Innholdsfortegnelse for June-July 2021/ No. 33 i Native American Art Magazine

Welcome to the June/July issue of Native American Art. We have begun to see movement in the market to live events. Already this spring we have been to several live events and it’s exciting to visit with artists again. We are proud to announce our fourth year as the Official Magazine and Guide to the Santa Fe Indian Market in August 2021. There will be 500 artist booths at this year’s market and so many amazing artists. We have all become adept at working together virtually these past 14 months, but we can’t wait to join the incredible 99th celebration in Santa Fe this August. For more information go to market.swaia.org. Given a choice, how would we collect Native American art? Our 2021 survey results are in and we had…

LISTEN ON SPOTIFY LISTEN ON Each episode will offer fresh perspectives on the American art market from many of the movers and shakers of the art world, including familiar faces that have been featured in the pages of our publications. We’re talking to top artists, gallery owners, museum curators, fair organizers and promoters, auction specialists and art dealers, as well as leading art experts in a variety of fields and genres. No stone will be left unturned as we dig into the fascinating and exciting world of American art. And, of course, expect to hear many voices from within the Native American art market. These voices will be a complementary companion to your printed magazine and will add a new dimension to your collecting and your understanding of this exciting…

The pottery collections at the Museum of Indian Arts & Culture (MIAC) are built upon a foundation of over a century of research and acquisition. Through archaeological and ethnographic fieldwork, individual donations and directed purchases, the museum has developed holdings of between 5 million and 10 million objects (the number of individual pieces in bulk collections is estimated) and supporting documents from approximately 18,000 archaeological sites and Native American communities of the Southwest. Today, the museum serves as the major repository for materials from public and private fieldwork in New Mexico and surrounding states, with responsibility for the care and interpretation of collections dating from the Paleoindian Clovis Period of approximately 10,000 B.C. through the present day. The pottery collections in the individually cataloged collections of over 5,000 exhibition- and…

There is power in culture, heritage and history, but there is also power in our physical surroundings. The ground gives different clays. The trees produce different wood and bark. The wilderness is inhabited by different animals. It’s those differences—sometimes subtle, sometimes glaringly apparent—that set the baseline for the artists of any particular region. And it’s those differences that radiate energy all around the country, from the deserts of the Southwest and the Pueblos, to the temperate forests of the Northwest Coast, to the grassy vastness of the Great Plains. For artists of the Northeastern Woodlands, their region is one of bounty: green forests, rolling hills, an abundance of wildlife, dramatic seasonal shifts and a long history of artistic achievement that utilizes local resources and regional materials. For collectors who are…

ONLINE Contemporary Native American jewelers are storytellers through the pieces they create. They are celebrating their cultures through traditional patterns and motifs while innovating with the designs and look of the work. This summer the Dancing Rabbit Gallery presents the online exhibition Contemporary Traditions in Native American Jewelry, which will spotlight some of the innovative pieces that are being made today. Tim Yazzie uses the finest materials to push his jewelry to new levels. His works, which begin with the idea for a design that he then draws freehand on sterling silver, often have intricate inlays and stonework. Among his pieces is an overlay corn maiden pendant with the face being a cabochon of Ithaca Peak turquoise. The bottom feathers of the overlay are also in the same turquoise but…

BIG HORN, WY Several years ago, on the streets of Santa Fe during Santa Fe Indian Market, a group of teens stopped at the booth of Robert Martinez and one of them stood in front of a painting and mentioned it looked like “Predator vision.” It took a second for the eavesdropper to connect the dots, but the teen was referring to Arnold Schwarzenegger’s 1987 action film Predator. The movie’s monster, a game hunter from outer space, saw the world, and his unfortunate prey, in a sort of mesmerizing thermal vision that took color and heat and mashed them together in a dazzling display of light. This comparison was a silly—and, it should be noted, somewhat accurate—observation to make, but it revealed a deeper truth of Martinez’s hypersaturated hues: the…

