Jill Trenholm’s ‘The Deer Woman’ carries 350 faces calling for justice

Every one of the 100 seats in the Si Birch Community Room at Community Library Sedona was taken for the first milestone of Sedona sculptor Jill Trenholm’s newest work on March 12.

The ceremony for “The Deer Woman” was the unveiling of a maquette that marks the beginning of a potential 10-foot public monu­ment with a two-foot base remem­bering Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women, as part of the city of Sedona’s Meet the Artist.

“For National Women’s History Month, I am honored to introduce Jill Trenholm,” city of Sedona Arts and Culture Specialist Nancy Lattanzi said. “Jill is the protege of the late master sculptor John Soderberg.

“Her work explores themes of healing, unity and human dignity, often taking on the form of public art. Art can beautify, heal, evoke emotion and educate, all while bringing community together. … ‘The Deer Woman’ monument project does just that. This work is her deeply personal response to the crisis of the Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women.”

The unveiling fell on her late grandmother’s birthday — Virginia Cole Trenholm [1902— 1994], a journalist who ranched south of Glendo, Wyoming, built ties with Wind River tribes. She authored “The Arapahoes, Our People” in 1986.

“[She] instilled a deep love and respect for indigenous culture in me … and most people are not aware that indig­enous women go missing or are murdered 10 times more often than any other demographic, and that’s not only here in the United States, that’s all around the world,” Trenholm said.

The sculpture’s model, Helena LaPlant, was present at the unveiling, which included a dedica­tion from James Uqualla, a member of the Havasupai Tribe and a Sedona resident and Anthony J. Rodrigez, aka “Walking Crow.”

Nearly 85% of indig­enous women have expe­rienced violence over their lifetime and 56% have experienced sexual violence according to a 2016 study by the National Institute of Justice. The U.S. Bureau of Indian Affairs estimates approxi­mately 4,200 Missing and Murdered Indigenous People cases remain unsolved nationwide.

“The MMIW crisis is a national and interna­tional tragedy. Countless Indigenous women have disappeared or have been murdered — often with little or no investigation,” Trenholm wrote. She said “The Deer Woman” sculp­ture “brings visibility, healing, and hope. Her blanket of earth holds 350 faces — each representing a life stolen, a family grieving, a community demanding change. The red handprint across her face represents the silenced voices of the MMIW. It signifies the lack of attention and action demanding justice and remembrance.”

Trenholm also teaches. At the request of one of her students, John Hobson, a Diné man, Jarvis Saltwater Jr., 31, was included as the only male face in the sculpture.

Hobson is a private investigator working on the disappearance of Saltwater on Jan. 5, 2023, who was last seen in Kayenta on the Navajo Nation.

The unveiling cere­mony commemorated the completion of the first phase of Trenholm’s “The Deer Woman” project by unveiling a 24-inch maquette of the work. Phase 2 will include scan­ning the work for enlarge­ment and creating molds, along with a public display in Uptown to raise funds for the 10-foot monument that comprises the final Phase 3.

“The Deer Woman,” was also the featured artist during the Sedona City Council’s Moment of Art during the meeting March 10. During the unveiling, interim Mayor Holli Ploog said the City Council asked Lattanzi to “explore how we could purchase” a full size sculpture and install it in Sedona.

Trenholm said she does not currently have a cost estimate for the full work.

“I’m thrilled that the city is interested in having one built here, and I think it’s also very fitting because Sedona is sacred ground,” Trenholm said. “[Lattanzi] is going to help me find an engineer because the base would have to be constructed, and then I would like to have an indigenous artist create the motif for the base. I have no idea what the location could be. [But] I would like to see it placed somewhere very public with parking and with space for benches and where people can come and remember their loved ones and grieve and also hold ceremony.”

Trenholm said she seeks to partner with an indige­nous organization focused on Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women to help provide self-defense resources, counseling, safe houses and private investigation support for survivors.