virtual exhibits
Quilt Ojar
Circles on the Water
RUNNING TIME
15 April 2022
Ojar, in the Saami language means “circles on the water that appear from a thrown stone”. As the circles on the water diverge from the stone, the meetings of the Arctic Indigenous Virtual Artists Network (AIVAN), are the driving force behind the development of new ideas, knowledge, plans, and collaboration between artists.
For many Indigenous Peoples, a quilt is more than a blanket. It is a form of protection and care. It provides warmth against cold and wet weather, offers comfort, and is believed to protect from negative energies and harmful spirits. Receiving such a blanket as a gift is considered a great honor. In different traditions, such blankets are constructed using a variety of images: in the form of a star, in the form of paintings, tribal trees, stories, and legends. Quilting has also become an important artistic practice through which Indigenous artists document history, express cultural identity, and address social injustice and inequality.
Quilt Ojar brings together islets representing Indigenous homelands from across Northern Russia and the prairies of Turtle Island, including Yakutia, Murmansk, Kamchatka, Yamal, Sakhalin, Tomsk, and Iowa. Each islet tells the story of a distinct Indigenous People who, over millennia, have developed sophisticated ways of living comfortably and sustainably in northern environments. Together, these islets offer visitors a glimpse into diverse Indigenous cultures, worldviews, and relationships with the land. They highlight sustainable approaches to working with natural and locally available materials—knowledge that contemporary Indigenous artists continue to practice and reinterpret in the twenty-first century. Collectively, the works express northern philosophies of life and ways of understanding the universe.In creating the islets, we used a wide variety of local materials: salmon skin, reindeer fur, eco-leather, felt, beads, reed stalks, dough, birch bark, etc. Each artist decided on the story to share and the technique to use for their island.
The islets were created using a rich variety of locally sourced materials, including salmon skin, reindeer fur, eco-leather, felt, beads, reed stalks, dough, and birch bark. Each artist selected the story they wished to share and the artistic techniques that best reflected their community and creative vision.
The concept for Quilt Ojar was initiated by Meskwaki artist Mary Youngbear. Between 2020 and 2021, Indigenous artists met regularly online to exchange ideas, develop the concept, and collectively create the individual islets that form the quilt. The final quilt was assembled in 2024 by Meskwaki artists in close consultation with all participating artists, ensuring that each contribution retained its unique voice while becoming part of a shared artistic vision.
Today, Quilt Ojar continues its journey, travelling internationally and participating in exhibitions that celebrate Indigenous creativity, resilience, and knowledge.
We invite you to enjoy this virtual journey through the world of Indigenous islands.
Please enjoy the tour into the world of Indigenous islands.
Artworks
Ыӈкас (Fireplace)
Arctic
Koryakia (Koryak land)
Muchgin Nutenut (Our World)
Kutkh the Raven
Nivhguŋ (Nivkhi People)
Nyivalbeyiil (Concord)
На̄гур элынди̇ те̄лла тю̄ӷыт э̄ят (The Earth has three Worlds)
Pegaya Orda (Piebald Horde)
Fish of the Ob’ River
From Siberia with Love
Indigenous cultures
American Goldfinch
Old ways
Geometric patterns
Keeper of the Home Hearth
Meskwaki Flag
Nai pa luk (The Sun and the female capercaillie)
Элынди̇ по̄ (World Tree)
Donre evyn dyugyrman (The trails of Evens from Donrytkyn kin)
Khusi (Swan)
participating artists
