Innholdsfortegnelse for February - March 2018 / No.13 i Native American Art Magazine

I’ve been fortunate to see a lot of wonderful things through my job as editor of this magazine. But I would say the highlight of my career was being in the room at Christie’s on November 15 and watching Leonardo’s Salvator Mundi sell for $450 million after a 19-minute bidding war between two phone bidders standing right next to each other on the Christie’s elevated platform, unassumingly raising each other by $10 million bids at a time each second. “The masterpiece by Leonardo, Christ the Savior, been in the collection of three kings of England, King Charles the First, King Charles the Second and King James the Second. What am I offered here? Let’s open this at $70, $70, $75 million,” the auctioneer Jussi Pylkkänen rattled off to get the…

At the beginning of 2018, Dallin Maybee will step away from his role as the Southwestern Association for Indian Arts’ COO. Maybee joined the organization in 2014, a turbulent time for SWAIA, and later signed a three-year contract. He has stabilized the organization in the run-up the 100th anniversary and leaves it on solid footing. Maybee will move to Phoenix, where his wife and children currently reside, and focus on his law career.…

In Pueblo Voices and Animal Tactics, King Galleries in Scottsdale, Arizona, will showcase new works in paint by Laguna artist Marla Allison and Jemez/Jicarilla Apache painter Phillip Vigil. The show will run February 8 through 22. Also upcoming from the gallery is a lecture by owner Charles S. King at Western Spirit: Scottsdale’s Museum of the West on March 14, and new works in clay by Susan Folwell on view in April.…

The Institute of American Indian Arts has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the Universidad Intercultural del Estado de México. The agreement means that students from each institution will be able to participate in semesterlong exchange programs as well as providing opportunity for faculty exchanges and other collaborative projects. The memorandum, which has been under development for a number of years, will strengthen promote and develop cooperation through education and research based on the principles of equality.…

Katsinam, the spirit messengers of the Hopi, come in the form as clouds, giving rain. The cottonwood-carved figurines in the pages of this section are more than just dolls. They are infused with the history and culture of the Hopi spirits, as well as that of their creators. For this special buyer’s guide, we have reached out to some of the leading Native artists, dealers and gallery owners and asked them to send in the most remarkable katsina dolls currently in their inventory, accompanied by detailed descriptions of the work. All of the katsina dolls on display in this guide are currently available for purchase, so if a particular item holds your attention, reach out to the seller and ask about how you can make it a part of your…

SCOTTSDALE, AZ Big art shows have a way of boosting the art economy around them in wonderful ways, and that can certainly be seen with the Heard Museum Guild Indian Fair & Market. The show brings thousands of collectors to Phoenix to walk the hundreds of booths and browse the artwork available from artists around the country, but the show only runs two days and closes in the afternoon, leaving lots of opportunities for nearby galleries to present exhibitions of their own. One venue doing just that is Waddell Gallery in Scottsdale, which will open a stunning new jewelry exhibition on March 1, from 6 to 9 p.m. The show will feature more than 50 works of the highest-quality jewelry pieces including rings, bracelets, pendants, necklaces, buckles and bolos. Works…

SCOTTSDALE, AZ Family traditions are strong among Native American artists. The names of generations of great potters of the pueblos along the Rio Grande have become familiar among admirers of the art of the southwest. An exhibition at Western Spirit: Scottsdale’s Museum of the West is bringing attention to the contemporary work of Hopi artists and their place in pueblo tradition. A Spotlight on Contemporary Hopi Ceramicists and Kachina Doll Carvers opens February 13 and features more than 55 ceramic works and nearly a dozen katsinam. Among the carvings of katsinam are Koshare Clowns by Neil David Sr. and his nephew Kerry David. Neil David is of Hopi/Tewa heritage. The Tewa settled among the Hopi in 1680 after the Pueblo Revolt along the Rio Grande. His mother’s ancestors were among…

SAN FRANCISCO, CA At 11 a.m. on December 4, Bonhams hosted its second Native American Art auction of 2017, seeing a strong interest from bidders across a multitude of categories. The sale, which garnered $884,844, was one that department head Ingmars Lindbergs says “did well on a number of levels,” citing attendance and items from collections being of interest with bidders. “We were pleased to offer items for a couple of really good collections and although our sale was one the smaller side, the conservative pricing helped drive interest,” he elaborates. “The sale was well attended with 10 percent of lots going to first-time buyers. Interestingly, more than 50 percent of the winning bids came from online, which shows that while buyers may not travel as far for sales, they…

DEBRA UTACIA KROL Indigenous storyteller Debra Utacia Krol is an award-winning journalist with an emphasis on Native, environmental and science issues, as well as travel—she’s fond of averring that, “My beat is Indians.” She is an enrolled member of the Xolon (or Jolon) Salinan Tribe from the Central California coastal ranges. Krol’s Arizona Indian tourism guides have been distributed across the United States, and her coverage of the impact of invasive species on Native communities has won her accolades. PATSY LOWRY Patsy Lowry is a third generation Phoenician, a contemporary artist, a student of Native American cultures and a past contributing editor of Mentor and Thriving Business Strategies Magazines. In 2017, Patsy had a one-woman show at the Arizona Capitol Museum, created an installation for the Frida Kahlo and Diego…

February 8 through 11, the San Francisco Tribal & Textile Art Show will take place at the Fort Mason Center Festival Pavilion. The show includes top-tier works from tribal Africa, Asia, Australia, Oceania and the Americas. Works span millenia, with carvings and pottery from prehistoric South America to Wounaan contemporary basketry. A special exhibit curated by Yaama Ganu titled Power and Colour - An Introduction to Aboriginal Art: Celebrating the Artists, Their Communities, and Culture will feature tribal arts of Australia.…

