Whitman was granted an extraordinary opportunity to hear artist Kiki Smith speak in Maxey Auditorium on Wednesday, Dec. 6. Smith is a prominent contemporary artist in printmaking and sculpture. Through a partnership between the Walla Walla Foundry and the Whitman Art Department, funded by the Robert and Mabel Groseclose Endowed Lecture Fund, she came to speak at Whitman about her work as an artist.

Tywen Kelly
Kiki Smith speaking in Olin Auditorium on December 6th, 2018.

Smith’s artwork spans decades and often deals with the body, as well as bodily functions, fairytales, animals, nature and human-animal relations, often through a feminist lens. Her work is often striking, sometimes even unsettling. At the lecture, Smith showed a slideshow of some of her work, which included blood-stained slides that served as a self portrait. Other distinctive works include a woman defecating and a female nude—based on Little Red Riding Hood—lying down with a wolf.

Professor Daniel Forbes, Director of the Sheehan Gallery, described what strikes him about Smith’s art.

“One of the things that I love about it [Smith’s work] is there’s a certain wildness to it,” Forbes said. “It doesn’t lose its potency or the way that it sort of remains visceral in a lot of ways, and it pulls a lot of internal strength.”

Tywen Kelly
Smith’s work sometimes reiterates her past iconography, such as this figure of a wolf.

Smith discussed the evolution of her artwork in her lecture on Wednesday, as well as some of the themes that she works with, such as the profoundness of nature. She commented on how, as she continues to make work, over time she goes deeper into what she described as “hippiedom.”

During the lecture, Smith also shared her thoughts on the staying power of art. Some artists, she said, make art that carries much weight and lasts for a long time. Her art, on the other hand, is what she calls a temporary model, one for the time being. She creates art that may satisfy a person for a moment, then goes on to create more.

Smith’s art, however, has a definite staying power in the minds of many who look at it. One of the ways in which it is distinctive lies in her boldness and her being unafraid to address difficult images or to explore raw parts or functions of the female body, and its relationship to nature and the world.

“That’s one of the things I really respect about her work, is she doesn’t shy away from that, kind of touching on all of those raw places in the human psyche,” Forbes said. “I think that’s part of what artists, really good artists, are called to do: to create an image that’s going to linger, particularly in a time when we’re so visually saturated.”

Art professor Nicole Pietrantoni, who helped to coordinate the lecture, spoke of her admiration for Smith and the dynamic work that she has contributed to the art community through her striking artwork.

Tywen Kelly
Smith’s work ranges from etching to sculpture.

“She’s someone who’s not afraid to both work with the abject and disgusting parts of our body, but then also work with really beautiful aspects of our bodies or natural world,” Pietrantoni said. “She’s someone who I think kind of came onto the scene when the art community is dominated by men, and she’s this really dynamic powerful artistic voice, just really inspiring for a lot of artists.”

Smith’s indispensable presence in the art community. Art professor Justin Lincoln expressed that it is good for art students and people in general to see how an artist can work on a scale as large as hers. Indeed, the auditorium was filled with Whitman-affiliated persons as well as community members.

“Anyone who has already been as historicized as her is of great value to bring to a school like ours,” Lincoln said.

Pietrantoni remarked that students are often shown artwork in class, but it’s also important to hear the creators of that work speak.

“It’s so meaningful and impactful to hear an artist talk about the work themselves and to talk about the process,” Pietrantoni said. “It’s [art is] process, it’s struggle when you’re making work, it’s making, it’s creating, it’s destroying the thing, it’s rebuilding it, it’s experimenting, it’s this constant flow and sort of process that sometimes our students forget is such an important part of art-making, like questioning, being uncertain about what you’re making.”

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Dylan Farnum, President of the Walla Walla Art Foundry, remarked in his introduction that Smith was generous and gracious. Here, Smith signs books after her talk.

Students also found excitement and meaningfulness in hearing Smith talk. Art major Mercer Hanau ’18 has long been an admirer of Smith’s art.

“In various printmaking classes I’ve had, I turn to her a lot for how to handle fur or how to make an animal more than just an animal,” Hanau said. “Kiki Smith is a good example of things not always being pretty but being intricate and complex and emotionally rich.”

Forbes emphasized the timeliness of Smith’s visit to campus.

