Cinder
Artist
Natalie Ball
MediumPhotocopy paper, collage
Dimensions20 x 16 in. (50.8 x 40.6 cm)
ClassificationsPrint
Credit LineSeattle Public Utilities 1% for Art funds
The woman in the forefront and behind the Cinderella dress, is Fannie Mae Ball, her son Joseph Ball is to the right of her. They are my ancestors and how I am connected to Kintpaush or Captain Jack; the leader the Modoc people during the Modoc War of 1872-73; Captain Jack was hung by the US government with three other Modoc men. He was beheaded, and his head piked for public consumption and further psychological warfare.
The title Cinder is playing with the story and image of Cinderella; a story line of circumstance, despair, fantasy, hidden identity, romance and privilege, etc. I am bringing forward another story that centers the violence of settler colonialism but more importantly survival and resiliency of an Indigenous woman. Fannie’s story is a metaphor for what a cinder is; a hot coal capable of burning without flame, and still has combustible matter in it. This piece is a celebration of Fannie Mae as a mother, survivor, and story carrier. –Artist statement
