CNAM ISSUE 1 by SOBE

SHELDON HARVEY

Featured artists Sheldon Harvey - 2008 Indian Market Best of Show painter and sculptor, innovative glass artist and painter Santiago Rivera will be showing Friday, Saturday, and Sunday August 16-18, 2013 at the La Fonda Hotel in the New Mexico Room. Enjoy a Sunday evening of Blues music with Native band DĂŠjĂ Vu from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m. on August 18th! Hors d'oeuvres and drinks will be available. For more information, please contact 505-360-1426 or 4urmarket@gmail.com

C O N T R I B U T O R S Douglas Miles is a San Carlos Apache-Akimel O'odham painter and printmaker from Arizona, who founded Apache Skateboards and Apache Skate Team. Apache Skateboards work continually in film, photography, fine art, skateboarding, murals, multimedia projects, community projects, skate park planning, apparel design, television, film, youth conferences and speaking engagements. Navajo artist Bahe Whitethorne Jr. descends from a long line of well-established jewelers and painters. Influenced by his fatherâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s works as well as comic books and Japanese anime he works in Native Fine Art, Contemporary Art, Comic Books/ Graphic Novels/Skateboards/Apparel. His art re-tells traditional Navajo stories with subconscious archetypes that relate to the non-native viewers own culture and heritage in the hope to help reconnect humans with each other and share with each other our humanity.

Hoka Skenandore is an artist whose work bridges the gap between the gutter and the gallery. His work has recently been on tour in Canada with the â&#x20AC;&#x153;Beat Nation: Art, Hip-Hop, and Aboriginal Cultureâ&#x20AC;? exhibtion. He lives and works in Shawnee Oklahoma.

Jeffrey Gibson

E ditor

L arge

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“Art is longing. You never arrive but you keep going in the hope that you will.” Anselm Kiefer I was fortunate to be surrounded by Contemporary European Art at my parents house, accompanying them on their trips to Art Basel and Documenta Kassel, playing “who knows the least artist names has to pay for lunch” in each museum we visited. Developing my taste for Capitalist Realism and New Symbolism, the artist that fascinates me the most until today, is Anselm Kiefer, who argues with the past and addresses taboo and controversial issues of Germanys recent history. Moving to the United States nearly 10 years ago, I continued to enjoy inspirational art exhibits first in New York City and then in Chicago. But it was not until I saw the Exhibit “Transfusion” 2008 at the Mitchell Museum of the American Indian in Evanston, IL, that I discovered the powerful imagery and messaging of Contemporary Native American Art. I was hooked! The past couple of years have been an incredible journey into the world that constitutes Contemporary Native American Art encountering artists that became close friends granting me access into their lives and families, allowing me to get an insider perspective behind the scenes of visions come to life, fruitful collaborations, mentorship for younger generations and astonishing art. I started collecting many very talented artists that can easily hold a candle to Contemporary European Art and are not shy to address controversial issues and taboos - amongst them Silvester Hustito, Douglas Miles, Chris Pappan, Chas Jamison Banks and John Joe. I am thrilled to be allowed to take an active part in these times of change when more and more exciting projects are featuring Contemporary Native American Art such as Ziindi Magazine and 1Spot Gallery in Phoenix, a collaboration by Damian Jim and Michelle Ponce; First American Art Magazine by America Meredith and Stripes Magazine by Jacque Fragua, Jeremy Arviso and Israel Shortman, which will launch during Indian Market this year! Being part of this magazine project has expanded my horizon and enriched my life tremendously. Thank you for this opportunity!

