In 1983 Bob Boyer unveiled his first blanket artwork, signalling a radical new direction in his artistic career. His chosen cotton-flannel blanket “canvases” hold profound significance across Indigenous cultures. While blankets are symbolic of traditional items exchanged, given as gifts, or used in ceremonies within diverse Indigenous communities, they also reflect on the complex history of colonialism.

Titles too, for Boyer, were important as a compass to a deeper understanding for his works. Cahokia Today was created parallel to the September 1989 opening of the Cahokia Mounds State Historic and World Heritage Site in Illinois. The centre is focused on dispelling antiquated stereotypes and instead, provides visitors with historically accurate accounts of a sophisticated prehistoric Indigenous culture that utilized trade and agriculture for survival.

Undoubtedly stimulated by the new narratives spotlighted by the Cahokia Mounds State Historic Site, Boyer channeled that inspiration into the creation of Cahokia Today. Here the artist masterfully integrates traditional Indigenous symbology with contemporary abstraction. He once reflected, “I consider myself an abstract painter using a very ancient Northern Plains tradition that modern artists dipped into and copied.” [2] Here on the blanket's grounding hue – a mottled gray-taupe that is earthen in its essence – are elements of this Plains symbology painted boldly by Boyer in vibrant teals, pinks, and yellow. Dominating the flanks are triangles surrounded by stepped pyramids. While reminiscent of motifs found on early Sioux artifacts and objects, their flat tops also echo the platform design of the Cahokia Mound, an architectural marvel constructed by the Mississippian culture around 900 CE. Contained in the central element is a set of vertically oriented ribbons flowing freely in electric greens and red. The whole work is marked by a strong bilateral symmetry that evokes a palpable sense of tension and strength.

1. Nancy Beale, in her reviews for the Ottawa Citizen (9 Nov 1989) refers to Cohokia [sic] Now as one of “two outstanding works in the show at Ufundi Gallery.