Ohio is home to the largest ancient geometric earthworks in the world. Created 2,000 years ago, these monumental precincts were built as social architecture elegantly aligned with the movement of celestial bodies. Today these sites hold a world waiting to be rediscovered.

The Great Circle Alliance - What We Do

The Great Circle Alliance works to advance educational and interpretive programs, promoting visibility of Native American artists, especially those whose Ancestors were forcibly removed from Ohio. GCA aims to amplify the living legacy of the ancestral homelands and a worldview embedded in the earthworks, reflecting the visionary and influential Hopewell era peoples.  We operate within informal alliances with Native Americans connected to the sites, as well as the OSU Newark Earthworks Center, the Ohio History Connection, Denison University and Otterbein University, and the Columbus Museum of Art.

  • These structures were built to acknowledge the sacredness that preexisted humans; these sites only confirm and celebrate the power that was already here.”

    John N. Low
    Potawatomi elder

  • “The ancient people believed that everything in their world contained sparks of life – water and air, animals and plants, different kinds of earth and rocks, under the sky and stars. By taking this living material and shaping it precisely into gigantic shapes aligned to the recurring events around them, the people were gathering life force to create places of power.”

    Marti Chaatsmith
     (Comanche Nation Citizen/Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma Direct Descendant),
    Associate Director, Newark Earthworks Center of The Ohio State University

  • “Restoring land without restoring relationship is an empty exercise. It is relationship that will endure and relationship that will sustain the restored land.”

    Robin Wall Kimmerer
    Citizen Potawatomi Nation

  • The earthworks of the Ohio valley “reflect a spatial conception that is fundamentally beyond the grasp of the modern Western imagination.”

    John Hancock
    Retired professor of architecture,
    University of Cincinnati

Did You Know?

  • 50

    Acres is the overall size of the Octagon at the Newark Earthworks

  • 7,000,000

    Cubic feet of earth moved during construction of the Newark Earthworks

  • 18,000,000

    Indigenous people living in North America before arrival of Columbus

  • 1,200

    Feet is the diameter of the Great Circle at the Newark Earthworks

GCA Staff

The Great Circle Alliance is made up of a small staff, a Native American Advisory Council, and a Board of Directors, along with volunteers,

Belinda Gore, Ph.D., M.A.PubAdm

Board Chair, Executive Director

Belinda Gore is a psychologist, executive coach and consultant. Belinda brings her experience in public administration and leadership development to the organization. She is an accredited Professional with Distinction with the International Enneagram Association and served on the IEA Board of Directors. A close friend and colleague of anthropologist Felicitas D. Goodman, she served as president of the Cuyamungue Institute founded by Dr. Goodman. Author of several books, Belinda has traveled globally to teach both the Cuyamungue Method and the Enneagram. As a native of Ohio she is committed to strengthening and expanding the voices of the indigenous people of Ohio.

Marcus Boroughs

Creative Director

Marcus Boroughs has a background in museum leadership, curatorial design, and experience development. He began his career in production design for New Zealand national television before working in museum exhibit design and curation. More recently he was the executive director of Aratoi: The Wairarapa Museum of Art and History, in Masterton, New Zealand, where he was responsible for programming, financial development, and community relations. He has worked closely in indigenous relations and repatriation projects with Maori artists and leaders on a national level both at Aratoi and the Auckland Museum. His experience from working within bicultural frameworks informs his current commitment to developing community awareness as well as artistic and educational programs focusing on contemporary and ancient indigenous people in Ohio. Marcus currently lives in Newark, Ohio.

GCA Advisory Council

  • John N. Low (Potowatomi)

    Dr. John N. Low received his Ph.D. in American Culture at the University of Michigan, and is an enrolled citizen of the Pokagon Band of Potawatomi Indians. He is also the recipient of a graduate certificate in Museum Studies and a Juris Doctorate from the University of Michigan. He is an award winning author and retired Professor Emeritus from the Ohio State University and former Director of the OSU Newark Earthworks Center. 

  • Burgundy Flectcher (Peoria)

    Burgundy Fletcher. is a Citizen of the Peoria Tribe of Indians of Oklahoma and serves as the Tribal Historic Preservation Officer (THPO) for her tribe. She is responsible for the protection and preservation of the Peoria Tribe’s cultural resources, traditional sites, and historical heritage. She is an advocate for Indigenous student success, an active researcher in community-based health studies, and a voice in tribal historic preservation.

GCA Board

  • Paul Graham, BA

    Paul built a long career as an archeologist for the Ohio Department of Transportation. His roles included leading ODOT’s cultural resource management team, conducting tribal consultation on behalf of Federal Highway Administration, supervising archaeology and history/architecture staff. Paul has served on the Ohio Historic Site Preservation Advisory Board since 2010.

  • Michelle Campbell

    Michelle Campbell lives within the vicinity of the Newark Earthworks and has been a supporter of GCA for several years. She brings a background in the arts, particularly Native American art. She worked closely with a local gallery promoting tribal artists and is eager to help strengthen GCA's relationships in the indigenous art world.

  • Kevin Eigel, BA

    Kevin serves as GCA’s Vice-President and chair of the Fundraising Committee. He developed his management skills as the founder of Ecohouse Solar in Columbus, Ohio, and as the manager of Just This Farm. He was the former Board President of Simply Living in Columbus. Kevin brings a lifelong interest in Native American culture.

  • Judy Lazarus, LISW-C

    Judy is an experienced clinical social worker in private practice in Edgewater, Maryland. A native of Ohio, she has long been fascinated with Ohio’s ancient history. “GCA’s programs, particularly the project to bring native artists back to Ohio, are important to me. Honoring their ancestors who were removed from the state 200 years ago contributes to a process of reconciliation.”

  • Karen Hudson

    Karen serves as GCA’s Secretary/Treasurer.  Her career has primarily been in Human  Resources, public  sector compensation management.  She brings extensive experience in planning, project management, and budgeting to support GCA’s strategic plan and initiatives.  She has an abiding interest in Native American culture and enjoys working to increase awareness and understanding of Ohio’s Ceremonial Earthworks.

Thank You to Our Funders