Katja Lehmann

Publisher’s Letter Thank you very much for taking the time to view Issue #1 of CNAM. We are striving to bring you a very beautiful and exciting publication that corners both local and international artists working today. Our contributors and I have worked long and hard to bring to you the very best in Contemporary Native Art, showcasing incredible talent working today. Contemporary Native Artists have worked twice as hard to bring forth a vision that is not only coming from a Native American perspective, but is coming from a very American perspective. When I was young growing up in Zuni, I was lucky enough to watch the Julian Schnabel movie “Basquiat”. It changed my life. Watching this movie based on a minority living on the edge of both instant fame and homelessness, I understood what this character was facing in this vast world that did not know now to accept him. I took the meaning of the movie and decided that I had to venture out and experience the world myself. The life outside the reservation was both interesting and difficult, but the beauty and lessons I learned led me into the contemporary lifestyle that I treasure to this day. Our fascination with popular culture has elevated us into the stratosphere the same way it did Andy Warhol. Faith in beauty has always been ingrained in our makeup since the beginning and it reflects the artwork that we make. This constant and ever changing world keeps us on our toes and motivates us to dream of bigger and better things. It’s inspiring those visionary collectors to snap up great Jeffrey Gibson piece’s to hang on walls for all to admire. We as artists are constantly moving forward, making something out of nothing. My goal for this publication is for all to see the amazing creative talent breaking down barriers and going international. Ladies and gentlemen I present to you Issue #1 of CNAM. Enjoy! Publisher Silvester Hustito

You’re invited!!

The Gallery of

Douglas Miles Regardless in which medium he expresses himself - street art, photography, painting â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Douglas Miles is not shy to address the most pressing concerns in our society through thought provoking content expressed verbally or visually. A well respected mentor, he fosters and showcases younger talents in collaborations which reach a large

audience through diversity in the genres used; amongst them skating events, film, multi media projects, public murals and apparel. CNAM is proud to showcase iconographic photographs by this multitalented artists who demonstrates his ability to capture a variety of facets in every image turning it into a story to be told

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The Gallery of

Douglas Miles continued on page 50

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Silverbear Studio C arlton J amon D rawer F Z uni , N ew M e x ico 8 7 3 2 7 U nited states of A merica E mail for mor info at : info @ carltonjamon . com

MICAH WESLEY INTERVIEWS

CANNUPAHANSKA LUGER WERE WULF: The semester had just begun, the 2007 winter/spring semester at IAIA. Catching up and laughing with the usual suspects, a lone gunman passed and the conversation halted, I was asked, “hey, have you met Cannupa?” (Cha’new-puh) It was like the scene in Caddyshack when Al Czervik(Rodney Dangerfield) is introduced to Ty Webb(Chevy Chase). We greeted, did the acceptance nod, and the “hey take it easy and it was nice to meet you” and off to class. Later in the week, our mutual friends of Chocolate Helicopter were playing in Albuquerque and they needed us to “man” the merch booth. No room in any of the cars going--that or we were really late--my van was running rough and Cannupa’s truck was not seaworthy, Cannupa commandeered transport and I was off for an hour ride south with someone I barely knew. I got into the car, the floorboards were lined with sand and a cactus skeleton spread across the dashboard, it was afterall a Prius. I was handed his Manifesto, it was a page of a run on sentence in the form of a paragraph, brilliance. I do not recall the entire manifesto or the entire conversation, but when the car stopped for gas in Santo Domingo Pueblo, just a short jog from Santa Fe, we were amigos, brothers...partners in crime. I do not know another artist that I have shared amazing breakthroughs in the process simultaneously or planned elaborate shows on a single smoke break in the courtyard between the painting studio and the ceramic studio. Enough with the tripe, I asked Cannupa to introduce himself to you ladies and gentlemen, and of course, the millions watching and listening at home. Mr. Cannupa Hanska Luger. CANNUPA: I am a father, a human being and an artist. I want to communicate to people and art is the way I interpret the world around me. Having an innate desire to do something with my hands, I create because there is no other option. Life has been a process of creating, making conscious decisions to elaborate or destroy what I perceive. I was born in Fort Yates, North Dakota on the Standing Rock Reservation. I am enrolled as Mandan/Hidatsa/

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“Every piece has taken me my whole life to build” - Cannupa

Arikara. My mother, Kathy “Elk Woman” Whitman, is faith, my dad, Robert “Bruz” Luger, is hard work, and I remain the middle distance. I spent my summers on my father’s ranch in North Dakota and learned the benefit of labor. My mother raised my siblings and I on Art. It provided food, clothing, and shelter, and so self-expression was in a way mother’s milk. Communication drives me as an artist, but ultimately, I create out of responsibility. In the entire world I am the only one who can see what I see, and maybe I can create a vision that someone can relate to, and this is enough. I strive to remain relevant in a world that seems to shift day to day. Being socially conscious I am aware of the flux around me, the sway of opinion, the plasticity of truth. I may not have my finger on the pulse of the world, but I am one of the people in this society being bombarded by global influences. Somewhere out there are madmen advertisers that want to convince us what we love, who we like, and how we are. We have allowed them to take from us the horrible glory of pain and triumph. Creativity has helped me see these influences for what they are…distractions.

