Visual Voices Logo

In 1723, the Chickasaw leader Squirrel King (Fani’ Minko’) presented a deerskin map of the Southern continent to the governor of South Carolina. It was a rendering of the world as Chickasaw knew it, a placement of tribes and

waterways, the British, the French, and others across more than seven hundred thousand square miles.

The VISUAL VOICES exhibition logo reflects the design work of this early map in modern, stylized form, a symbol of contemporary Chickasaw artist expression in relation to the world.

The center of its circle holds dual meaning – at its core, a place of sacred fire where logs burn and smoke carries prayers to the Creator. Then like cardinal directions, it extends outward, finding place among an evolving aesthetic community. Finally, the motif of seasons formulates a creative ecology, a continuum of visual voices guiding the beauty and rhythm of Chickasaw life and art.