The Visual Sovereignty Project is a digital commissioning project for Indigenous artists that recognizes Indigenous people have a story to tell, “for us, by us, now us.” This new initiative strives to decolonize O!, the Oregon Shakespeare Festival’s digital platform, by honoring each artist’s agency to visually express tribal sovereignty and personal sovereignty, and the story they choose to share and gift the world. Eight artists have delivered a digital piece of 5–15 minutes.
“OSF is honored to be in partnership with the brilliant Chava Florendo on the ideation, curation, and execution of the Visual Sovereignty Project. We endeavor to continue to reckon with historical racism and colonization by amplifying the voices and the art of the Indigenous artistic community through our digital platform. This project extends a unique opportunity to center the work of Indigenous creatives and the diversity of their artistic impulses outside of the colonialist expectations that codifies and limits expression to translation. The work is truly complex and engaging.” —OSF Artistic Director Nataki Garrett