Armor and Adornment:
Muscogee Fashion Rooted in Identity

DOWNTOWN MACON, GA – 2ND STREET ALLEY
november 7, 2025 – October 2026

A year-long exhibition presenting authentic clothing designs made and modeled by Muscogee (Creek) people, captured through the vision of Macon-based photographers.

Armor and Adornment: Muscogee Fashion Rooted in Identity is the seventh rendition of the Bright City initiative, a major public art experience bringing light and artwork to Macon's unique alleyways, presented by Dashboard in partnership with NewTown Macon.

Curated by Tracie Revis of the Muscogee (Creek) Nation
Featuring designs by Jamie Rolland-Hill, Julia Wakeford, and Luann Bear (Ms. Muscogee Nation Royalty)
Photographed by Jave Bjorkman, Jessica Whitley, and Matt Odom.
Modeled by Harmony Apel, Jamie Rolland-Hill , and Jariah Eyachabbe.

Photos by Mike Young

CURATORIAL STATEMENT

By Tracie Revis

Clothing has always been more than adornment for Southeastern Indian people—it is a living expression of identity, resilience, and belonging. Early garments of buckskin reflected a deep relationship with the land, each step of preparation imbued with prayer and strength, like an armor of protection—against enemies, harsh weather, or even as a disguise to fit in.

With the rise of trade, brightly dyed broadcloth became widely used. Its vibrant colors and durability made it a prized material, blended with traditional patterns and ceremonial designs. Over time, locally milled cotton from Macon, Georgia, was also traded and worn. Muscogee people adapted these new fabrics into garments that often mirrored the fashions of their settler neighbors, yet always carried a traditional twist—ribbonwork, beadwork, and color choices that spoke powerfully of cultural pride and survival.

This exhibition presents authentic designs made and modeled by Muscogee (Creek) people, captured through the vision of Macon-based photographers. It celebrates fashion as both art and identity, rooted in traditions yet alive in the present. Today, the modern Muscogee person can carry symbols of their culture into daily life—through earrings, a ribbon detail, a feather on a ballcap, or simply the attitude of resilience that has always defined their people.

Exhibition Guide

2ND STREET ALLEY, DOWNTOWN MACON

JAVE BJORKMAN

Featuring Jamie Rolland-Hill
Third Street Studios (Macon, GA)

Jamie wears an elegant modern ribbon skirt of her own design, featuring a delicate lace overlay. Paired with a simple satin blouse, the look allows the artistry of the skirt to shine. Reflecting both tradition and contemporary grace, the modern Mvskoke woman carries her heritage proudly—wearing ribbon skirts to any special event or gala as a living expression of culture and identity.

Featuring Jariah Eyachabbe
Third Street Studios (Macon, GA)

Jariah wears a modern Native shirt inspired by the evolution from cloth hunting jackets to ribbon shirts and today’s pan-Indigenous designs. Paired with jeans and boots, the look reects contemporary Native style. He also wears his father’s ring and holds a carved shell medallion of a waterbird, on loan from Julia Wakeford. All are symbols of heritage, connection, and living tradition.

Featuring Harmony Apel
Third Street Studios (Macon, GA)

Harmony carries her Native roots with grace in any intercultural setting. Elegant and self-assured, she wears her beaded personal earrings—symbols of identity and continuity. Beside her, the mannequin is dressed in a cotton trade cloth–style dress adorned with ribbons, shell-beaded necklaces, and traditional pucker-toe moccasins. Together, they embody the dialogue between modern expression and enduring tradition.

MATT ODOM

Featuring Harmony Apel
Horse Stables (Macon, GA)

Harmony wears a cloth-style dress reminiscent of early colonial women of the 1800s. Simple and practical, the dress features an apron once used for daily chores such as cooking, gardening, and gathering. This style emerged through trade with settlers and the rise of regional cotton mills, marking a period of cultural and material exchange. The look is adorned with a simple strand of shell-beaded necklace on loan from Julia Wakeford, expressing her personal style and status.

Featuring Jariah Eyachabbe
Bicentenniel Park (Macon, GA)

Jariah stands before a newly installed sculpture honoring the ceremonial signicance of this community. Set near the Ocmulgee Mounds, close to the former site of the Bibb Mill, the location embodies the intersection of history and renewal. Wearing his own modern cotton ribbon shirt—an expression of both tradition and versatility—he stands grounded in the power of his ancestors, carrying that strength from the past into the present.

Featuring Harmony Apel & Jamie Rolland-Hill
Amerson Park (Macon, GA)

As settlers arrived, they brought new materials—and devastating diseases—that reshaped Native life. In the aftermath, trade goods like blankets were adapted into wrap skirts worn with cotton blouses and finger-woven belts. The skirts, on loan from the Mvskoke Nation Royalty Department and Julia Wakeford, feature southeastern shell-bead patterns and dyed wool designs, symbolizing resilience and cultural adaptation.

JESSICA WHITLEY

Featuring Jamie Rolland-Hill
Amerson Park (Macon, GA)

Jamie stands along the Ocmulgee River wearing a full buckskin dress made by the late Ramona Mason and on loan from her granddaughter, Julia Wakeford. Before contact with settlers, both women and men wore buckskin garments, often adorned to reflect clan or marital status. Women frequently went uncovered for practicality, and used jewelry and tattoos as decoration and detail to express identity and status.

Featuring Jamie Rolland-Hill
Bicenntenial Park (Macon, GA)

Jamie wears a two-piece cloth outfit reflecting modern traditional fashion, adorned with colorful ribbons that convey both beauty and story. A wide leather belt by Leslie A. Deer, featuring southeastern sun designs, adds strength and symbolism. Standing before the Bicentennial Park sculpture Even Walls Can Move, she grounds herself in tradition, wearing her own pucker-toe moccasins—a living connection between past and present.

Featuring Harmony Apel & Jariah Eyachabbe
Amerson Park (Macon, GA)