KAITLYN ANDERSON, Former Conroy Intern, 2023–24
Hood Quarterly, winter 2024
Before graduating from Dartmouth with the Class of 2024, I had the privilege of working closely with Chemehuevi artist Cara Romero during her June 2024 residency. The short week after finals and before Commencement was filled with setup and shoot days for Romero's Water Memories and First American Doll series, though we had been preparing for months.
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During the 2023–24 school year, I worked with Dr. Jami Powell as a Native American Art Intern at the Hood Museum, and one of my projects was preparing for Romero's residency. Early on, Powell had suggested that Romero could tell Kānaka Maoli stories, and I was happy to help represent my culture, especially with an artist I admire. Throughout the year, I acted as a liaison between Romero and Hōkūpa'a, Dartmouth's Pan-Pasifika Club, gathering students interested in the collaboration. The other students, Teani, Hope, and Amedée, and I brainstormed ideas and worked with our families to bring materials from Hawai'i to use in Romero's set design.
We planned two First American Doll shoots, honoring the main style divisions of hula: kāhiko (traditional) and 'auana (modern). I created sketches to test layouts and paint colors, but the actual experience was even better than I expected. As the subject for the 'auana box, I was first, and I didn't know what to expect going in. Everything was fast-paced—the life-size dollbox had been painted the night before, and the vinyl patterns had been applied that morning. The shoot was organic, with the "accessories" inside placed and fastened around my pose. It was an odd experience staring out at my friends, Romero, and the Hood Museum staff, with the camera flashing—but the final product was amazing, a once-in-a-lifetime experience.
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I was so glad to work so closely with Romero and other Hōkūpa'a members on this project. Representation for Indigenous people is often a very difficult subject, as we are hardly ever the directors of such images. I hope the works coming into the Hood Museum's collection will demonstrate that we weren't just girls in grass skirts—we don't all look the same, we are in various stages of (re)connecting to our cultures, and our cultures are constantly growing and changing.
This opportunity made me reflect about the last forty-plus years and how much has changed at Dartmouth. Before former Dartmouth President John G. Kemeny's recommitment to the original Dartmouth charter, none of this would have been possible, especially for a team of all women. We are finally able to broadcast our perspectives and voices, helping each other in solidarity. It is so meaningful to know I've left an impact on the museum, where I spent so much of my time as a student—I hope these pieces in the collection will serve as encouraging reminders for other Hawaiians, Pasifika people, and other Indigenous people that we are still here, and we can create our representations. Mahalo (thank you) to the people that made it possible, especially Jami, Cara, Ali, and Anna Kaye!
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