People
There are times when a person embodies the spirit of an event, moment, idea, or emotion. Click on any picture to see a larger version and a description. Copies of artwork purchased on this site do not contain the J. Beatty Digital Visuals watermark.
The Jingle Dress Dance is a dance of healing and prayer. There is medicine in every step and movement. Modern medicine often ignores healing the spirit in favor of healing the body but healing the individual requires both. The medicine of Indigenous song and dance is universal as its healing is a thing that can transcend all man-made barriers.
Honoring the teachings that we as humans have learned from our animal brethren is a long-standing tradition in many Native American communities. Understanding that we are not separate from the natural world is something many people forget as they age, while children often revel in their relationship with the great outdoors and all it holds. Submitted and accepted for the town of Athol's “Windows on Main” art project. This piece has been recreated as a 54”x 54” panel and placed in the window of
Full title “The Power of Taino Existence in the Face of Colonialism”. She stands defiantly & proud, exuding power to the four directions. Arms raised in the victory of surviving 500 years of genocide whether physical, political, paper, or cultural. She remains off-center, purposely positioned a bit awkwardly because resistance is not perfect nor are those who resist exactly where they want to be in the fight against colonialism. But continued struggle can be the thing that brings them closer.
Grass Dancers historically cleared the areas for bands of Indigenous people to camp by dancing in a way that caused the grass to lay flat without breaking the blades. We have removed ourselves from our relationship with the ground, paving over almost every square inch in many places. Keeping that relationship with the Earth is an act of resistance in modern times.