This spotlight is the first in a series of short blog posts which will highlight members of the wider project partnership, in this case one of our advisory board: Dr. Stephanie Pratt. Steph is well known in academic circles throughout the UK for her deeply insightful work on representations of Native Americans in British art (see her American Indians in British Art, 1700-1840) and her knowledge of both British and North American art more broadly. Although she is no longer in an academic post, she continues to work in various ways, including in a curatorial and advisory capacity across a range of projects. Furthermore, in the last few years, she has been appointed as Cultural Affairs Ambassador to the Crow Creek Dakota Nation, her father’s community. This position is testament to Steph’s long-term commitment to education about the contemporary lives of her people, as well as to the political and cultural representation of Native Americans throughout her long sojourn in the UK.
Back in December 2015, Beyond the Spectacle’s Professor David Stirrup interviewed Steph on behalf of London-based theatre company, Border Crossings, for their Origins film “Hidden Histories: Discovering Indigenous London”. Video of this interview was used in the film, which offers fascinating insights into a range of individual experiences discussed openly by Indigenous ex-pats in London. Here, Border Crossings’ Artistic Director Michael Walling has given us permission to link to the audio recording of David’s interview with Steph. Steph discusses her experiences of living in the UK, her thoughts about contemporary questions of representation in the UK (including the Exeter Chiefs Rugby Club, close to where she lives), growing up in an activist family and her memories of childhood, her work with the Crow Creek Nation, and much, much more.
Listen to the interview here.
Of course, while you are there, you may want to check out some of the other interviews in the Origins project’s archive.