The public is invited to join the Santa Clarita City Council, Arts Commission, and Arts and Events Office on Wednesday, Feb. 25, from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. in the Old Town Newhall Library’s Community Room for a reception celebrating the newest exhibit, “Surviving Assimilation: The Contemporary Native American Through the Lens of Peggy Fontenot.” The exhibition will be on display through June 5, 2015.

As the nineteenth century ended, the prevailing view among non-Indians was that Indians should be absorbed as rapidly as possible into the dominant society: their reservations broken up, tribal authority abolished, traditional religions and languages eradicated.  In 1871, Congress placed tribes under the guardianship of the federal government and through the Dawes Act, started the process of assimilation.

Fontenot’s images portray the strength of the Indigenous people to survive as individuals, as clans, and as tribes.

Enjoy this vibrant photography collection, meet the artist, talk to others about art, and enjoy light appetizers and entertainment.

The Old Town Newhall Library is located at 24500 Main Street, Santa Clarita.

Fontenot is an award-winning Native American artist who lives in the Santa Clarita Valley and whose photography has been displayed at the Smithsonian’s Museum of the American Indian, the New Mexico Museum of Art, the Eiteljorg and Heard Museums, the Autry National Center, the Museum of History and Art Ontario and the National Vietnam Veterans Art Museum. Working solely in film, Fontenot devotes her work to relevant social issues within the Native American and veteran communities.