As part of the exhibition Quasi-Heartland, CAM commissioned Haegue Yang to create a new work, Mound Vehicles. Featuring non-traditional elements like handles, custom Venetian blinds, and casters, this room-size installation is a four-part sculpture that was inspired by the Yang’s recent visit to Cahokia and engages the St. Louis region’s precolonial history and the Mississippi River landscape. 

This evening program explores links between the contemporary moment and Yang’s Mound Vehicles and the historic civilizations of our Mississippian mound builder ancestors. After a special activation of the sculpture, guests are invited to enjoy and participate in a conversation between exhibition curator Misa Jeffereis and Dr. Angela Cooper, Interpretation Site Services Specialist II for Cahokia Mounds State Historic Site. The evening will explore concepts that relate to Cahokia and Mound Vehicles, including pilgrimage and procession, how museums and history sites shape our understanding of Indigenous experiences and perspectives, and how learning about the past shapes the present and future. 

The evening will include a pop-up exhibition and information booths highlighting Indigenous artists and cultural stewards, as well as a reception with complimentary light bites and drinks for purchase. Participating artists to be announced. 

Schedule

• 5:30 pm: Doors open to visit pop-up exhibit and galleries
• 6:15 pm: Conversation between Misa Jeffereis and Dr. Angela Cooper
• 7:00 pm: Reception

Registration is encouraged; please click here to sign up.

Accessibility Notes

• To request an American Sign Language (ASL) interpreter for this event, please contact programs@camstl.org with as much prior notice possible to ensure availability.
• This performance will begin in the galleries with limited seating. To request a chair, please contact programs@camstl.org.
• The conversation will take place in the Performance Space with ample seating.

About the Contributors

Misa Jeffereis is Associate Curator at the Contemporary Art Museum St. Louis, where she recently organized Haegue Yang: Quasi-Heartland, CAM’s presentation of the touring exhibition Paul Chan: Breathers, and the 2024 Great Rivers Biennial featuring Saj Issa, Basil Kincaid, and Ronald Young. She is on the board of Gallery 210 at University of Missouri at St. Louis, and the board of Midwest Artist Project Services, an organization that serves and empowers artists, collectives, and arts organizations in the Midwest. Jeffereis holds a Masters in Art History from Hunter College in New York.

Dr. Angela Cooper is the Site Services Specialist II at Cahokia Mounds State Historic Site. She is an alumna of Southern Illinois University Edwardsville 2009, University of Tulsa (TU) 2012 and 2018. Dr. Cooper received her doctorate in 2018 through her dissertation entitled, “Portrayals of Native Americans at Museums: What are Visitors Learning?”. The work grew out of conversations she had with visitors at Cahokia Mounds related to their preconceived notions of Indigenous people and their ancestors. Dr. Cooper enjoys educating visitors about Cahokia Mounds and its people.