays, and from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays. The 'Uba Seo is located at 225 Broad St. in Nevada City. For more information, visit ubaseo.org.