Nurtured Flames, the Medicine of Fire, presented by Meztli Projects in collaboration with the Armory Center for the Arts, features new works created in 2026 by an intergenerational cohort of eleven Indigenous artists.
Continuing Indigenous practices of collaborative art-making and learning, these artworks were developed through dialogue and reflection on the relationship between Indigenous Peoples and fire. Transcending the binary of "good fire" and "bad fire," the exhibition explores fire through Indigenous knowledge systems that understand it as a force of repair, renewal, stewardship, and regeneration. The participating artists draw on their lived experiences, alongside the perspectives and practices of their respective communities, to present more expansive relationships with this element.
Throughout the process, artists gathered to discuss the exhibition's theme, exchange ideas, share developing concepts, and learn from one another, supported by experienced artists, Elders, and culture bearers. This collaborative model fostered a unique artistic dialogue in which Indigenous artists could share differing cultural experiences while expanding their personal creative practices.
Collectively, the works in Nurtured Flames, the Medicine of Fire invite viewers to reconsider dominant Western narratives that portray fire primarily as something to be feared or controlled. Instead, the exhibition presents fire as a complex and generative presence - one that has long sustained Indigenous relationships with land, ecology, and memory. Through diverse artistic practices, the participating artists illuminate fire's capacity to heal and cultivate new life.
The exhibition features works by joel garcia, River Garza, Ishi Glinsky, Artemiza (Ciara Green), Adrienne Kinsella, Kenneth Lopez, Emma Robbins, Kimberly Robertson, Aanii Tate, Isaac Michael Ybarra, and Alexandria Ybarra
