Institute of American Indian Arts (IAIA)

Annoucement

IAIA is the foremost native arts education institution offering four-year degrees in Studio Arts, Visual Communication, Creative Writing and Museum Studies. Funding for the Mescalero Water Tank Project supported an education based cultural preservation  project working in collaboration with the Mescalero Apache which brought IAIA staff together with Apache youth to document, as artifacts, nearly forgotten water tanks used by Apache “cowboys” during the heyday of cattle ranching in the area in the mid 20th century. The project will preserve memories of a time of cultural significance in the history of the tribe, the insight of "cowboy graffiti" on the tanks, while providing invaluable artistic and cultural training for the students in an environment that has produced a significant reduction in local education services.

As reported, the long-term benefit of this program is priceless. As time goes on, more and more of the water tank cowboy graffiti is being destroyed. These writings and drawings constitute a part of the historical record of the people of the Mescalero Apache reservation. In small capsules, names, events and drawings depict the way of life from that era. The earliest mark that was recorded was dated at 1931 and there were several post-millennial markings. This “salvage” project was very important as the more contemporary graffiti is spray painted on the water tanks, the underlying images and markings are covered. So as the Tribe paints over the spray painted graffiti, again, the historical material is covered. This collaboration fostered mentorship, educational outreach into tribal communities, and a cultural link between Apache youth and IAIA.