Raven Chacon is a composer, performer and installation artist from Fort Defiance, Navajo Nation. He will be the first Artist-in-Residence at the Bemis Center for Contemporary Arts in its new track dedicated to the field of sound art, experimental music, and music composition. Chacon will produce new sound installations, musical scores, and recordings during his residency. Specifically, Chacon aims to create a new sound installation comprised of field recordings taken at the 2016 Standing Rock gathering and a series of writings on the role of sound at Standing Rock and other recent protest demonstrations. In addition, Chacon will complete a book consisting of 15 musical scores based on Zitkála-Šá (1876–1938; a.k.a. Red Bird or Gertrude Simmons Bonnin), a Yankton Dakota who in the early 20th Century became known as a composer, writer, editor, teacher, and political activist. Chacon’s residency will take place May 22-August 16, 2019.
(Excerpt and image above selected from grant proposal. Artwork is copyright of the artist.)