LANCASTER, S.C. — A new exhibit is opening Thursday at the University of South Carolina Lancaster’s Native American Studies Center. The exhibit, titled “Woven Together: Fiber Art within Special Collections,” features regalia, leatherwork, beadwork, jewelry and more.
"Art is one way that you can touch people that you may never meet," Beckee Garris, one of the featured artists, said.
Garris said her personal favorite pieces in the gallery are miniature longleaf pine needles that she made herself.
"I create because I have to create, and to know the other people appreciate it and like it is just an extra bonus," Garris said.
The exhibit – and the Native American Studies Center as a whole – are important for people to visit, Garris said. She added the center offers a much-needed opportunity for people to learn about Native culture and history.
"You have to learn and study and know the good, the bad, and the ugly," Garris said. "Because if you don't know the ugly, you don't know when the good comes. Or you don't know… how the good came about, because of what people had to suffer through to get to where we are today. And we're still trying to get there."
The Catawba Nation is a federally recognized tribe, and there are over a dozen additional tribes and groups in South Carolina recognized by the state. These tribes and groups are all represented at the Native American Studies Center, Garris said.
"We're still here," Garris said. "We live in today's society, not just in the past."
The exhibit can be found at the Native American Studies Center’s Duke Energy Gallery through Aug. 3.
Contact Emma Korynta at ekorynta@wcnc.com and follow her on Twitter.