Heritage Mandala

Rene Simon

When thinking about the phrase “Rooted in the Land” I was first struck by the word “root.” It made me ponder how I myself was rooted in this land. Born in the Stateline area and raised in Wisconsin my whole life, I feel an affinity for this land as my home, but my roots go far beyond this. They go back by generations, in all directions, very few of which are bound to Wisconsin as their home. And of course, if you go back a few more generations, as an African-and-European-American descendant, my ancestors don’t come from this land at all – but from other continents across the Atlantic, although, my Native American ancestors have been here for time uncountable.

My “Heritage Mandala” is a tribute to all these reflections on my roots, my ancestors, and how each one of them came to be “Rooted in the Land” I now stand on through me, their descendant. Regardless of the turbulent and painful history, my black foremothers and fathers are part of this land – their blood and sweat and hard work helping to build the country in its early formation. I represent them through my color choices – jade, ruby, turquoise, amber, and royal purple – often resplendent in African patterns and artwork. I pay homage to my white ancestors’ ingenuity and persistence through hardship in the structure of the mandala itself – the curved and bending, but unbreaking, branches, the strong natural jute woven together of many smaller threads, and the slices of wood showing the rings of trees (which in themselves show their history of hardships endured.) And lastly, I pay tribute to my native ancestors with pheasant feathers, an element essential to so many native ceremonies, rituals, clothing, and décor.

Using the mandala form was also a nod to cultures other than my own who have contributed to the land we stand on. The mandala is typically thought of as an art for from Tibet and India originally, I’ve incorporated it here as an acknowledgement of the complex diversity that makes up this country we currently share. It is not enough to think of the U.S. as a “melting pot” – we must do better. We must see each other as the jewels we are, in an elaborate display, a mandala of infinite variety. In this way, each one of us are “Rooted in the Land.”

I am a 48-year-old artist and writer of African, Cherokee, and European-American descent. Raised in the WI, IL Stateline area in the town of Beloit, I moved to Madison at the eager age of 19 to start my life in the “big city”.

I’ve loved the arts for as long as I can remember loving anything. For as early as I could put crayon to paper and brush into paint, I have created artwork. Most of my visual imagery is abstract, and I hope to evoke emotion with color and shape and suggestive figures. I love exploring different mediums, from pen and ink to watercolors, and from acrylics to water-soluble oil pastels, even dabbling in mixed media, collage, sculpture, and papermaking. I have also been writing poetry since teenage angst first hit at age eleven, but sincerely hope it has improved with age. I love the expansive capacity of words, from the hunt for specificity of language, to the opportunity to evoke visceral responses in an audience. I have been published in the Terra Preta Review, The Green Light Literary Journal, Blue Literary Journal and Literary Mama. My forthcoming chapbook, The Good Truth, is due out next year from Finishing Line Press. Art is my most beloved coping mechanism and preferred form of communication.; I am currently in school for a Bachelor’s in Art Therapy and hope one day to pass this gift along to others after receiving my Masters.

While not in school, I enjoy reading, gardening, baking, and other muggle-ish activities. I live in Madison with my phenomenal 19-year old daughter, Noelle Elizabeth, and my wonderful fiancé, Dannee. I appreciate this opportunity to share some of my work with you. Thank you for the opportunity.