Title: "THE SILENT DISTRESS" (SET)

Artist: Augustine Lopez

Tribal Affiliation: Pascua Yaqui Tribe of Arizona

Year Completed: 2022

Medium: Photography, Unframed

Dimensions (HxWxD): 20x30

Artist Statement/ Description:

"The Silent Epidemic"

The Silent Epidemic is Photographic/ Research work based on the growing epidemic that is affecting our Indigenous Nations around The United States, Canada, Mexico and around the World. According to the Urban Indian Health Institute (UIHI.Org) in 2016 there has been a total of 5,712 cases of Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and girls that have been reported. Due to the Urban Indian Health Institute's limited resources and poor data collection by numerous cities and the cases identified in this report are likely an undercount of MMIWG in Urban areas. My work is based on Awareness and a visual look into this epidemic but also questioning the Government on why these issues are not being reported in the media and why data is so limited. I have also incorporated work on the Boarding School Epidemic that has just been exposed in our Nation of the mistreatments in our Boarding School history Since it is Connected to MMIWR and the generational trauma that has been plaguing our Native Nations for Centuries this is the work I have created.

Artist Bio:

My name is Augustine Lopez I am a member of the Pascua Yaqui Tribe in Tucson, Az. I born and raised here in Tucson a small pueblo called Old Pascua Village and later I moved to New Pascua when I was 12 years old as a Foster child. I grew in the foster care system but all along I wanted to be better for myself and Family and be a role for my people. as an Adult I joined the United States Army as a reservist and during that time I was a Police Dispatcher, Police Dispatch Supervisor and became a Police Officer for the Tohono O'odham Nation and The Pascua Yaqui Nation. In 2004 I decided to leave Police work and I joined the Army as an Active Duty Soldier and was deployed to Iraq in 2004-2005 and 2007-2008 as a Sgt. in Gun Trucks conducting Convoy Security. in 2010 I was Retired Medically, and I decide to go back to school 2016. Now am a Senior at The University of Arizona and in the past two years I have been working on Indigenous issues such The Missing and Murdered Indigenous Epidemic and also with Combat P.T.S.D and Border issues. My goal is to complete my BFA degree in Studio Arts and American Indian Studies. I would love to be an advocate for all Nations and my People as an Artist it is my intention to continue my work on a National level and maybe at a Global level. I feel that I can make a difference in my People and Nation.

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