Cheyney Professor and Students Create Mural Depicting Lenape Indian Tribe of Delaware
(CHEYNEY, PA – October 30, 2019) – Just in time for Native American Heritage Month, a Cheyney University professor and her students have created a mural depicting the story of the Lenape (pronounced len-OPP-pay) Indian Tribe of Delaware. The large artwork goes on display beginning November 1 at the Biggs Museum of American Art in Dover, Delaware.
Marietta Dantonio-Madsen, an associate professor at Cheyney and chairperson of the Humanities Department, spearheaded the project, with help from the Lenape community, which numbers several hundred in Kent County, as well as another Cheyney professor, volunteers, and her students.
“I approached them and presented my idea to do a healing arts project with them. They asked if I would do a mural of the history of their people and I was delighted because that is my passion – to help people tell and re-tell the stories of their communities,” Professor Madsen said. “Then I asked my students who would want to volunteer and work with us. Ten students and former students stepped up. It was an incredibly intensive five days over two weekends, literally working around the clock. They had to stay at my house because the project was so labor-intensive, plus traveling down to the Lenape community in Cheswold, Delaware. We created the mural from our research as well as information the Lenape provided, and asked us to include in the piece.”
The mural, measuring about ten feet wide by six feet tall, captures the history, customs and spiritual traditions of the Lenape people and the recognition that they are still in Delaware. The mural has three interlocking panels.
“They had asked that it be portable so we broke it down into panels and separate sections so that it can be easily reassembled and taken on tour because that’s what they would like for it to do after the exhibit at the Biggs Museum is over,” Madsen said.
The students were the primary painters. They also wanted the community to participate so as the mural progressed more and more Lenape added their drawings. Madsen took on the role of conductor as she typically has done on similar projects. When she saw a mistake she went in and fixed it while also teaching the artists different techniques. Her goal was to get as many people who wanted to contribute involved. Ultimately, she said the final product is something far more beautiful than if one person had painted it alone.
The creation of this mural is a prime example of the life-enriching projects students in Cheyney’s Fine Arts and Pre-Art Therapy programs get to experience as they matriculate. These academic programs are designed to guide students as they hone their skills and learn to fully express themselves in the visual or performing arts.
Making the project even more relevant, some of Madsen’s students have Native American ancestry, something their families were reluctant to mention in the past.
“Their families believed for a long time it was actually better for them to hide the fact they were part-Native-American rather than being solely African American,” Madsen said. “Fortunately, like most things in America society, that has evolved and people are willing to recognize their ancestry. You would be amazed at how many Cheyney students have some Native American background.”
Next, Madsen will help the Lenape get prints made of the mural so they can sell them to raise money toward their dream of building a cultural center on their original land in Delaware.
“They were so gracious,” Madsen said. “They cooked and served the most fabulous meals for everyone, and then we had a big celebration at the end with live drumming, singing and dancing.”
An opening reception for the Lenape Tribe of Delaware Healing Arts Mural will be held from 5:00 – 7:00 p.m. on November 1st at the Briggs Museum, 406 Federal Street in Dover. The mural will be on display through January 19, 2020.
About Cheyney – Founded in 1837, Cheyney University of Pennsylvania is the nation’s oldest historically Black institution of higher education. Building on this legacy, the vision for Cheyney is to become the premier model for academic excellence, character development, and social responsibility among not only Historically Black Colleges and Universities, but in all of American higher education. The campus is located on 275 acres straddling Delaware and Chester Counties. Read more at www.cheyney.edu.