Ancestors Today

Ancestors Today is a collective installation created by Mapuche artist, filmmaker and curator Francisco Huichaqueo in collaboration with the Hartford women's collective Arte Popular. This installation offers a dialogue between the works of the women's collective and objects from the Abya Yala archaeological memory collection, guarded by the Wadsworth Atheneum. The visual stories on display connect the women of Arte Popular with their territories of origin in Central and South America and the Caribbean, using various languages such as embroidery, knitting and paintings. The presence of corn is fundamental across these cultures and constitutes a unifying element that evokes ancient and recent memory, connecting territories, traditions and communities. The aromas of the countryside, childhood games, family dynamics, the bond with nature, the richness of the orchards and the planting of corn are healing memories that make the spirit smile. The objects from the Wadsworth’s collection, which Huichaqueo calls memory garments, seek their own way to be visible. They illuminate the works and film portraits that Huichaqueo made of the women of Arte Popular. These garments seek to reconnect with their living relatives and have found in the voices of the women of Arte Popular the energy to activate other memories and knowledge, but above all, to return to life and resume their natural transit. This exhibition has allowed the memory garments and the women with their work to be reunited with their ancestral origin. As they recognize and accompany each other in the present, both parties are no longer hidden in the museum and in the city.

Ancestors Today questions Western notions of linear time and invites us to enter an Indigenous circular idea of time where the spirits of past and present accompany the works in this exhibition.

Objects from the Abya Yala Collection, guarded by the Wadsworth Atheneum Museum of Art

Integrated into this installation are objects selected by Huichaqueo from the Wadsworth Atheneum's collection. When planning it, he visited collections storage and chose each piece based on his personal intuition and sense of connection to the work. Departing from a typical Western, research-oriented model of curation, Huichaqueo’s choices were guided by his visual, spiritual, and emotional responses. Some are likely ancient works, while others are possibly reproductions made for the tourist trade. For Huichaqueo, this distinction is irrelevant; all of them are historic and significant objects, made by the ancestors. We are pleased to include these objects from our collection in Ancestors Today as part of our ongoing commitment to learning more about them.

These are among over 700 objects cared for by the Wadsworth Atheneum that are believed to have been made by the Indigenous peoples of Abya Yala and Turtle Island. These include ceramics, baskets, textiles, and items made from stone or metal. The Wadsworth Atheneum is in full compliance with the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act (NAGPRA).

The information provided below reflects our current level of understanding about these objects. All of those in this installation entered the museum between 1918 and 1971. Most were donated by private individuals, though a few were purchased by the museum in the 1940s. In many cases, they came with very little information or documentation as to where or how they were obtained. Additional research by scholars and curators has helped us improve our understanding of their culture of origin or date. As we continue to learn about these objects, we welcome any knowledge that will help restore their history.

Curating artist: Francisco Huichaqueo
Colectivo de Mujeres Arte Popular: Lidia Díaz, Yuri Díaz, Maritza Díaz, Daniela Díaz, Imelda Díaz, Amabilia Escalante Ortiz, Carmen Pérez, Daniela Vergara Cheque, María Adela Pineda, Sandra Ortiz, Lila Ortiz, Enriqueta Lunez, Jeanny Durán, Antonella Soto, Melanie Pérez.
Video Portraits: Francisco Huichaqueo
Acknowledgements: Wadsworth Atheneum Museum of Art, Vanessa Sigalas, Matthew Hargraves
Elisandro González, Constanza Segovia.
Photographic record: Allen Phillips
Registration assistant: Alison Parman
Film record: Bruno Serafín
Exhibition montage: Rick Bogdan, Jon Eastman and Joe Bun Keo
Research: César Abadía-Barrero, Catalina Alvarado-Cañuta, Camilo Ruiz
Buen Vivir and Collective Healing Initiative, University of Connecticut.