JACKSON, WYOMING, August 23, 2024 / Jackson Hole Public Art (JHPA)is excited to announce the installation of Spirit Lake Dakota artist Marlena Myles’ Whirlwind’s Guidance, Jackson’s first immersive, augmented reality experience. 

Signage explaining how to access the installation will be located at Russ Garaman Park and the northeast corner of the Center for the Arts Park. Bring your phone to step into an enveloping  journey where the spirit of Whirlwind weaves a thread that connects all life on earth, guided by Indigenous wisdom. Activate the installation through a QR code on the sign and interact with the artwork digitally, as there is not a physical installation at either location.

Whirlwind’s Guidance is the second installment for JHPA’s LandSignals project. JHPA is producing LandSignals to envision a future that more authentically includes Indigenous voices and traditional ecological knowledge to help us better steward the natural resources and cultural heritage of the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem. 

Through Myles’ engaging artwork you’ll encounter each plant's spirit and learn its traditional Indigenous name, carrying ancestral knowledge and spiritual reverence. “This living tapestry invites you to understand that we are not separate from nature but an integral part of its sacred balance, guided by the teachings of those who have lived in harmony with Grandmother Earth for generations,” states Myles. “Utilizing augmented reality serves as a powerful metaphor for revealing the concealed Native presence on our homelands. While Dakota histories and stories remain hidden to many, a fresh perspective utilizing modern technology unveils the profound significance of these lands,” Myles added.

Russ Garaman Park, located along the Community Pathway, is a community open space protected by the Jackson Hole Land Trust since 2012 through conservation easement and managed by Teton County Parks and Recreation. 

"Russ Garaman is a gem of a community open space," says JHLT Community Conservation Director Zach Andres. "When JHPA approached us about siting this incredible project, we were thrilled to suggest this easement-protected property that is accessible to all right from the community pathway."

Four Indigenous artists, including Myles, have been commissioned to participate in LandSignals and works will be unveiled at two additional locations during 2024, including the new Jackson Hole History Museum and the Greater Yellowstone Visitor Center at the National Elk Refuge. Other LandSignals artists include Nanibah Chacon, Marlena Myles, and Ben Pease. Rachel Olivia Berg’s Listening to Inyan opened in the Center for the Arts Courtyard in June of 2024.

LandSignals will include the return of the Pretty Shield Foundation’s Lighted Teepee exhibit from October 23 - 30 in the Center for the Arts Park. Visit jhpublicart.org/art/landsignals to learn more about each artist, installation, and upcoming details for the Chacon and Pease mural openings on October 28 and to learn more about the LandSignals artist panel at the Center for the Arts on October 29.

LandSignals is funded in part with a grant from the National Endowment for the Arts and with generous support from Mary Armour, Agnes Bourne, Petria and Scott Fossel, Kate Jensen, Christy Walton, Marshall and Veronique Parke, Community Foundation of Jackson Hole, History Jackson Hole, Center for the Arts, Wyoming Cultural Trust Fund, Wyoming Wilderness Association, National Elk Refuge, The Nature Conservancy, Grand Teton Association, Friends of the Bridger-Teton, JH Travel and Tourism Board,  Jackson Hole Land Trust, and Charter Communications and Ovation TV.

ABOUT THE ARTIST

Marlena Myles is a self-taught Native American (Spirit Lake Dakota/Mohegan/Muscogee) artist located in St Paul, Minnesota. Her art brings modernity to Indigenous history, languages and oral traditions while using the land as a teacher. Growing up on her traditional Dakota homelands in the Twin Cities, she enjoys using her artwork to teach people of all backgrounds the Indigenous history of the place they call home.

ABOUT JACKSON HOLE LAND TRUST

The Jackson Hole Land Trust is a nonprofit organization established in 1980 to protect and steward Northwest Wyoming landscapes for current and future generations. With more than 62,000 acres protected, our vision is a legacy of resilient open spaces, wildlife habitat, working lands, and community places, forever protected across the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem.

ABOUT THE CENTER

Center for the Arts, a 501(c)3 not-for-profit organization, serves Jackson Hole and the surrounding region by providing a state-of-the-art, affordable home for nonprofit arts organizations and supporting excellent programming on our 78,000-square-foot campus.

ABOUT JACKSON HOLE PUBLIC ART

Jackson Hole Public Art (JHPA) forges partnerships for the integration of art into any environment to inspire lasting cultural, educational and economic benefits. JHPA is a non-profit organization and our community’s leading presenter of artist-driven projects in public space. We place artworks outside traditional venues of museums and galleries to provide access to art for all people. JH Public Art provides public art consulting services and collaborates with the Town and County and many local organizations on public art projects. 

For more information contact: 

Carrie Geraci, Executive Director

carrie@jhpublicart.org | 307-413-1474

www.jhpublicart.org