Diego Romero vs. the End of Art

Diego Romero vs. the End of Art will be a dynamic exploration of a Cochiti Pueblo artist’s journey through life as depicted through his work.  For decades, California born Cochiti potter Diego Romero has created renowned historical and autobiographical artworks. Acclaimed for his neo-Mimbres pottery illustrating Pueblo Indian history, his father’s Korean War stories, and his relationships with women, family, substances and art, Romero’s work lays bare the life of one Native artist and Native history.  The exhibition narrative will be a biographical and culture history in conjunction with a conflict against a shadowy figure known only as the End of Art. Throughout the exhibition video presentations will feature interviews with the artist and others detailing his path and the evolution of his art. This will be one of the largest assemblages of Romero’s ceramic works and his lesser known multi-media drawings. Per conversations with the artist, several family members will be included as part of his story and as necessary allies in his battle with the nebulous nemesis, the End of Art. In an effort to engage a younger audience and the non-traditional museum visitor, the catalog will be a hybrid of a traditional volume combined with elements of a graphic novel. This method will convey Romero’s stories of cultural and personal endurance. It is hoped that Native youth in particular will relate to their story through art.  The goals of this exhibition are to share Romero’s unique and engaging stories of life and struggle through a cultural and pop culture lens, and the visitor will learn of Native survival and ultimately celebration.