The Museum of Indian Arts and Culture has named Taos jeweler Maria Samora as the 2018 MIAC Living Treasure. She will be honored for her artistic contributions, service to her community at the 14th annual Native Treasures Art Market, held annually during Memorial Day weekend. Samora is known for her minimalist lines, interdisciplinary approach and modern designs, and she often uses unexpected materials like diamonds, guava moonstone and African opal in her jewelry. MIAC will present a special exhibition of Samora’s work that opens to the public April 8.…

The story of the life of Wilson Tawaquaptewa is familiar to many ardent katsina collectors but foreign to many others. This version will emphasize a different theme in his life, that of “turning the power,” according to Matthew Sakiestewa Gilbert in his Education beyond the Mesas: Hopi Students at Sherman Institute, 1902-1929. Tawaquaptewa was born in 1873 in the ancient village of Orayvi on the Hopi reservation in North Central Arizona. At the time of Tawaquaptewa’s birth, Orayvi was the largest and most important Hopi village. Tawaquaptewa was born into his mother’s Bear Clan, the most religiously significant group. After a youth immersed in traditional Hopi culture and religion, in 1904, Tawaquaptewa assumed the most prominent religious and political position in the village, that of Kikmongwi, or Village Chief. He…

» Buy from trustworthy sources — Stick with a dealer who has a reputation to protect. » Ask questions from the dealer or artist — They know the most about the work, so pick their brains to learn more. The art is meant to be discussed and questioned. The artists want buyers to have a conversation about the work and what it means to them. » Old Style or contemporary? — Old Style works use mineral pigment paint, often feature classic katsina portrayals and usually have lower price points. Contemporary dolls have much more detail, are painted with oil and acrylic paint, often are shown on bases, and have a higher price point. » One-piece carvings — This is a term used to describe a doll carved from a single…

SANTA FE, NM For many years, Apaches—and many Native American tribes for that matter—have been associated with war and pillaging. At Lifeways of the Southern Athabaskans, a new exhibition at Santa Fe, New Mexico’s Museum of Indian Arts and Culture, visitors will find nary a tomahawk on view; one can however, expect to discover intricate woven baskets, ceremonial robes and well-loved dolls. On opening night, curator and MIAC’s education director Joyce Begay-Foss introduced herself as a member of the Navajo Nation, and said she had a deep curiosity about other tribes; it makes sense then that she found herself at the helm of a show as thought-provoking as Lifeways of the Southern Athabaskans. Begay-Foss acknowledged the word “Athabaskan” is one most of us are largely unfamiliar with. Athabaskan is something…

DALLAS, TX One of the top lots at Heritage Auctions’ ethnographic art sale had not only been sitting on a TV stand for 25 years, but it had arrived there after its owner had traded a pair of “old Texas spurs and a few dollars” for it. When the dust had settled at the Dallas sale, the item, a 1700s coiled Chumash jar, had fetched $55,000, more than double its high estimate of $25,000. The collector, Dr. James Bryan was shopping at a mall bazaar in central Texas where a variety of items were bought, sold and traded. The tightly woven basket, he says, repeatedly drew his attention. “I just admired it,” Bryan says. “That one and another similarly woven Indian bowl—I really liked them. It just struck me as…

In a collaboration with the University of Alaska Fairbanks, IAIA Museum of Contemporary Native Arts presents films that reflect cinematic influences in home-grown Alaskan film and works from UAF students and alumni. Screenings take place daily in the Helen Hardin Media Gallery through May 4. The program aims to promote work reflecting the people, stories, places and viewpoints specific to Alaska, and includes diversity of language, cultural complexities, traditions of Northern peoples and the wealth of the Alaskan landscape.…

The Ralph T. Coe Center for the Arts has announced a land purchase for a new building on Henry Lynch Road. The larger building will better house the center’s collections and activities. The Coe Center was founded in May 2013 and works directly with artists, curators, student curators, collectors and interns to develop public exhibitions and innovative programs. Its namesake, Ralph T. Coe, was an early champion of North American Native art and one of the foremost authorities in the field.…

Hopi katsina imagery has been an iconic symbol of the Southwest ever since the railroads first made their way across the region in the 1880s. Not long after the arrival of the trains, tourism geared toward Native American culture followed and the Hopi and the Zuni began carving dolls not only for self-use, but also for sale or trade. Native American trading posts like Keams Canyon (founded in 1875) near Hopi carried a large inventory of Hopi katsina dolls, pottery tiles and jars adorned with painted katsinam. Numerous well-known artists in the early 20th century traveled to the region to capture the people and their dances. Maynard Dixon first visited Hopi in 1902 and came back often. In 1923, Dixon made a four-month trip to Hopi to capture the katsina…

Manuel Denet Chavarria is a Hopi man who was born in 1964. He lives east of Polacca near First Mesa, Arizona. He was born into his mother’s Butterfly clan and he often signs his work with a butterfly symbol. Manuel has been making katsinam since he was 11 years old. What is especially remarkable about his work is that his style has evolved dramatically over the years. Some trends have been radical departures from the previous. And as he told me recently, his artistic style continues to be a work in progress. But let’s start at the beginning. Manuel is someone who attributes artistic influence to many people whom he speaks of with great respect. He shared that his earliest katsina influences were his grandfather, Fred Denet, and his grandmother,…