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westernartgirlThe Honesty of a Child’s Voice
The little girl is five years old when her mother takes her on a bus ride across the West to see her Papi (who may or may not be her father, but loves her nonetheless, after his own fashion)–but we know from the very beginning this is no family vacation. Far from it. The mother … Read more
Shelby Tisdale Talks American Indian Art
We had a chance recently to chat with Shelby Tisdale, the Autry’s new vice president for curatorial and exhibitions, about what trends and developments she sees in Native American art. Tisdale will talk about American Indian art collecting at this weekend’s American Indian Arts Marketplace, scheduled for November 3 and 4. Before coming to the … Read more
Jaque Fragua’s Vision of Native American Life Through Mass Culture, Video, Even the Occupy Movement
At the height of the buzz around the Occupy movement in the fall of 2011, Native American artist Jaque Fragua “appropriated” a vacant billboard on a piece of New Mexico highway near the Jemez Pueblo reservation where he grew up. He scrawled “OCCUPIED” across it. Which one could argue gave the movement a whole new … Read more
Verma Nequatewa Looks to Her Teacher, Charles Loloma, for Inspiration
Jewelry artist Verma Nequatewa‘s interest in making jewelry comes from a family connection. Her very first teacher was the famed Hopi artist Charles Loloma (1921-1991), who is credited with single-handedly changing the look of Hopi jewelry in the seventies with his innovative “stacking” of slabs of semi-precious stones like lapis, turquoise and coral. “I started … Read more
A Special Group of Visitors to the Southwest Museum
A group of Indian basket weavers from two respected basket weaving organizations, Nex’wetem and the California Indian Basketweaving Association, visited the Southwest Museum of the American Indian on Tuesday, July 17, to view the museum’s collection of historic California baskets. “It was such an inspiring experience,” said Heidi Perez, one of the delegation members. “I … Read more
A Conversation with Robert Owens Greygrass
Last week (March 8, 2012), the actor and playwright Robert Owens Greygrass joined us on Facebook (and in person) for a Q&A session about his work, his life and his outlook. Greygrass has been performing his companion one-man plays, Walking on Turtle Island and Ghostlands of an Urban NDN, as part of Native Voices at … Read more
Repackaging a Delicate Treasure
Sophie Hunter, collections associate for the Autry’s Southwest Museum Project, looks over a worn cardboard box marked “Mojave” to figure out how to unpack it. Inside is a confused mass of tissue, packing peanuts and bubble wrap, and inside that is an ancient-looking ceramic urn with designs painted in red. Hunter knows it is not … Read more
Native American Music and the GRAMMY Awards
The National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences (NARAS) decision in April to drop 31 music categories from the annual GRAMMY Awards, including their own, has left Native American musicians dismayed. They say it took a herculean effort to achieve the academy’s recognition with their own category in 2001, only to have it taken away … Read more
“The Frybread Queen”: More Than a Handful of Recipes
In The Frybread Queen, playwright Carolyn Dunn, of Muskogee Creek and Cherokee descent, explores the competition that embeds itself in the relationships among women when there is a man in their midst — even when that man remains only a shared memory. A universal enough topic, but to Jane Lind and Kimberly Norris Guerrero, who … Read more
John Bradley on American Indian Culture: Learn Everything
Updated Mar. 7 — Native American elders and artists often pick one tradition to focus on in their ongoing efforts to preserve and promote their tribal heritage. Learning and mastering that skill usually takes such dedication that it’s difficult to branch out. So these culture bearers dance, say, or do beadwork, or tell stories, or … Read more
