Changing Values

“Changing Values” is the overiding message and title of this brilliant mural by Michael Kabotie. In the lower right is the image of the world in a state of balance. Water, corn, frogs and flowers symbolize a pristine earth. Different hands represent diverse people. Connecting the cosmos with the earth, the archetypal serpent faces towards heaven. The serpent’s face is haloed by the symbol of the center place.

Central in the mural is a transformed world. Present are the new altarpieces—the gas pump and the steering wheel. The priest holding a written contract questions a world that now embraces technology and the desire for wealth. What was a stable earth has erupted with gushing oil and mined resources. Symbols of the past have been eclipsed by symbols of industry.

To the left, archetypes have been replaced by modern images of gasoline, automobiles and financial profit and loss. Visible is a half-human, half-animal figure that struggles to be seen from behind an automobile. Products of an unhealed world trample the traditional values.


This exceptional work, in acrylic and sand on canvas, measures 5 feet high by 6 feet.