New Photo Exhibit ‘A Native View’ Opens

Tribal Citizens’ Work on Display at Okalee

By Felix DoBosz

HOLLYWOOD — On Sept. 11, the new “A Native View” photographic exhibit opened to the public at the Ah-Tah-Thi-Ki Museum at Okalee Village. The photographic exhibit featured approximately 60 pieces of assorted black and white and colored photo images.

“We have a brand new exhibit opening here today, photographs put together by myself, Mr. Oliver Wareham and Ms. Corinne Zepeda, so you’ll see various photographs of people, places, things, events, we have a little bit of everything,” Brian Zepeda, curator, community outreach coordinator and citizen of the Seminole Tribe of Florida, for the Ah-Tha-Thi-Ki Museum, said. “We even have some of the Kissimmee Slough from Big Cypress, we have pictures from Taos, New Mexico, and we also have tribal members that are in the photographs, so we have a little bit for everybody.

“These photos were taken over the process of present day and going back about five or six years. The message that we are sending out is that we do have tribal members that are photographers and are quite good at it, I know we have a lot of people that come out to our events and to the casino and other places that the Tribe owns and manages and take photographs, but we actually have people within the tribe that do this as well.

“There’s a little bit from everything. From nature, as far as plants, trees, flowers, Orchids, and we have beach scenes, swamp scenes, and scene of a slough, and we have scenes from the American Indian arts celebration, scenes from historical reenactments, we have pictures of animals, as far as birds, deer, alligator, gopher tortoise. We have a little bit of everything, and stuff from Seminole Stomp dancing. My favorite picture is the photo of the Ghost Orchid… that I took last year. The image came out spectacular.”

Carol Cypress came out to view the exhibit. She praised the photos and called the exhibit “good” overall. Artist and painter Guy LaBree also showed up to view the photo exhibit and seemed impressed with some of the magnificent works on display.

According to Zepeda, the show runs for at least the next three months at the Ah-Tah-Thi-Ki Museum at Okalee Village.