Handmade Chess Set
“Who Controls The Board?” handmade porcelain figure chess set (Limited Edition of 10)
Cherokee Nation artist Karen Sixkiller works from photos to Individually sculpt each porcelain piece for this politically charged statement art chess set. Pieces are sculpted on a 1.75” base to fit on a standard 24" x 24" competition size chess board. Pieces range in height from 6” tall kings down to 2.5" tall pawns. Each piece is then decorated with colored slip, stains, and glazes before firing to cone 06. Inside the box red ultrasuede covers individually cut spaces for the pieces.
Historic/Black pieces depict US president Andrew Jackson as the king, a black slave woman "mammy" as the queen, Catholic and Methodist bishops, KKK knights and Bureau of Indian Education (BIE) school rooks. Native children killed at BIE school pawns are represented as: Alaska Native & Pacific Northwest, Dine' (Navajo), Apache, Hopi, Lakota (Sioux), Saskatchewan and Cherokee.
Contemporary/White pieces depict another US president as the king, a missing and murdered indigenous woman (MMIW) as the queen, televangelists as the bishops, Proud Boy knights and modern school rooks. Average American children killed due to gun violence at school are the pawns. The set is a contemporary Native American perspective on the power structures in the United States.
The original 32 piece set and wooden storage/display case with tournament standard chess board debuted at the Heard Indian Art Market and its photo was adopted by the First Nations Development Institute (FNDI) to promote their "Social Justice" educational campaign.
Handmade original set made at time of order with vinyl chess board and hand crafted wooden storage/display case as shown in photo. Limited edition 10. Anticipate 2-3 months for creation of your specific original set.
“Who Controls The Board?” handmade porcelain figure chess set (Limited Edition of 10)
Cherokee Nation artist Karen Sixkiller works from photos to Individually sculpt each porcelain piece for this politically charged statement art chess set. Pieces are sculpted on a 1.75” base to fit on a standard 24" x 24" competition size chess board. Pieces range in height from 6” tall kings down to 2.5" tall pawns. Each piece is then decorated with colored slip, stains, and glazes before firing to cone 06. Inside the box red ultrasuede covers individually cut spaces for the pieces.
Historic/Black pieces depict US president Andrew Jackson as the king, a black slave woman "mammy" as the queen, Catholic and Methodist bishops, KKK knights and Bureau of Indian Education (BIE) school rooks. Native children killed at BIE school pawns are represented as: Alaska Native & Pacific Northwest, Dine' (Navajo), Apache, Hopi, Lakota (Sioux), Saskatchewan and Cherokee.
Contemporary/White pieces depict another US president as the king, a missing and murdered indigenous woman (MMIW) as the queen, televangelists as the bishops, Proud Boy knights and modern school rooks. Average American children killed due to gun violence at school are the pawns. The set is a contemporary Native American perspective on the power structures in the United States.
The original 32 piece set and wooden storage/display case with tournament standard chess board debuted at the Heard Indian Art Market and its photo was adopted by the First Nations Development Institute (FNDI) to promote their "Social Justice" educational campaign.
Handmade original set made at time of order with vinyl chess board and hand crafted wooden storage/display case as shown in photo. Limited edition 10. Anticipate 2-3 months for creation of your specific original set.
“Who Controls The Board?” handmade porcelain figure chess set (Limited Edition of 10)
Cherokee Nation artist Karen Sixkiller works from photos to Individually sculpt each porcelain piece for this politically charged statement art chess set. Pieces are sculpted on a 1.75” base to fit on a standard 24" x 24" competition size chess board. Pieces range in height from 6” tall kings down to 2.5" tall pawns. Each piece is then decorated with colored slip, stains, and glazes before firing to cone 06. Inside the box red ultrasuede covers individually cut spaces for the pieces.
Historic/Black pieces depict US president Andrew Jackson as the king, a black slave woman "mammy" as the queen, Catholic and Methodist bishops, KKK knights and Bureau of Indian Education (BIE) school rooks. Native children killed at BIE school pawns are represented as: Alaska Native & Pacific Northwest, Dine' (Navajo), Apache, Hopi, Lakota (Sioux), Saskatchewan and Cherokee.
Contemporary/White pieces depict another US president as the king, a missing and murdered indigenous woman (MMIW) as the queen, televangelists as the bishops, Proud Boy knights and modern school rooks. Average American children killed due to gun violence at school are the pawns. The set is a contemporary Native American perspective on the power structures in the United States.
The original 32 piece set and wooden storage/display case with tournament standard chess board debuted at the Heard Indian Art Market and its photo was adopted by the First Nations Development Institute (FNDI) to promote their "Social Justice" educational campaign.
Handmade original set made at time of order with vinyl chess board and hand crafted wooden storage/display case as shown in photo. Limited edition 10. Anticipate 2-3 months for creation of your specific original set.
The concept started when school shootings started up again after the COVID pandemic subsided. Concurrently a large number of child remains were being repatriated to their home communities. Why are children still being killed at school? Perhaps they are just pawns in a larger political and economic game. But all the pieces in chess, even the mighty king, are being moved by an external force and all are ultimately expendable like the pawns. Who (or what) is controlling the board?
The original 32 piece set and wooden storage/display case with tournament standard chess board debuted at the Heard Indian Art Market and its photo was adopted by the First Nations Development Institute (FNDI) to promote their "Social Justice" educational campaign.
