Celebrating "Spirited Daughters"

Gallery shows art by Native AmericansStroll through Trickster Gallery in Schaumburg, and you'll come across paintings by established artists like Le'Ana Asher and Leonard Peltier. But when you step into the room devoted to "Spirited Daughters," the mood changes.

Artworks of all shapes and sizes adorn the walls, from schoolgirl Vlora Xhaferi's notebook cover sketch of native women under the stars to Adrian Silas' lush, beaded painting of a bear holding a fish in its mouth.

"Spirited Daughters," the first-annual celebration of art by young American Indian women and girls, is the brainchild of Chicago resident Jasmine Alfonso, the 2008 Miss Indian Chicago.

"The idea was to get young native girls engaged in the arts," said Stephanie Dean, a 31-year-old photographer and poet who served on the selection committee. "We wanted them to express themselves because a lot of these girls might not have done so otherwise."