Parting the Veil (self-portrait), 2020. Archival pigment print. 22 1/2 x 15 inches
Laurie Steelink is a multidisciplinary artist and curator living in San Pedro, California. Adopted at birth in Phoenix, Arizona, and raised in Tucson, she is a member of the Akimel O’otham Nation (Gila River Indian Community) in Arizona. Steelink writes, “In recent years, my practice has focused on the exploration of my own cultural identity and the “perception” of Native American identity, representation and authenticity. My tools are my upbringing, from my knowledge of being given up for adoption by my Akimel O’otham mother, to growing up in a politically and socially conscious progressive Euro-American family, to my Euro-American/European Art education, to finding and connecting with my Akimel O’otham relatives and the greater urban Los Angeles Native community, as well as my participation in Indigenous North and South American healing ceremonies.” In 2012, Steelink founded Cornelius Projects, an exhibition space in San Pedro that focuses on the art and artists of its immediate surroundings. Facilitating situations that bring diverse groups of people together, Cornelius Projects has been an experiment in community building. The environmental issues that the port city of San Pedro grapple with have strengthened her sense of responsibility in regards to the stewardship of the planet; this shift in perspective is in in perfect harmony with her deepening sense of herself as a Native American artist. Visit me on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lauriesteelink/
