The idea for this show came about because of an exhibition that Mindy Lundy Kramer created at the Hiwan Homestead Museum to show her photos and celebrate her Acoma heritage. Once I met with Mindy, she led me to Jessica Jonkman and Jennifer Berg. Jess and Jen were raised on the Navajo reservation in Arizona. As they both grew up, moved to Albuquerque for college and families, the importance of imbuing their artwork with themes of their culture became incredibly important.
With three talented artists, I was off and running. I discovered so many artists along the way—all of whom are walking a different journey. All are citizens of their tribal nations, but not all of these artists were raised with their indigenous culture. Some have learned about and embraced their culture and have embarked on a journey to integrate their past with their present.
I am honored that each artist shared not only their artwork with me, but their story. I invite you to spend time with each artist’s bio and their beautiful creations. Each piece is a testament to the story that these artists are writing about their own lives, ancestors, families, and culture.
As always, these exhibitions wouldn’t be possible without the dedication and elbow grease of our staff. I am always grateful for each of you! And thank you to our generous sponsor for their unwavering support in bringing these exhibitions to life, SCFD (Scientific and Cultural Facilities District).
With gratitude,
Sara Miller Senior Director
CENTER FOR THE ARTS EVERGREEN
Executive Director: Lisa Nierenberg
Senior Director: Sara Miller
Director of Marketing & Events: Amanda Ingalls
Director of Education & Outreach: Emiko Martinez
Finance Director: Tom Maxey
Administrative Assistant: Jackie Weaver
Events Coordinator: Zach Figurski
Board President: Lance Paulson
THANK YOU TO OUR SPONSOR:
The SCFD is a seven-county tax district created within Colorado law, approved by Colorado’s General Assembly, and renewed by voters multiple times over more than 30 years. Just one penny on every $10 in sales and use tax collected goes to SCFD. This money is then given out annually to qualifying organizations.
STATEMENT OF ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
Center for the Arts Evergreen honors and acknowledges that it resides on the traditional and unceded territories of the Ute and Cheyenne Tribes and other Indigenous Peoples. We also recognize the 48 contemporary Indigenous Tribes and Nations who have historically called Colorado home. We honor their connection to this region and give thanks for the opportunity to live, work, and learn in their traditional homeland.
MEET THE ARTIST
RAY GOODLUCK
Yáh áh tééh. That is greetings in my Native language. Hello, my name is Ray Goodluck and I’m from the Navajo Nation. My clan is the “Mud People” and born for the “One who walks around one.”
Ray Goodluck draws inspiration from his ancestors and the native wildlife of the West. Growing up as a member of the Navajo Nation in New Mexico, Ray only recently started painting in 2019 and sees the painting process as therapeutic.
Before painting Ray was an ironworker in New York City, where he was the first and only Navajo. In April 2019, Ray was working on the new Raiders stadium in Las Vegas when he was injured on the job site. This injury led to him becoming wheelchair bound, stuck at home, and frustrated with nothing to do but watch TV while focusing on rehabilitation. In May of the same year, his girlfriend saw this frustration and left out a painting set she had given him the previous Christmas in hopes it would give him something to focus his time on and ease his mind.
This is where it all started. First, Ray painted a horse, something he had grown up around, and he says, “It looked NOTHING like a horse.” He moved on to something else that was special to him, an eagle. Once again, “it looked nothing like an eagle.” Then he landed on painting a portrait. Ray says, “This one was the most difficult and frustrating, and also the worst of them all by far.” At this point he says he had two choices, give the art set to his kids and focus on getting back to iron working, OR take the challenge as “if it was easy, everyone would be a great artist.”
From that point on, Ray spends all of his time painting. After focusing his attention on creating the best paintings he can, Ray’s work has now been featured in Native American Art magazine, as well as a three-page artist feature in Western Art Collector magazine
MEET THE ARTIST
JESSICA JONKMAN
For Jessica Jonkman, being a creator has always been a way of life. Growing up on the Navajo reservation with her extended family meant art, nature, and family have always intertwined. She grew up helping in the family business—a store that’s stood for generations, providing the community and international travelers alike with high quality, authentically Navajo-made artwork and jewelry, among other things.
