Honor Avi Kwa Ame – Cyanotypes on Fabric
By Equipo Academy Students
May 18 — July 1, 2023
Winchester Dondero Cultural Center

The Winchester Wall Gallery, located at 3130 McLeod Drive near Desert Inn Road, will open “Honor Avi Kwa Ame – Cyanotypes on Fabric” by Equipo Academy Students, an exhibition celebrating the federal and local recognition of this national treasure and its significance to the
peoples of this region. The exhibit will run from May 18 – July 1, 2023. Artists’ reception is Tuesday, May 30, 5 – 7pm. Attendance for these events are free to the public and prior registration is not required.

On March 21, 2023, President Biden established Avi Kwa Ame as Nevada’s fourth national monument. Avi Kwa Ame, or Spirit Mountain, is located 45 minutes south of Las Vegas. The monument covers over 500,000 acres of pristine wilderness and sites sacred to over 15 indigenous tribes. Through the guidance of instructor Checko Salgado, students have spent the last three years creating cyanotypes to recognize the past, present and future importance of the land, in allyship with the area's residents. This art is created through a photographic printing process that produces blue prints using plants native to Avi Kwa Ame. With this process, students created a variety of one-of-akind bandanas. Compositions ranged from loose arrangements to more elaborate pieces. In creating the artwork for this series, students were required to visit Avi Kwa Ame to better understand its vast beauty. We hope that viewing these cyanotypes encourages you to visit Nevada’s newest national monument Avi Kwa Ame, to honor its history and participate in its preservation for generations yet to come.

Equipo Academy is a 6th through 12th grade college prep charter school that opened in August 2015 for students in East Las Vegas. The mission of the school is to empower future first-generation college students to meet high expectations, excel to and through college, and become transformational leaders within their community. h