pered by hard work and love, why it would be an indignity for them not to create. And so, life is an inspiration. My creative process is a song stuck in my head and the only way to get it out is to sing it. I have all of these ideas and I’m waiting to build my skill sets to express them properly. This is why I am a huge fan of craftsmanship and why I truly believe in working through creative blocks. Being in the studio is both leisure and work. Sometimes I feel guilty because I am in the studio so much and working insane hours and I feel like I’m duping everyone. Like I have found such a pure joy in my work that it transcends

space and time and I become fused with the art object I am creating. My art represents this moment in time; every time I sit down to create. There is so much to be represented that I can only interpret my version of right now. I work in many different mediums, I really enjoy ceramic but I am known to glue together some yarn if need be. Understanding the permanence of ceramic, I endeavor to be as honest and true as possible, which is crazy because the work comes from an imaginative place. Trying to be honest and imaginative at the same time is a challenge, hell; it is a trick

And yet, I am inspired by everything around me. My son, ‘io Kahoku is a huge inspiration and a drive for me to succeed. Looking into his eyes is like seeing the future, and it is beautiful. Simply being in the world is an inspiration. By existing, we have over to come the obstacle of not being, so damn it, why not shine. Being blessed with eyes that see I have an obligation to keep them open. The same goes for my heart and mind. And these hands built out of muscle and bone, tem-

because ultimately where the truth lies is with you. That’s right where the truth lies. My work is made out of everything I have done in my entire life up until this moment, and clay. Every piece has taken me my whole life to build, and I put all of me into each work I create, and there is still much more to come. In short, it is not that if I don’t create I will die; it is that creation is life, and I choose to live. Were Wulf: Fascinating! Elaborate the broad overview of your current work, some specifics, concept, process, etc. For those who are unfamiliar with you and the work. Cannupa: I guess I’ve been working a little bit more conceptually lately; at least my work of late has been kind of more social commentary. Using art objects as a vessel for talking about society. Specifically What I’ve been working on is a series based on Stereotypes and misconceptions of Native identity. I’ve been using boom boxes or ghetto blasters, building them out of clay, to be the vessels to talk about these stereotypes, sort of play on words. There is something nice about the boom box as far as it being a nostalgic form but still current enough for relevance, I guess. I’ve been building these boom boxes out of clay and then dressing them in stereotypical ideas of Native people. The series will be shown at the Museum of Contemporary Native Art opening August 15th of this year. When you’re Native you find yourself surrounded by these stereotypes and your kind of ultra sensitive to them, they are all things that the general public, out of ignorance, portray over and over and over again. And I think it’s about time that we acknowl-

edge that these are stereotypes and maybe create more of a dialogue on it. As Native people we’ve been able to communicate across borders a lot easier now with the internet and whatnot and I think we are beginning to kind of own and re-own these images that have been turned, you know, into public domain by us not taking them, or taking control of them and they have kind of gotten out of control, and so I think now is a great time to talk about these stereotypes. An example of a piece I did for this collection is ‘The Barrymore’. Drew Barrymore walks in the worlds of Hollywood and The Hipster. She has been subtly influencing our generation since E.T. In 2012 Barrymore was photographed on a film set wearing a chicken feather headdress, a Budweiser apron and throwing a peace sign. In this photograph, which was posted as her profile picture on Facebook, she represented a continuous obsession with Native American iconography as a fashion trend in mainstream culture. Appropriation of cultural Regalia, such as a war bonnet, (a symbol of cultural respect, the headdress is to be worn by those who have sacrificed and in turn are honored) loses its power when it is taken out of context. Adopting a culture without context or understanding drags the stories and history through the mud, bastardizing a sacred history for the ‘Kitch’ aspect of an object. This piece represents a reaction to the mainstream consumer culture of today. Native American regalia and symbols without power. Manufactured with the intent of consumption, to be used and thrown away. These products create a mentality of disrespect to the culture they were derived from. They do not honor