She left her family home for college at the University of New Mexico where she studied history and art. After working as a teacher, Jessica started her family with husband Brian and three children—August (10), JD (8), and Eliza (6). While Jessica continued to make jewelry for her family business, it wasn’t until her daughter Eliza was born that she began to see silversmithing as a career. Eliza was born with Down Syndrome and many other medical complexities and requires more care than a typical 6-year-old. “I can do my primary job of ‘stay at home mom’ and caretaker to my family, but designing and crafting jewelry allows me to be creative, to work for myself and my family. It allows me to continue a legacy of Navajo craftsmanship and silversmithing while still being available for the needs of my family.”
Jessica says she’s inspired by nature and traditional Navajo and Native American designs but now that she lives in Albuquerque, she’s also influenced by modern, minimalistic designs. “I want to produce jewelry that’s authentically made by a Navajo artist. I’ve seen people creating and using the exact designs that weren’t made by Navajos and passing it off as their own. I feel like this part of our culture is becoming a lost art, but at the same time, there’s becoming a resurgence and refreshment of a pride in our native heritage and wanting to educate others about our existence. We’re not a legend. We’re American people that live here just as others do. There was a period of imposed assimilation where many Indigenous people were not allowed to carry our traditions with pride and now there’s a period of renewal in a different way. I’d hope in America now there’s more of an honoring of people’s heritage and people’s differences.”
JESSICA JONKMAN
MEET THE ARTIST
EUGENE ROOKS
Eugene Rooks is an enrolled member of the Ogala Lakota tribe and grew up in the Black Hills of South Dakota. For the last 18 years, Eugene has worked as a professionally trained tailor, specializing in menswear. His career has included production for designers and work as an educator in Emily Griffith’s Professional Sewing program.
His inspiration in creating designs is built on a strong understanding of classic fits & experimenting with various embellishments. In his free time, he pursues beading, gardening and chainstitch embroidery. He lives in Lakewood, CO with his wife & three children.
MEET THE ARTIST
JENNIFER BERG
As a Navajo woman (or asdzáán in her native language), Jennifer Berg’s heritage is deeply interwoven into her identity. Growing up on the reservation in Arizona, she was raised by an incredibly strong family and now living in New Mexico, she is on the path of raising her beautiful children to know their culture.
As she became obsessed with knitting, she felt naturally drawn to incorporating native designs into patterns she created. Textiles are an integral part of Navajo/ Diné artistry and knitting felt like a way to share the beauty of her culture’s designs.” Each design she creates is a new step in the rich and storied history of weaving.
“Growing up, I was always surrounded by Native artwork,” Jennifer says of her adolescence growing up on the reservation in Arizona. “I learned about the stories behind each piece and the significance they held in my culture. At a young age, my parents taught me the importance of preserving our traditions and educating others about our way of life.”
Berg inspires an inclusive community for anyone who shares her passion for knitting and supporting Native culture. “Once I entered the knitting industry through Instagram, I soon realized that there was a real lack of genuine Native design. I decided to design my first beanie with a motif from a saddle blanket that I grew up seeing in my childhood home. My design was quickly asked to be picked up by a well-known knitting magazine and my journey took off from there.”
MEET THE ARTIST
ANDREW SPEERS
Andrew Speers is a proud member of the Choctaw Nation. He was raised in Durant, OK, the headquarters of the Choctaw Nation Reservation. He is an artist, teacher, and coach who lives in Evergreen, Colorado with his wife and twin boys. Andrew has taught graphic design and photography at Evergreen High School since 2008 and is also the coach of the Evergreen High School mountain bike team.