ARTISTS IN THIS ISSUE Allison, Marla 119 Begay, Abraham 115 Begaye, Roberta 32 Blackburn, Catherine 30 Boivin, Wendy 89 Brooks, Deborah Gabriel 105 Brown, Derek No-Sun 119 Brown, Jason K. 108 Caden, Raycita B. 79 Cajero, Althea 115 Cordero, Helen 80 Curtis, Edward S. 26 Day, Alexa Rae 88 Decontie-Brown, Donna 108 Descheny, Vivian 126 Edaakie, Dennis 74 Edaakie, Nancy 74 Fender, Erik 81 Fragua, Glendora 41 Frey, Jeremy 95, 98 Goeman, Ronni-Leigh 106 Goeman, Stonehorse 106 Gonzalez, Cavan 79 Hill, Jonah 126 Holt, Lisa 79 Honie, Antoinette 78 Jim, Harrison 45 Joe, Penelope 44 Juanico, Delores 77 Lee, Albert 114 Lonewolf, Joseph 116 Long, Charles Chee 45 Lovato, Anthony 72 Martinez, Julian 47, 51 Martinez, Maria 47, 51 Martinez, Robert 33, 120 McKinney, Victoria 125 Medicine Flower, Grace 117…

We’re excited to be presenting to you in this issue a special section related to the Northeast Woodlands, an area that runs up the northern half of the East Coast toward Maine, but also ventures up into Canada and across to the Great Lakes. We’ve highlighted artists, galleries and museums from this region before, but never a whole section with numerous articles and features that relate to the people of the Northeast and their unique experiences as Indigenous artists. This is not the first time we have done a region-focused section—we did the Pacific Northwest in the October/November 2019 issue—and it won’t be the last as we expand our coverage to other regions, including the Great Plains, the Southeast, the Southwest, the Great North/Arctic and even Canada’s First Nations. So…

“My art merges contemporary concepts with elements of traditional Dene culture that create dialogue between traditional art forms and new interpretations of them.” – Catherine Blackburn Multidisciplinary artist and jeweler Catherine Blackburn is Dene from Patuanak, Saskatchewan, and a member of the English River First Nation. Common themes across her work address Canada’s colonial past, often prompted by the artist’s personal narratives. “My art merges contemporary concepts with elements of traditional Dene culture that create dialogue between traditional art forms and new interpretations of them,” says Blackburn. “Through Indigenous adornment techniques and design, I continually aim to both honor historical knowledges and reinvent them. By doing so I celebrate Indigenous innovation and also disrupt what is seen and classified as ‘authentically Indigenous,’ a colonial construct designed to keep us in…

One of the most exciting moments in any art dealer’s career is discovering new, important works of art. Usually, the find occurs in the form of a single unknown piece that is fresh to the market; however, on rare occasions when the stars align, the discovery can be in the form of a forgotten cache of artwork. If one is indeed fortunate, the find can also provide new insights into an artist’s body of work and shed light by adding to their catalog raisonné; the lost pottery tiles of Awa Tsireh are one such find. In late 2020, during a time of great stress for the world with a pandemic raging, a significant body of long-ago stored pottery tiles by two wellknown artists of divergent backgrounds emerged from a dusty…

The beginnings of Native American pottery can be traced back thousands of years when coil and slab-built vessels, along with pinchpots, were made for functional purposes. Over time, pottery became colorful and laden with design and imagery depicting natural elements and traditional scenery. This section dedicated to pottery provides further insight into the history of pottery, and is a guide of available works by noteworthy Native American artists and galleries who’ve acquired significant pieces. Make sure to not only admire the beautiful designs, colors, shapes and forms, but also breathe in the rich heritage of earth and fire passed down from generations From an Expert: THOUGHTS ON COLLECTING NATIVE POTTERY When it is not possible to buy art directly from an artist, I would encourage you to find a reputable…

Wendy Boivin (Menominee) / Bearzwear Designs (505) 946-8591 bearzweardesigns@gmail.com Facebook: Bearzwear Designs Instagram: @bearzweardesigns Alexa Rae Day (Grand Traverse Band of Ottawa and Chippewa/Ho-Chunk Nation of Wisconsin/Rosebud Sioux Tribe of the Rosebud Indian Reservation) allinadayswork.artspan.com/home Instagram: @allinadayzwork Ramona L. Morrow (Lac Courte Oreilles Chippewa/Yankton Sioux) ramona@morrowsnativeart.net www.morrowsnativeart.net Natasha Smoke Santiago (Akwesasne Mohawk Nation/Turtle Clan) (518) 521-5230 natasha@storytellershouse.com 2021 SWAIA Santa Fe Indian Market Booth #FR S 307 Instagram: @storytellershouse Sarah Sockbeson (Penobscot) www.sarahsockbeson.com www.nativevoicespodcast.com Instagram: @Sarah.Sockbeson Jannette Vanderhoop (Aquinnah Wampanoag) www.islandnaturalsmv.com…