the aesthetic; they steal and consume an identity. Another stereotype concept I am working on is ‘The Ghost’, I am actually just working on it now and it represents the stereotype of the Native American as the ghost or extinct. It is this strange idea, where, even when I was in school, hopefully it’s gotten better, I kind of doubt it, but maybe it’s gotten better, I was just constantly being told that we’re gone, that we are all gone. And the history books that they use in public schools are supporting these ideas, there is no talk of us currently, there is just talk of us in a past setting and this stereotype of The Ghost is about the misconception of Native people being extinct in the U.S. There are probably more people living in the United States who believe that we are all gone versus people who know that we are not. For this piece ‘The Ghost’, I chose to do a really old first generation home electronic appliance, you know like the first radios that were made out of wood. They almost had a tombstone shape to them,

and I put the imagery of a skull on the face of the stereo surrounded by an art deco wing design on one side and a little more of a native flare on the other side, just further showing the appropriating that has happened in the past with borrowing of patterns, as in Art Deco. A lot of those designs were pulled from indigenous peoples designs and simplified into basic shapes for fashion and design. Another project I did at the beginning of this year was an installation for Axle Contemporary; a mobile art gallery based in Santa Fe and which is an old mail truck that’s been gutted out and given a clear story so light can come in, and it drives around and parks at various locations in town, making the art more accessible to folks who wouldn’t necessarily go into a gallery setting. The installation piece I did was called Nostalgia and the concept was about how everything is so instant that we don’t take time to enjoy the actual moment; we are

too busy documenting it and putting a ‘70’s afterglow from an Insta camera from our phone, giving the moment a more nostalgic feeling. We waste the moment in trying to capture it. So I built a male deer, a huge buck, life size, even a little larger than life size, I would say, a champion buck, for sure. The deer was totally eviscerated. This deer was made out to thrift store clothes that I had re-sewn and turned into intestines and viscera pouring out of this gutted deer, it’s whole head was skinned to the bone and it, along with all the bone pieces, I made out of clay. The rest of the entire body was built from these things I found at a thrift store, which played along with this nostalgia idea of wearing someone else’s clothes, instantly having an aged feeling to it. The Deer represents a life destroyed by empty nostalgia. Nothing is harvested, all is waste. Another concept I’ve been excited about and working on are sound bells. I’ve been playing around with the acoustic horn shape of an old phonograph and using it to project sound, basically an amplifier for modern electronic devices, iPhones etc. Were Wulf: Tell us about the your Art Basel experience. Cannupa: I went to Art Basel in 2011 because a friend of mine, Jessica Osceola, her and I had ceramic class at IAIA, and she invited me. She is Seminole from down in Florida and had gone the year prior, done a satellite show and was invited back. So that was kind of like the “In”. They asked her to come back and she wanted to come back with other Ceramic Native Artists, so she invited me along. I went to Basel with the intention of promotion, strictly. I expected to see a lot of faces and just do everything I could for PR and hustlin’. I feel like I got out of it what I needed. I hope I did. See, I feel like if you want to go and do something, don’t think about what you’re gonna get out of it, you know what I’m saying? I decided I was gonna go and that’s what it came down to, there was no turning back at that

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point. If you want to do something, go and get it. If its Art Basel that you want try to go to, you can do it, anybody can. As far as I know all I did was PR stuff so I gotta wait for it to trickle in, I got a lot of cards out and stickers and I even made matchbooks with my name on ‘um for Art Basel! I feel like Art Basel is something I can now take of my list, you know, I can put a checkmark next to that, and if I ever wanted to go back, it would be a lot easier now that I know the ropes kind of. And as far as it being an Art Market, the truth is I saw a trade show for the Bourgeoisie, that’s what I saw, that’s the truth of it. That’s ultimately what Art Basel is, it’s like going to the world’s fair, but instead of technology, it’s art that they have up everywhere, so the majority of this work is inaccessible to the common man, you know, I couldn’t afford most of the work that I saw in there. Yet you can go in and enjoy, you can walk through and see all of these artists work, it’s nice to see all of the different work. My favorite thing about an Art Basel wasn’t so much the scene, but just being able to get kind of a nice cross section of what people are doing today, what’s the current international vibe. It was nice for me to go because I don’t pay much attention to the art scene in my day-to-day life. I’m not on the Internet that much and I am definitely not an artist’s artist, where I know a lot of people, what they do and who they are socially. I am really moved more by the aesthetic and the craftsmanship of work, and being able to see the actual work in person versus online was really nice, very beneficial for me. So it’s definitely inspiring, even if I’m not moved, knowing is inspiring, seeing is inspiring. Were Wulf: Hot dang I want a matchbook!! 25