Andrew has worked in many mediums including painting, drawing, both digital and traditional film photography and, most recently, beadwork. Although much of his photography has been inspired from his travels around the world, he has been on a journey of discovery of his native ancestry.
After his grandfather passed away, his grandmother (Frances Speers) started attending activities the tribe provides for Choctaw elders. She started learning more about the culture, made her own traditional dress, and shared her experiences with Andrew. This sparked Andrew’s journey. His grandmother made him a traditional Choctaw shirt, and he began to go to local powwows and dive more into the unique history and culture of the Choctaw Nation.
MEET THE ARTIST
SALIX DEZREA RENAN
Salix Dezrea Renan (they/them) is a Muscogee (Creek) tribal member with Cherokee ancestors from outside of Atlanta. Salix comes from the traditional land of the Kiowa, Caddo, and many nations, known as Norman, OK. They are 35 and have lived in Cheyenne/ Arapaho/Ute territory called Denver for 2 years.
Kathy Haney (Muscogee [Creek], Seminole, Delaware, Shawnee, Kickapoo) taught Salix Oklahoma-style round reed Cherokee basket weaving in Norman 8 years ago. Salix has been teaching basket weaving for a year, including biweekly classes for Colorado Native’s weekly cultural evening at RedLine Contemporary Art Center. While they weave primarily with round reed, Salix sometimes works with willow, and really wants to try honeysuckle vine!
Salix is a queer, transmasculine, neuro-complex, disabled, biracial creator and healer, who went to art school and social work school, and is passionate about justice in Indian Country.
MEET THE ARTIST
MINDY LUNDY KRAMER
Mindy Lundy Kramer is a photographer who has always been passionate about telling and sharing visual stories through her art. Her father was Acoma and passed away a few months before she was born, after which Mindy, her mother, and her sister moved to Kansas where she grew up on her grandparent’s dairy farm. Mindy and her husband moved to Evergreen 5 years ago.
After graduating with a degree in photography and having a background in marketing, I started my company Mindy Lundy Photography in 2008, which has since evolved into 20Degrees Media. Mindy went to photography school because she has always loved watching the light. The way it moves, transforms and evokes strong emotions with it. Mindy believes that photography has this ability to connect people, to tell a story with no words.
Mindy’s photography is like a visual diary—a reflection of what she needs in each moment. Moments of hope, moments of reflection, moments of appreciation for the beautiful world we get to live in.
MINDY LUNDY KRAMER
MEET THE ARTIST
LELAND HOLIDAY
As a young boy, Leland was inspired by the paintings of his uncle, Howard Holiday. He started doing pencil drawings when he was seven years old. Thirsting to learn more about art, he started checking out library books. He loved seeing the work of Picasso, Jackson Pollack, and Georgia O’Keeffe, but was especially blown away by the work of Jean Michele Basquiat.
In 1990 when he was sixteen years old, his mother brought home a set of acrylic paints. Leland would start painting in the morning and become so caught up that he would forget to eat. His days were filled with the joy of expressing his artwork. He would use anything he could find for materials; spray paint, house paint, found wood, old fence posts, practically anything that provided a surface for his exciting palette of colors. He surprises himself by changing the shading or colors.
Because of the carvings and baskets, he was creating along with his brothers, he was almost immediately categorized as a Navajo folk artist, yet he felt he had much more to offer.
“Everyone in my family knew how to make baskets, but I was not interested. I was just a kid, and we didn’t have enough money to buy toys, so my brother and I started making our own. People called them folk art, but they were just toys”.
But he did recognize a good opportunity. With the help of Farmington art dealer, Jack Beasley, he began to sell his work to many top dealers and museums. His work with Mr. Beasley exposed him to classical art, urban art and modern Impressionism. He was drawn to the urban art he saw, but never thought of painting as something he would do as a career. He continued to experiment with carvings, but moved away from Folk Art.
