Seminole Tribe of Florida artist Erica Deitz saw her painting, “Osceola’s Vision,” in its full scale for the first time on Friday at an event hosted by Florida State University’s Native American and Indigenous Studies Center.
“It surpassed my expectations because I’ve been seeing other people’s photographs of it, but it just doesn’t do it justice,” Deitz said. “It’s pretty awesome to see it on such a large scale.”
Deitz describes the mural as “a representation of Osceola’s vision to see his people live freely and prosper, all under the guidance of his forefathers and medicine men.” Osceola was an influential leader of the Seminole Tribe in Florida.
The mural, a 24-by-16-foot acrylic painting, is displayed on the mezzanine level of FSU’s Student Union.
Deitz attended the unveiling with her family and Gordon Wareham, director of the Ah-Tah-Thi-Ki Museum on the Big Cypress Seminole Indian Reservation. Much of her work, often shown at the Ah-Tah-Thi-Ki Museum, highlights how the Seminole Tribe continues to thrive today.
“It’s a way to show that we as Indigenous people across the nation, across the United States, that we are here,” Deitz said. “There are over 500 tribes, and we are not just in textbooks or history books. We are a thriving people. We have so much to offer.”
Andrew Frank, director of the NAIS Center, said the mural is part of the center’s efforts, in partnership with organizations across campus, to strengthen FSU’s relationship with The Seminole Tribe of Florida.
“Students are going to be able to connect a modern Seminole Tribe member with this very modern piece,” Frank said. “It looks like it’s about the past, but it’s really about the present.”
In 2021, Deitz applied to a competition held by FSU’s Division of Student Affairs, which sought a Seminole artist to create a mural for the Student Union. She proposed a design that could be painted at a standard scale, photographed in high definition and then enlarged for installation.
For installation, Antonio Chagin of ACH Digital Photography photographed Deitz’ original acrylic painting and saved it in TIFF format, known for its flexibility and high quality. Signs Now of Tallahassee expanded and installed the mural.
Deitz hopes the mural will inspire students to learn more about the Ah-Tah-Thi-Ki Museum and the Seminole Tribe.
“We survived a lot, and we are the only tribe that never signed a peace treaty. That is why we’re called the unconquered Seminoles,” Deitz said. “We’re proud of who we are so students should, as they’re coming here to school, feel that with them and come check out the Ah-Tah-Thi-Ki Museum at the Big Cypress Reservation and learn more about us. We’re just not a mascot; we are the Seminole Tribe.”