“In terms of where we are in this particular cultural moment, all of the things that are going on in the news right now…in light of what’s going on in the world around us, it brings a kind of freshness to her work,” Forbes said. “I think it’s always been timely, but maybe because everything seems so ramped up right now that to have her here at this moment is particularly poignant.”

Smith’s work does deal with much of what is being discussed today, such as feminism and the environment, and her coming to Whitman served as a reminder of the presence of art in our world and the way it remains relevant.

The film “Promised Land” addresses the ongoing political struggle of various indigenous tribes in the Pacific Northwest. On Tuesday, Nov. 29, the award-winning social justice documentary was shown in Olin Auditorium, followed by a panel consisting of filmmakers Sarah and Vasant Salcedo and Vice Chairman of the Chinook Indian Nation Sam Robinson.

The documentary explored the fight of the Chinook and Duwamish tribes for federal recognition, which has been denied them even to this day. Recognition from the government shows the sovereignty of the Native American governments and is important to them for that reason.

Photo by Caroline Ashford Arya

However, the documentary also emphasized that despite the U.S. government’s refusal to recognize these tribes, they still do exist—no government can take that away.

“It doesn’t really matter what the government says as far as identifying who these people are, other than the fact that resources are needed,” Vasant Salcedo said. “These people know who they are, and there’s a lot of pride and there’s a lot of joy and there’s a lot of humanity found in that. The resolve is great there, the resolution is great there. They know who they are, and they know where they come from, and there’s a lot of power in that.”

Unlike many documentaries, this film did not have an ongoing narration. Instead, it featured only the voices of the members of the Chinook and Duwamish tribes who were interviewed, leaving out any influence from the filmmakers.

“The wonderful thing about film is it’s a lot easier to take yourself out than when you’re writing about it,” Sarah Salcedo said. “What I really loved about film, and this is really to quote a Chinook Nation member Aaron Jones … he says that this is a ‘modern oral tradition’ that we’ve gifted the tribe. It didn’t start out that way, it just started out by us recognizing that we’re not part of these communities, so we needed to step back and just provide the amplification.”

Photo by Caroline Ashford Arya

By stepping back, the filmmakers provided a platform on which tribe members could make their voices heard and put their struggles to the forefront. This was much needed; their struggles have been long-running. Especially frustrating is the misconception that treaties give rights to indigenous people. According to the documentary, treaties reserve rights that already belong to native tribes such as the Duwamish and Chinook that were supposed to be promised. Given all of this frustration and disappointment, it seems amazing that tribe members are able to maintain hope in their fight.

Sarah Salcedo spoke to this aspect when she recounted what Chairman Tony Johnson of the Chinook Nation voiced.

“It’s the responsibility of him [Johnson] to carry on the fight of his ancestors, as it was their responsibility to carry on the fight of their ancestors, so if he becomes weary now, how is he going to pass on the stamina to fight into his children?” Sarah Salcedo said. “It’s not optimism, but it’s resilience, and the love for the people feeds that resilience.”

While many Whitman students may feel removed from all of this, the struggle outlined in the documentary is very relevant, especially given recent debates about the Whitman’s legacy. Assistant Director of the Intercultural Center Maggi Banderas, who initiated the Whitman film screening and bringing the Salcedos to campus, explained why she thought it was important to bring this event to Whitman, especially given that Whitman is built on Umatilla land.

“I think that the big message of the film is a reminder of whose land we’re on, and it’s often very easy to forget and how tribes like the Chinook and the Duwamish are struggling to even get that recognition from the government,” Banderas said.

Photo by Caroline Ashford Arya

Beyond recognizing whose land we are on and how important the struggles of indigenous peoples are, the question of what allies can do remains. The Salcedos maintained that action beyond just recognizing the issue is key.

“In our social media culture, we’re so used to liking things and then scrolling on,” Sarah Salcedo said. “We’re not used to participation.”

Sarah Salcedo maintained that community members need to go to the tribes and ask how they can help and engage.

“We hope that audiences feel a sense of obligation to go to these communities and learn and ask how they can help,” Sarah Salcedo said. “It’s not just about consciousness, it’s about action … For students here at Whitman, I’d encourage them to go to the Umatilla and say, ‘What do you need? Here are my skills. Can that be utilized by your community in any way as you guys fight for sovereignty?’”

In asking these questions and taking the initiative to recognize the wrongs that need to be righted, and going a step more to get involved, one may join the movement toward indigenous people recovering the land that they have been promised.