Leland’s work has been featured in several major museum shows at the Wheelwright Museum in Santa Fe and the Autry National Center in Los Angeles. His work has sold in many of the Southwest’s finest Museums and galleries. Today his paintings are shown in galleries in Wyoming, Colorado, New Mexico, Arizona and New York.
MEET THE ARTIST
AL BAHE
Al Bahe is a talented painter of Navajo tradition. His unassuming presence is punctuated by flashes of inspiration that let you know he has defined his artistic direction. His art and his life are inseparable. His Native American roots, and his experiences growing up in Northern Arizona with his eight siblings all contribute to who he is. Al and his family settled in Shonto, Arizona, where he studied at the Indian School and stood out among his peers.
Following his service in the Marines, Al’s talent prompted tribal elders to award him a scholarship while he attended the Art Institute in Santa Fe. Studies at Northern Arizona University prepared Al even further.
Today Al has returned to his roots and paints eight to ten hours a day in his studio in Shonto, Arizona. His work has won Best of Division and Judges’ Choice Award at the prestigious Heard Museum Annual Native American Art Show and Sale. He is a content human being, alone with the land, his family, and his art. His trademark Navajo Yeii figures, often wrapped in blankets, continue to be his first artistic love and his most consistent theme. There is a story behind wrapping the Yeii. Tribal elders consider showing the world exact images of the traditional dress and body paint somewhat sacrilegious. Therefore, the use of the blanket covering sensitive details made the work more palatable to the elders.
ABOUT CENTER FOR THE ARTS EVERGREEN
BRINGING THE ARTS TO EVERGREEN SINCE 1974
What started as a dream by local art enthusiasts in 1974 has become a lasting community resource. Center for the Arts Evergreen (CAE) provides quality art instruction, exhibitions, and events. Our main gallery showcases local and nationally-acclaimed artists in both curated and juried exhibitions. We offer myriad educational opportunities for adults and children in the visual arts, writing, and art history. In September of 2017, Center for the Arts Evergreen moved into the newly renovated and historic Bergen Park Church, which additionally features a retail shop filled with artisan handmade gifts for any occasion. Visit us for monthly cultural events, concerts, lectures, artist demos, wine tastings, and much more.
OUR MISSION
To enrich and serve our mountain community by promoting and cultivating the arts through quality educational programming, exhibitions, and events.
WHO WE SERVE
Schools, preschoolers, teens, young adults, senior citizens, adults with special needs, singles, and more. CAE embraces diversity, equality, and individuality. Artists at all levels of their development from beginners to professionals.
ALL CREATIVES
CAE includes creatives in all mediums and in all forms of artistic expression: the visual and performing arts, literary arts, music, and other forms of artistic expression.
2024 PROGRAMMING SCHEDULE
UPCOMING EXHIBITIONS
July 18 – August 17: Indigenous Voices
August 22 – September 13: 130 for $150 Fundraising Exhibition
September 19 – October 26: Rocky Mountain National Watermedia Exhibition (All-Call)
October 30 – November 30: POP! – Chris Krieg & Friends
December 5 – January 4: CAE Member Exhibition (All-Call for CAE Artist Members)
UPCOMING EVENTS
• July 20 & 21: Summerfest
• August 9: Summer Concert Series - Rooster Blackspur
• August 30: Last Friday Art Market
• September 6: Summer Concert Series - Crystal Visions
• September 13: 130 for $150 Selection Event
• September 27: Last Friday Art Market
• October 24: Gallery Concert Series - High Lonesome
• October 25: Last Friday Art Market
• November 15: Gallery Concert Series - John Erlandson & Mary Huckins
• December 14: Winterfest
UPCOMING WORKSHOPS
• September 20: Painting Portraits & Figures in Watercolor with Mary Whyte
ADDITIONAL OPPORTUNITIES
Women’s Art Circle (bi-monthly art-centric events)
CAE Book Chat (virtual, third Wednesdays of the month)
Creativity, Coffee & Conversation (monthly free event for seniors)