Enter and View: Conversation with Micah “The Werewulf” Wesley. By Hoka Skenandore with foreword by Micah Wesley.

I am originally from Albuquerque, New Mexico. I was born right on Central and the world revolved around that valley, until I moved to Texas. I realized the world was overwhelming, beautiful and very ugly. I just passed through the wasteland of Moore, Oklahoma. It's sad to see the destruction of tornadoes, but I never cared much for that town. Moore takes pride in being the home of Toby Keith. It’s not that I loathe country music (I love HANK 3!!!) or dislike Oklahoma, but here in Okieville, a shade lighter or a shade darker does, in fact, make a difference. Comanche’s are "the Lords of the Plains" but in Moore, Oklahoma or any town hit by a twister, they would disagree.You can find yourself shunned from the cool kids if you don't present camouflage gym shorts and an OU t-shirt. That could be said of all Oklahoma, for that matter, unless you’re in Stillwater where OSU is king. I consider myself a traditional native artist. Traditional in the tense that I gather my work from my immediate location, my convictions, and materials. I don't mix my pigments from nature or gesso a deer’s hide or write with an eagle feather, but I feel I approach my work in the same manner as my family did generations ago. I'm no longer a 'young and upcoming artist'. I broke 30 and moved on to 'emerging artist'. Now I'm lucky if anyone ever asks "whatever happened to that guy?". It's like if you have a Facebook page that is never updated, everyone just thinks you’re in some type of void. A tornado is one of the strongest natural forces on earth, but to me, forgiveness is the strongest power in the universe. I once thought a good person was someone who didn't drink, curse, or bet money on a bear vs. gorilla fight. I was wrong. Good people are the unforgiveable people who have been forgiven, and practice forgiveness without judgment. I try to be one of these people. Hell, I have to forgive myself everyday. It's difficult to forgive some people. I like to think I deserve forgiveness, so I think perhaps they do, too. I forgive them. But the memories come knocking at the door, and I react like an

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8th grader! So, forgiving and not forgiving are the strongest things in the universe, well, second to owls or Mike Tyson circa the 90's. Most of my current work is about FORGIVENESS. It might take a couple of glances at the work to learn my visual vocabulary, but it's all there in birds, buffalo-hybrid guy, swastikas, rebel flags, lettering, cars, etc. I would rather people look at it and decide if they like it or hate it than to have to explain. I went to art school and can somewhat explain the work, but I still hate to do it. It sounds uninformed and naive, but I've seen people's work that I loved until I read the artist statement or they explained it to me. There have been artist's work that I really admired...until I met them. This applies to my work as well. What if you read this and see my work while I'm in my "painting horses like a 15 year old girl in art class in 1995" phase? It happens. I know there are people who have tried to like my work, but me acting like a flailing booze fueled idiot colored their opinion of my work. I'm really a quiet reserved person, but sometimes I just react without thinking. We all need forgiveness .- Werewul Micah Wesley

