“Like a siren singing sailors to shipwreck, these haunting words
drift through the Old Jail Arts Center, pulling you into Meehan’s
exhibition (though admittedly to a more positive end). Here,
implementing ceramics, altered photographs, text, and sculpture,
the artist explores t he life of Olive Oatman. Oatman led an
extraordinary life. Born in 1837 in Illinois, at the age of 14 her family
was murdered by a Native American tribe. The only individuals to
escape this fate were herself and her sister, who were enslaved, and
one brother who was left for dead, but survived. Oatman was later
sold to the Mojave tribe, and conflicting stories a rise here, some
stating she continued to be a slave, while others posit that she was
a respected member of the tribe’s society. A few years later she was
ransomed back to white society, full of unusual stories and marked
by a bright blue tattoo on her chin.”
– Click the link to read “Thin Blue Lines”- meehan Patron Magazine- Justine Ludwig