Óódááł | Everyone Moving Forward by Marina Eskeets (2019-20)
Óódááł | Everyone Moving Forward (2019-20), presents a colorful depiction of two young Diné | Navajo girls walking behind a flock of sheep. They blow bubbles with their gum and wave their hands in the air to keep the heard moving. They walk past a twisted cedar tree with geometric patterns framing them. In the far background are four wind turbines, mimicking a corn field. Having grown up in the Gallup area, this narrative is central to Eskeet’s personal story, but also resonates widely with folks in our greater community, several of which volunteered to share their stories about sheep herding to accompany the mural.
Listen to the stories here:https://soundcloud.com/gallupmainstreet/sheep-stories
This project was organized by Gallup MainStreet Arts & Cultural District, with special thanks to and help from: Galluparts, Northwest New Mexico Council of Governments, Miyamura High School students who worked with Marina, Marina’s family who spent many cold days helping her paint, and all of the community members who shared their stories and stopped to chat with the artist. 
Funded by New Mexico Resiliency Alliance Resilient Communities Grant.
Location
106 W Aztec Ave, Gallup, NM 87301
Northwest New Mexico Council of Governments building, alley side.
About the Artist
Marina Eskeets is a Diné (Navajo) conceptual artist from Naná’áztiin, New Mexico (The Big Curve, NM, Navajo Reservation). Eskeets received a Bachelors in Fine Arts, with a major in Studio Arts at Santa Fe University of Art and design. Her work is stimulated from her childhood herding her grandmothers’ sheep, in a region directly affected by a uranium disaster. Unrestricted to any medium, she allows her ideas to be presented in the most appropriate technique.
