
On Monday, Oct. 14, Indigenous Peoples’ Day, the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum collaborated with choreographer and neighborhood salon luminary Marsha Parrilla of Danza Orgánica to present local indigenous artists from the Massachusett Nipmuc, Mashpee Wampanoag, and Aquinnah Wampanoag tribes. Island Wampanoag tribe members flutist Carole Vandal, narrator Christina Hook, drummer and singer Woody Vanderhoop, and dancers Janette Vanderhoop and James Hakenson, with additional performers Michael Selliti and Michael Washington, all made the trip to Boston to present the first 20-minute section, completed in August 2019 in collaboration with Danza Organica, the Yard, and the Aquinnah Cultural Council (ACC). The original work was performed at the ACC in August against a backdrop of silk panels created by artist Ella Mahoney. Look for the next 20-minute segment to be completed and performed in August 2020.