Q&A Hoka: How in the world do you acquire a Mark Rothko Painting, (sub-question: I thought that guy only made huge stuff, so where did you find room to put it?) Werewulf: Well like any ol' collector wizard, I was at the Salvation Army in Dallas, TX, where I acquired a poster, I so fondly refer to as my "Rothko". Hoka: How important is Kustom Kulture to your art? And in particular does Rockabilly have an influence on what you do as a painter and DJ? Werewulf: Kustom Kulture is sooo important to my art because I don't know weld, I don't have 1950 Shoebox, and Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m not happy with just factory settings/perimeters. I don't think rockabilly has a direct influence on me as a painter or DJ, but those riffs and beats convey an attitude I love and hate. The love being this unrelenting coolness vibe and making your greasy hair reach to heaven. The hate being at a show or gathering and everyone is too dang cool to even say hello. Hoka: Name the 3 best and worst parts about the HUMBLE collective. Werewulf:The 3 best parts of the Humble collective are there never really was a solid plan, the reach it inspired, the nights when no one showed up to see the bands so we just stood

around and laughed at each other, and Cannupa and I dictating too much. Well, that's 4! The 3 worst parts of the Humble collective were Cannupa and I dictating too much, we didn't get as diverse as we wanted it to, and the distance. Hoka: What kind of art annoys you? Werewulf: Art that needs a book or 2 hour lecture to explain the meaning or significance of strips of paper and string gathered in a pile in a room while a gas tank mounted outside the room slowly evaporates gas fumes while the sun sets on the room. Native art that (Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m guilty of this) putting a feather on something that is popular at the moment. Hoka: Is street art dead, or has it been co-opted by the mainstream?

Werewulf: "Homer, Standing with Donut and Atomic Blast" by April Holder. Hoka: Who were/are the DJs that you look up to and why? Werewulf: DJ Baby G, when he was on the air waves playing on 100.3 JAMZ. He would just party rock and blend for hours. I was in the 6th grade wondering how would I ever be able to spin like him. He was super cool when I met him, a real class act. He’s doing well in Austin. Hoka: Will the rumored "Red Skins" Oi! band ever actually form/record/play live? Werewulf: I'm optimistic, it’s probably needed now more than ever. Wait, Hoka, weren't you supposed to play drums or keys? I don't think we had a plan for actual strings. Hoka: Yeah, drums, I could only fake keys… Werewulf: I still get excited at scale and technicalities. I still like stuff under a bridge or in some dangerous warehouse were only certain eyes ever see it. Hoka: Name me 2 artists who you know who deserve "a little more shine." And don't be shy about telling me why... Werewulf: Hoka, I think more and more people need to be turned on to your work!! Your work is courageous. You're intelligent and daring. Jodi Webste. Her drawings are haunting and technical. They come from somewhere I can't reference. They scare me. Hoka: What was the worst thing you ever saw hanging in an upscale gallery or art museum? Werewulf: A painting of a dog licking up black water. The title was "BloodHound". I guess it was blood being was licking up. Another was 3 brothers that paint and rap. It’s horrible, but it got good press. Hoka: Do politics have a place in art? Werewulf: I think they do, negative or positive, I think they do. Hoka: What role does photography have in your work? Werewulf: I love drawing from photos and I learned composition for my work from looking at photos. I didn't know it at the time but that's where I mimic compositions. Hoka: What is the best piece of Pop art that you own and who made it?

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Hoka: Name your guilty pleasure record, (Mine is "Rumors" by Fleetwood Mac, I hate to admit it, but that is a badass record.) Werewulf: The original soundtrack of Cabaret!!! It gets me goin'!! Hoka: Finally, Mods or Rockers, which side are you on??? (I already know the answer to this one, but the readers might not....) Werewolf: Rockers, even tho I’m more like hipster/punk. Haha!! You can find the Werewulf DJing in Norman, Oklahoma for various art functions. He is on Facebook and Tumblr. See some of his work at thewerewulfmicah.sharemyartwork.com/

CHA RL E S LOL OMA PR E STON M ONONG YE

JE S S E M ONONG YA R IC H AR D C H AV E Z

M C K E E P L AT E R O E VE L I S A B AT IE

INDIA N M A R KE T R E C E P T I O N

T HUR SDAY, AU G U S T 15, 1 P M

53 Old Santa Fe Tr ail | Upstairs on the Plaza | Santa Fe, NM | 505.982.8478 | shiprockSantaFe.com

JEFFREY GIBSON H I G H

A R T

INTERVIEW BY SILVESTER HUSTITO

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Jeffrey Gibson is on a roll with a recent feature in the NY Times, his charisma and influence is spreading like wildfire. I had a chance to interview Mr. Gibson before his solo show at the National Academy Museum in NYC…