Photo by Caroline Ashford Arya

Cataldo: Thursday, Nov. 16 in the Reid Coffeehouse Cataldo, an indie-rock band from Seattle, will give a free concert. Student band the Blues Collective will open the show.

Whitman Chorale and Chamber Singers Fall Concert: Friday, Dec. 1 at 7:30 p.m. two of Whitman’s choral groups, Chorale and Chamber Singers, will perform in Chism Recital Hall.

Symphony Series, Handel’s “Messiah”: Friday, Dec. 1 and Saturday, Dec. 2 Handel’s famous composition for orchestra and choir will be performed in Richland and then in College Place. Tickets may be purchased on the Walla Walla Symphony’s website.

Feast of Carols: Sunday, Dec. 3 at 7:00 p.m. in Cordiner Hall, the Whitman College Music Department and the “Walla Walla Union Bulletin” will collaborate to bring an evening of carols to the stage. Admission is free with a donation of canned food.

Annual Gender Studies Research Roundtable: “Gender and the Animal”: Presenters will look at analyzing visual, poetic and historical works and show how animal studies can help with questions of inequality and social justice. Topics discussed in relation to this include gender, sexuality, race and ableism. The roundtable will take place Thursday, Nov. 9 at 4 p.m. in Kimball Theatre.

Whitman College Wind Ensemble Fall Concert: Sunday, Nov. 12 at 3 p.m. in Chism Recital Hall, the Wind Ensemble will perform alongside the Idaho Brass Quintet, who will also perform some of their own pieces.

Cáw Pawá Láakni – They Are Not Forgotten: Tuesday, Nov. 14 at 7 p.m. in Kimball Theatre authors of Cáw Pawá Láakni – They are Not Forgotten: Sahaptian Place Names Atlas of the Cayuse, Umatilla and Walla Walla will give a presentation on approaches to map-making, language preservation and cultural resource perpetuation.

Freedom Songs: Wednesday, Nov. 15, the annual racial justice themed concert will be in Harper Joy Theatre at 8 p.m. Performances will include songs by artists of color as well as dance, spoken word and videos that address oppression.

Whitman College Jazz Ensembles Concert: Thursday, Nov. 16 at 7:30 p.m. in Chism Recital Hall, Whitman Jazz Ensemble I and Whitman Jazz II will be performing.

“We’re Black, We’re Queer, We’re Here” brings the intersectionality of race and sexuality to the forefront with much energy, passion and, of course, humor and entertainment. The radio show, which airs on KWCW Sundays from 3:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m., is the creation of Whitman students Georgette Lugalia and Isiah Cocroft. On air, they discuss a wide variety of topics ranging from dating to friendships to insecurities. They also incorporate music into the show.

Photo by Caroline Arya

“We’re kind of bringing intersectionality to the Whitman campus and I guess broadly Walla Walla as well,” Cocroft said. “[The show is] about race and queer identity, and of course we talk about other things like religion, being an undocumented citizen or immigration, things like microaggressions, things we experience on Whitman campus, and we talk about things like sex, or sex tips, or dating—you know, all those kinds of things, so it’s not always about serious stuff.”

The idea for the show came when Cocroft and Lugalia worked at the same job over the summer and noticed several things: first, according to Cocroft, many people liked to listen in on their conversations (i.e., they are interesting people to listen to!), and second, they experienced microaggressions on a daily basis. Most striking to Lugalia was their shared experience of being black and queer.

“We became really, really close, and we were experiencing the same things almost, and it was so great to be able to talk about it,” Lugalia said. “And we were like, ‘Hey, maybe other people are experiencing it too–let’s see what we can do about that.’”

Photo by Caroline Arya

From there, they decided to start a show that listeners could hopefully relate to as well. It may speak most directly to people of color and queer people, but anyone can find enjoyment and insight in listening.

“I try to make it so everyone can listen to it and relate to it on some level,” Cocroft said. “People who maybe aren’t black but have different identities, or people who struggle with being a different form of sexuality, of course things like dating and sex, things that apply to a lot of people, not all people, and we of course just talk about what it’s like to be at Whitman’s campus, I know we talk about … being called the happiest school in Washington and what does that mean, what does that mean for people’s mental health, so there are some elements that are geared towards people of color and queer people, but there are some broad topics as well.”

Aside from the show being a mode of expression and a way to share experiences, it also speaks to often-discussed topics at Whitman, such as microaggressions and issues of diversity. Cocroft noted the frequency of discussing these topics, and also the fact that these problems still exist. Lugalia agreed and added her personal take on it.