Originally, dating back some 8,000 years ago, basketry in Native American culture was meant for functional, resourceful purposes, such as collecting food and water, and storing supplies. Each basket was weaved with specific patterns, knots and materials to achieve its ultimate purpose. Materials also ranged per tribe, with Northwestern tribes utilizing their native swamp grass and cedar bark, Southeastern tribes creating with pine needles and rivercane, and Northeastern tribes pounding, cutting, splitting and stripping from their regional ash trees. While basketry, indeed, had utilitarian origins, it was also an art form; not only a way of life for Native American tribes, but life itself. With such deep, traditional roots, it’s no wonder that when materials are under attack, such as the case with the invasive emerald ash borer beetle feeding…

SANTA FE, NM A monumental 50-year retrospective at King Galleries in Santa Fe, New Mexico, turns its attention toward the incredible works of Camilio Tafoya (1902-1995) and his two children Joseph Lonewolf (1932-2014), and Grace Medicine Flower (born 1938). The three Santa Clara artists were each accomplished creators in their own right, Tafoya being one of the first male potters at Santa Clara Pueblo working with his wife Agapita Tafoya. It was in the late 1960s when Medicine Flower—one the first to begin creating sgraffito pottery at the Pueblo—moved back to the Pueblo to learn pottery from her father. In 1971, Lonewolf created his first miniature “pottery jewels,” and by the mid-1970s both Medicine Flower and Lonewolf were famous for their distinctive pottery. “In the 1970s Joseph’s work really helped…

SANTA FE, NM Brian Lebel’s annual summer sale returns to Santa Fe, New Mexico, on June 26, to offer collectors incredible works from every category of the West, including Native American artworks and artifacts. Lebel, who owns the show, was forced to cancel the 2020 event due to the pandemic, so he’s ready to return to Santa Fe, greet new and old friends, and present collectors with the best Western and Native American material on the market. “It hurt not being able to do a show last year. But we canceled for good reasons. This year, with everything that has happened in the last several months, we are confident we can put on a safe and secure sale,” Lebel says. “There’s no place like Santa Fe, so we’re excited to…

SANTA FE, NM This year was supposed to be Christopher Cardozo’s victory lap. The famous dealer, one of the most prominent experts in the world on the work of Edward S. Curtis, was retiring and had even decided to sell off all his Curtis material in a June 26 sale hosted by the Santa Fe Art Auction. Sadly, Cardozo never got to take that victory lap—he died in Minneapolis on February 21 at the age of 72. The auction he initiated and helped plan is moving forward on June 26 as a tribute to Cardozo and his legacy with Curtis, the famous ethnographer and photographer who documented Native Americans for more than 30 years as part of his epic publishing project, The North American Indian. The sale will feature more…

" Staying within the tight boundaries of traditionally made Cochiti pottery, I revive the Cochiti figure, the Monos. Hard work, social criticism, humor, and innovation are the basic ingredients of my pieces. Using techniques, materials, and designs handed down to me by my mother, Seferina Ortiz, I create the Cochiti Monos. I continue where my people were forced to stop. The Cochiti Monos is reborn. " -VIRGIL ORTIZ Editor’s Note: The following is an excerpt from Chapter 6, “Vertigo,” in Virgil Ortiz: reVOlution by Charles S. King (forthcoming August 2021, Museum of New Mexico Press). The Monos figurative art from Cochiti Pueblo has a fascinating story of resilience, resistance, and revival. The historic Monos figures were made in Cochiti from around 1880 to about 1920. Their function was to provide social…

Northeast Woodlands The Wampanoag people have a name that means “People of the First Light.” It refers to them as the original inhabitants of land in the American Northeast, but it also refers to the rising sun, which shines on the Wampanoag lands before anywhere else. There is poetry in the name, but also in the concept of the first light, the first warmth, the first spark of the awaking day. The tribes and nations that are featured here in our first-ever Northeast Woodlands regional section have been warmed by the sun’s first rays. And now they share that warmth with us as we highlight artwork from some of the best Native American artists in the country.…

Jason Brown is a man of many talents. His passion for creativity, his dual Wabanaki/Penobscot and Swedish heritage, as well as his home state of Maine play a part in everything he does. “The style of artwork we do as Decontie & Brown is based on our Wabanaki aesthetic. What I love about our culture up here in Maine and the Maritimes is that it has this really unique quality to it, and it’s really informed by where we live, our natural surroundings,” says Brown. “What I love about our work is that it doesn’t fit into any sort of box. We’re able to share beautiful designs our ancestors came up with that are [less often seen, and] a lot of it is informed by traditional Wabanaki/Penobscot beadwork.” The artist…