Articles
- Education through Rock Art: an Experience in EmpathyOne of the significant challenges in education today is engaging children with opportunities to think critically and to creatively express their ideas. Piloted in Tennessee and Oklahoma, our first rock art activity hit the mark. Kids discovered how symbols can convey multifaceted meanings, capturing events and knowledge, cultural beliefs and stories, and individual self-expression. They reflected on their own identifies and stories, comparing themselves with those original artists, then created unique artwork that demonstrated their understanding of the purpose and power of iconography today. On top of that, they had fun! Over a year has passed, and they’re still talking about their experiences. This kind of lasting impact is precisely what we aim to achieve in education—lessons that inspire new perspectives, a deeper understanding of the world, and greater self-awareness. To build on this success, we’re moving forward with the process of developing four additional activities, each designed to be...Read more
- Jackson Hole Talk September 4thJoin us Sept 4th, 2024 5:30 PM MDT Altamira Fine Arts Gallery in Jackson WYRead more
- Paleolithic paintings in Cresswell Craigs, UKhttps://youtu.be/6njVt5X4WWo Creswell Crags, Nottinghamshire is one of the most important Upper Paleolithic sites in the British Isles and has been the focus for archaeologists for over 170 years. In 2021, Research Fellow, Dr George Nash at the University of Liverpool explored the walls and ceilings of several caves within the Gorge, including Church Hole Cave and Robin Hood’s Cave. The results of this survey revealed several panels in Church Hole Cave that showed potential evidence of painted surfaces using a locally sourced red pigment. Read about his findings at the Bradshaw Foundation website (here).Read more
- Storied Rock InterviewOur founder Stephen Alvarez was interviewed on public radio about producing the Storied Rock article in National Geographic Magazine and the work of the Ancient Art Archive. Listen to the interview here. Storied Rock is live on National Geographic's website (here subscription required). You can see the images on Alvarez's website by going to America's Murals.Read more
- National Geographic Storytellers Summit 2024It was an honor to present my work on the Mural of America at the National Geographic Storytellers Summit in Los Angeles in February. It was an inspiring 2 daysRead more
Rochester Creek Petroglyph Site VideoThe Rochester Creek Rock Art Site is an extraordinary Fremont site in Emery County, Utah. With a story telling team of Native American descendants, land managers and archaeologists we have put together this 3 minute film that imagines the site from the point of view of Ute spiritual leader Larry Cesspooch.Read more- Ancient Art Archive WikipediaThe Archive showed up on Wikipedia this week (here)! Wikipedia is the crowd sourced encyclopedia, its often the first place people go for information on any subject. We are thrilled to be added.Read more
- National Geographic SummitDustin Mater and I were invited to the National Geographic Storytellers Summit in LA. The Summit is a gathering of National Geographic grantees who come together annually for a few days of inspiration and presentationsRead more
- Patagonia Cave Art: A Pictograph Seen Across 3000 YearsA new paper in Science Advances suggests that a single pictograph motif persists across 130 human generations at a site in ArgentinaRead more
Barrier Canyon Style Rock ArtThe Barrier Canyon Style (BCS) represents an intriguing facet of prehistoric rock art, primarily concentrated in Utah, notably flourishing within the San Rafael Swell and Canyonlands National Park regionsRead more- Nevada man sentenced to 6 months in prison for damaging rock artA Nevada man will spend 6 month in jail for defacing rock art in NevadaRead more
- Record low water reveals petroglyphs in BrazilRecord low water in the Rio Negro of Brazil has revealed petroglyphs that were previously under water. The story was originally reported by Reuters (go here to see the story and images) but has appeared in multiple news outlets. One of the best is in the Guardian (here). The images are not well studied but thought to be of similar age to other petroglyphs in the Amazon -1,000 to 2,000 years old.Read more
- Growing evidence of Neanderthal “Art”Claims that other species besides Homo Sapiens made art or used "symbolic behavior" have been met with skepticism. But evidence that Neanderthals did produce symbols keeps growing. In a paper published this week in the Journal PLOS One,Read more
- Education Activity in Ada, OKIt’s a wonderful opportunity to share this collective history with kids who are descendants of the Mississippian tribes,” Mater said. “But to non-native kids as well. This is part of American history. Hopefully this kind of sparks their imaginations. It gets people kind of asking larger questions, and appreciating the cultural history and legacy that we come fromRead more
