Mask maker and performance artist Pash Galbavy (Sedona) uses masks and movement to share her personal and archetypal experience of participating in Hope and Trauma in a Poisoned Land. Masks of Privilege, Fear, Compassion and more play parts in this story of awakening to the haunting reality that exists right outside of Flagstaff, and which affects the health of everyone, including most directly those living on the Navajo Reservation.

Doors open at 6:00pm to view the exhibition. Talk begins at 6:30pm. This event is free and open to the public.

Artist Statement: My artistic passion and goal is to express common human experience in a viscerally impactful way using masks and movement. The body is a wonderful tool because expressing with it tends to bypass logical thinking and go directly to viewers’ core. I love working with masks because they are iconic. They rise beyond the personal into the archetypal, and visually illustrate recognizable characters and emotions. I am especially interested in using masks to animate inner parts of the psyche that are reflected on the larger world stage.

This event is part of Hope and Trauma in a Poisoned Land, the new exhibition that explores the impact of uranium mining on Navajo lands and people. The art exhibition will feature work by more than two dozen artists, including Navajo and Native artists. It will be open to the public August 15 – October 28, 2017.