Levine Museum of the New South’s latest exhibit, Lumbee Indians: A People and a Place, explores Lumbee people and culture in portraiture. Curated by Nancy Strickland Fields, Director of UNC Pembroke’s Museum of the Southeast American Indian, this visual narrative of the Lumbee tells a history and experience of family and home, land and water, faith and memory. Exhibit opens Saturday, November 14, 2020.
Join us for a conversation about these themes and the Lumbee experience in Charlotte with exhibit artists Travis Dove and Chip Cavan, community members Brandon D. Lowery and Lori Winfree, Metrolina Native American Association Chairperson Rebecca LaClaire, and moderator Nancy Strickland Fields.
Meet the Panelists:
Chip Cavan is a Tuscarora native of Robeson County. His family comes from the Prospect community. He enjoys taking photos of the rugged landscape and swampy areas of his homeland. His goal is to show that the land is as beautiful as the people who inhabit it.
Travis Dove’s work has appeared in large and small publications across the globe including National Geographic Magazine, Rolling Stone, AARP, The Wall Street Journal, and many more, and he is a regular contributor to The New York Times.
Travis received his BA from Wake Forest University in 2004.
While working toward a master’s degree in photography at Ohio University’s School of Visual Communication he was named the 2007 College Photographer of the Year by the Missouri School of Journalism. In recent years his work has been awarded by Pictures of the Year International, World Press Photo, the National Press Photographers Association, and the White House News Photographers Association, among others. His first story for National Geographic Magazine was also published in the form of a book in Greece. Travis has been featured on the cover of News Photographer Magazine and was named as “One to Watch” by American Photo Magazine in 2010.
Rebecca Jones LaClaire, Enrolled member of the Lumbee Tribe, is a resident of Charlotte, NC but was raised in Hoke County. She is an alumni of UNC-Pembroke with a Bachelor of Science in Business. Mrs. LaClaire serves on the NC Commission of Indian Affairs, NC Indian Housing Authority, City of Charlotte Business Advisory Committee and she is the Chairperson for Metrolina Native American Association. Her passion lies with advocating and working with American Indians. Mrs. LaClaire owns LaClaire Construction, LLC with her husband Scott and she has two children Nicholas and Molly
Brandon D. Lowery grew up in Charlotte, NC graduating from Independence High School’s International Studies program where he was twice a foreign exchange student. He graduated from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill with a BA in English. He began his career with Continental Chemicals in 2000, where he now serves as the Managing Member of the company. He and his wife Leslie have a son, Dean (15) and a daughter Clara (13). Brandon is very active in his church, Myers Park United Methodist serving on several boards and most extensively as the Champion for ZOE Empowers, an orphan empowerment group in Kenya. His other interests include golf and horology.
Nancy Strickland Fields 17-year museum career has been focused in museum education and administration. She has worked at the Museum of Contemporary Native Art in Santa Fe, New Mexico; The National Museum of the American Indian in Washington, D.C.; and The American Indian Cultural Center and Museum in Oklahoma City. Her current role is Director and Curator of The Museum of the Southeast American Indian in Pembroke, North Carolina.
Nancy is the first Lumbee graduate of the Institute of American Indian Arts in Santa Fe, New Mexico where she earned a BA in Museum Studies. She also holds a Master’s Degree in History from the University of North Carolina at Wilmington. Nancy is a member of the Lumbee Tribe. Her family resides in and around the Pembroke area. She was raised in Charlotte with very close ties to her family in Robeson County.
Lori Winfree, Lumbee, was born and raised in Charlotte, North Carolina. Lori is the daughter of Rosa Revels Winfree, former Title IV Indian Education Director for the Charlotte-Mecklenburg School System. Lori grew up with active roles both in the Charlotte Indian Youth Council as well as with the NC Native American Youth Council. She continued to be a mentor to Charlotte Native Youth until her move to Atlanta in the late 1990’s.
Currently Lori is an Enterprise Account Director for Salesforce.com residing in Cumming, Georgia. She is an active member of the Salesforce Equality Group, WINDForce serving as VP. She also serves as a member of the Council of Trustees for the United National Indian Tribal Youth (UNITY) Organization.