“I think the biggest thing about Whitman is that they’re P.C. to a fault sometimes,” Lugalia said. “They think they’re being helpful, but we can speak for ourselves and this platform is here to be like, hey, we don’t need allies—we need people to just give us the space to talk about our experiences. Allies are not helping us; they’re actually deterring us from being able to put our voices into action because they almost make it seem like we don’t have our own voices so we need someone else to speak for us, but that’s not what we are. Our voices are loud, we can speak, just give us the space to do it. That’s why I feel like the radio show is such a great opportunity, and we have a really good time too.”

Photo by Caroline Arya

It’s not all serious discussion, as Cocroft noted—the two love to have fun with the show. Their last episode, “Tinder, Grindr and other things that make me lose faith in the human race” consisted of them reading out failed tinder messages.

“We … talked about hookup culture along with that and microagressions we face through hookup culture, and just how that’s something we have to deal with on a day-to-day basis, and how that makes us feel and how we interact with other people that are not people of color because of it,” Lugalia said.

Neither Lugalia nor Cocroft had any specific messages they want to convey through the show, but they do have hopes for what it might do for the audience.

“[I want them] to be informed, to hear a different perspective that they’d maybe not hear so much,” Cocroft said. “Also hopefully that we’re funny or engaging enough where it’s not just about learning, it’s about laughing with us, and crying with us, and listening to some pumping tunes, so we don’t really have one singular goal in mind–just kind of offer a little slice of life.”

With that in mind, “We’re Black, We’re Queer, We’re Here” is a great, comfortable place to find two people laughing and sharing their experiences.

Whitman has gained another visiting professor teaching in the arts this year. Professor Zachary Campbell is a Visiting Assistant Professor of Film and Media Studies and Rhetoric who taught at DePaul University in Chicago for a year and a half before coming to Walla Walla. This week, The Wire sat down with him to get a sense of what he is working on while here at Whitman.

Photo by Gokay Abaci

WW: Is your area of interest more in Film and Media Studies or in Rhetoric, or is it where they intersect?

ZC: My Ph.D. and my scholarship are from the area of Film and Media Studies, but I think there’s a lot of overlap with Rhetoric because one of the things you’re doing in that field is trying to discuss how images and stories and sounds are conveying argument and meaning, so that certainly crosses over with Rhetoric and its field of study.

WW: Do you have specific interests within that area?

ZC: My doctoral work, which I’m trying to turn into a book now, is on the early history of video recording and its implementation into T.V. broadcasting in the fifties and sixties. Before even VCRs, you had these giant machines in television stations and production houses with two-inch tapes … that would record live T.V., so I look at how that changed industrial and cultural perceptions of moving image media. So I guess the relationship between technology and aesthetics is one research interest of mine.

WW: What courses are you currently teaching?

Photo by Gokay Abaci

ZC: Right now I’m teaching two classes. One of them is in film theory, and it’s a survey of a lot of standard, maybe some not-so-standard, literature in the history of film theory, asking questions like, “What is cinema?” “What does it mean to like or respond to a movie?” “What strategies of representation do movies employ?” – things like that. The other class I’m teaching is on apocalyptic film and media. It’s a survey of largely post-World War Two narratives in cinema and television on various forms of imagining the end of the world, whether that’s nuclear disaster, which has become depressingly relevant again, ecological collapse, financial collapse, some kind of religious apocalypse perhaps.

WW: Are you working on any projects aside from teaching?

ZC: I’m trying to write a few conference papers. One of them will be about how talking about differences in perception can be a way of talking about differences in community, and how film or media theory might actually intersect with a social and political theory that engenders difference without antagonism or violence. I’m also trying to work a little bit on an article about independent film – micro-budget cinema and video – right now in America and how that might be important for issues of distribution and publicity when there’s a saturation of the market; so much stuff to see, nobody has time to see everything, so how do you justify making one more thing now that the means of production are … available to everyone?

WW: What do you find most enjoyable or rewarding about teaching at Whitman?

ZC: I really enjoy getting into substantive discussions with students in the classroom. I love being able to open up some problem and getting people to start talking to the extent that you look at your watch or your phone, or whatever, and you realize you’re out of time because everything is so interesting, so I like being able to pursue that classroom.

Photo by Gokay Abaci