New Scottsdale Arts Exhibition Showcases Art By Ahchipaptunhe And Jacob A. Meders

Scottsdale Public Art's newest exhibition, “Modern Messages: Ahchipaptunhe and Jacob A. Meders,” running January 9 through March 31, 2026, at Scottsdale Civic Center Library, tells the stories of Native people with contemporary artwork that invites conversation and rejects tropes. 

Ahchipaptunhe practices art as a way to seek understanding of the mysteries of self and as a tool to tell the stories of his Delaware Indian Tribe, also known as the Lenape, before those stories are lost to time. 

Ahchipaptunhe's paintings are purposeful, spare and somewhat mysterious; they are meant to start a conversation, where the stories become clear. It is important to Ahchipaptunhe that the stories of the Lenape are told in modern times. 

“I think of my forms like those initially drawn on the beaches of Manhattan, during those first exchanges between my Lenape ancestors and European explorers,” Ahchipaptunhe said. “Language, culture, histories and traditions were shared through form and line. My work imitates those encounters as I use line, plane and form to reintroduce these same discussions to audiences today.” 

Ahchipaptunhe explains that what are often considered modern forms can be found on traditional Lenape wampum belts, pottery and basketry. This contradiction between contemporary and traditional forms expresses that they are impartial to the past, present and future, serving as a bridge between people and across time. 

Ahchipaptunhe's journey to becoming an artist and embracing his Lenape heritage spans across time as well. After his service in the U.S. Navy, he attended the Pratt Institute in New York City, where his love of modern design and painting solidified. He met Jacob A. Meders in 2022 during a Native veteran printmaking workshop at the Heard Museum, which Meders instructed. Ahchipaptunhe asked him to be a part of this exhibition after discussions arose about the diversity of the Native nations, from cultures, languages, customs and traditions.  

“My art practice and application differ greatly from Jacob's own; these visual variations I aim to utilize in highlighting this understanding,” Ahchipaptunhe said. “By collaborating with Jacob on this project, I hope it will provoke one's curiosity and the need to seek understanding, not only about our Native heritage but that of all Natives or at least those who inhabit or inhabited one's local region.” 

Meders, founder of the fine printing press WARBIRD Press and associate professor at the New College of Interdisciplinary Arts & Sciences at Arizona State University, utilizes Western cultural objects from the recent past to tell the multifaceted stories of Native people who persist in the future. 

“A great deal of my work is grounded in the persistence of Native people in the present with respect to the past,” Meders said. “Without that, there is no future. Moving now in a good way allows hope for tomorrow, for the future.” 

When imagining Indigenous futurism, Meders thinks about Indigenous sciences that have been passed down for generations and how they play an essential role in conversations with today's scientific advances. He's hopeful that it could be a way to repair the land's destruction and restore humanity's responsiveness to our landscapes and to one another. 

While Meders and Ahchipaptunhe's artwork differ visually, the conversations they hope to spark in viewers are similar: curiosity, honesty and an understanding that while Indigenous people may carry similar views or histories, they are a diverse people with complex histories. 

“I hope this exhibition inspires others to think about how they can tell their ancestors' stories and contemplate the importance of how, by leaving a record, what impact this may create,” Ahchipaptunhe said. 

“Modern Messages: Ahchipaptunhe and Jacob A. Meders” will run from January 9 through March 31, 2026, at the Civic Center Public Gallery, located inside Scottsdale Civic Center Library, 3948 N. Drinkwater Blvd., Scottsdale, AZ 85251. In addition to the exhibition itself, an audio tour will be included in the new Scottsdale Public Art guide, accessible through the Bloomberg Connects app. There will also be an opening reception to meet the artists from 5 to 6:30 p.m. on Jan. 15, 2026, at the Civic Center Public Gallery.

Scottsdale Arts Learning & Innovation has organized a creative workshop in association with this exhibition. On Saturday, March 21, 2026, at 10:30 a.m., guests can join Ahchipaptunhe for Telling Your Story Through Abstract Forms. In this hands-on workshop, participants will create abstract art inspired by their own stories, using paint, paper and other provided materials. The workshop is free. Visitors can drop in at any time during the event; no registration will be required, but supplies are limited. 

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