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Contact: Elliot Warren
Acting Director of Library Services
Berkeley Public Library
(510) 981-6195
ewarren@cityofberkeley.info

Internationally Acclaimed Native American Activist and Photographer, Matika Wilbur, at the Berkeley Public Library

Berkeley, California (October 31, 2019) – Matika Wilbur, the founder of Project 562, will give two talks at the Berkeley Public Library on Saturday, November 9. Project 562 is dedicated to photographing over 562 Native American Tribes in the United States and has exhibited in museums all over the country. Wilbur and Project 562 have been featured in publications such as Elle magazine, the Guardian, the New York Times and on CNN.

Wilbur’s first talk at the Library on November 9th, The Truth About Stories: Indigenous Genesis, Truth and Cultural Resistance, begins at 11am in the Community Meeting Room at Central. Wilbur will discuss how indigenous communities use story-telling to transfer knowledge and maintain a world view anchored in indigenous wisdom.

The second talk that day, Natural Wanderment: Native-led Environmental Movements, begins at 2pm on the first floor in the Commons at Central. “In this lecture, I invite the audience to connect with the 'ecological being’ of sitters through images and narratives with the aspiration and force of the original stewards of the land. This is crucial to not only the sovereignty and dignity of Native Americans, but also the preservation and majesty of the natural world,” says Wilbur.

Before focusing on photography as a tool for social justice, Wilbur, who belongs to the Swinomish and Tulalip Tribes, worked in primary education where she was dismayed with a curriculum that did not provide Native youth with positive imagery and understanding. This work inspired Project 562. Wilbur went on to earn her BFA from Brooks Institute of Photography.

“To have such an accomplished and talented artist come to the Library is a real honor,” says Erica Dean Glenn, Senior Librarian. “Her work has been incredibly important for infusing contemporary images and cultures of Native Americans into our national discourse. And, as a seasoned educator, Ms. Wilbur will effectively speak to a multi-generational audience.”

Both talks on November 9th are recommended for ages 8 and up. They are part of the many intergenerational programs the Berkeley Public Library is offering in honor of Native American Heritage month. For a complete listing of events and programs, please visit the Library’s online calendar.

For questions regarding Matika Wilbur’s visit, call Erica Dean Glenn, Senior Librarian, at 510-981-6223, or Heather Cummins, Supervising Librarian, at (510) 981-6124.

The Central Library is located at 2090 Kittredge Street and is open Monday, 12noon-8pm, Tuesday, 10am-8pm, Wednesday through Saturday, 10am-6pm, and Sunday from 1pm-5pm. 
Wheelchair accessible. For questions, to request a sign language interpreter or other accommodations for this event, please call (510) 981-6195 (voice) or (510) 548-1240 (TTY); at least five working days will help ensure availability. Please refrain from wearing scented products to public programs. Visit the library’s website: www.berkeleypubliclibrary.org.

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