Mound: To the Heroes

"Mound: To the Heroes is partially filled with earthen forms made as references to human bodies, mass graves, or to generations of bodies going back to the earth. At one end of the earth mound is the focal point of the installation: a photomural of the flag raising at Iwo Jima. In this version all the flag raisers have been removed except a Pima man names Ira Hayes, who later died on his reservation in Arizona from exposure to the elements The juxtaposition of this Native American with the American flag becomes a metaphor for indigenous peoples' continued struggle for basic human rights in this country. The ironies of heroism and defeat and celebration and remorse resonate between the two installations humanizing, demystifying and connecting past, present, and future." - Charlene Teters