California

The California gold rush inspired Powers to produce an allegory of gold mining. Originally planned to have discernibly Native accessories, the figure alludes to the damaging effects of mining on Indigenous land and lifeways. In the final version, she holds a miner’s wand that partially shields her nudity and points to faceted quartz crystals, in which gold was often found. The thorny branch clutched in her right hand evokes the moral “all is not gold that glitters.”

“For her to be a representation of both the gold rush and also claim that she is an Indigenous female is extremely fraught.” Christine Garnier, art historian, Audioguide 4029