SILVESTER HUSTITO: What do you remember about your first trip to New York City? JEFFREY GIBSON: I don’t remember my exact first trip. My family lived in a suburb in New Jersey when I was in elementary school (it was the early 80’s) and we would go in to see a show or a parade. I loved going into the city. Everyone seemed so different and exciting. I remember people watching and wondering what people did, where they were from and where they were going. I knew that I wanted to live there one day. When I moved to the city in 1999 after completing my graduate degree at The Royal College of Art in London, it was a completely different story. I remember being both excited and completely freaked out. I didn’t know where to begin, in terms of supporting myself, finding an apartment and meeting other artists. Everything was so expensive and I needed to find a job right away before my savings ran out (which was very small by any standard). HUSTITO: What medium were you first passionate about when first starting your art career? GIBSON: I have always considered myself a painter. It is what I first gravitated toward and what I studied consistently throughout my undergraduate and graduate studies. I have always made objects and sculptures but I still make them thinking about the physical characteristics of painting. There are many other artists who have worked with painting and objects or painted objects, both Native and non-Native. These are the artists who I have looked at during the past few years. HUSTITO: It must have been exciting to have your first solo show at the American Indian Community House in 2005. Did you consider this an important time to promote your work in NYC or was it more of an opportunity to have the Native community see what you have been up to? GIBSON: I met Kathleen Ash-Milby, who invited me to exhibit at AICH, about a year before the exhibition. She was one of my first studio visits in New York. It took me a few years to acclimate to the city and to decide that this is what I really wanted to do. I felt that I needed to exhibit my work in order for the work to develop. I had shown in some group exhibitions at that point but wanted to do a solo exhibition and work on a larger, more consistent body of work. I had also received a grant form The Creative Capital Foundation by that point and wanted to share my work with as many people as possible. The Community House had a great space on Broadway and an impressive history that I wanted to be a part of.

HUSTITO: Having been born in Colorado, moving with your family to Germany, then to Korea, how did this nomadic lifestyle affect your work? GIBSON: I’m not sure how my perspective of “home” relates to others. I enjoyed growing up moving around and it prepared me for an artist’s lifestyle – able to move around, pack lightly, find and meet like-minded people. I think a lot about objects but am not particularly attached to many specific material things.This is a freeing perspective for myself and allows me to not fear change. Moving around also taught me to be aware when I am an observer of things happening around me and when it is time to participate in things happening around me. There is a huge difference between the two and I think about this distinction a lot when making an artwork. HUSTITO: When and how did you first meet the New York gallery owner Marc Straus? GIBSON: I first met Marc about one year ago. He came with his wife, Livia Straus, for a studio visit to talk about my inclusion in The Peekskill Project at The Hudson Valley Center for Contemporary Art. As we spoke about my work, Marc asked to see more pieces of work and asked more and more questions. It was an extremely hot day and my studio was not very big. We were all sweating in the heat. I had a number of exhibitions coming up and there were some finished works in the studio that were going to the scheduled exhibitions. Marc wondered what would be available for The Peekskill Project. I agreed to make a new work for them. Upon leaving, Marc handed me a business card and suggested I come visit him at his gallery. I went that following week and I learned about his vision as a gallerist and he told me that he thought I would be a good addition to his roster. I joined the gallery one week later. HUSTITO: At what point in your career do you think you became free to create without the burden of trying to identify with a movement or classification? GIBSON: I think I felt this pretty early on. In fact, I thought being an artist meant that you were supposed to share a unique perspective on your environment specific to you and your background. I never felt the burden to identify with a movement or classification within myself but have felt the burden of others’ expectations for me to identify with a movement or classification, and don’t really respond to the work of artists who are attempting to fit into a recognizable box. I have always found myself being excited by things that I could not immediately understand. It is rare for someone to create something earnestly unique and not performing to others’ expectations. I get excited when this happens. That is the art that I am interested in. HUSTITO: Are you satisfied with your own original statement, or are you still searching? GIBSON: I am not totally sure what you mean by the question, but I will do my best to answer by saying that I will always be searching. I am searching for different things now than I was a couple of years ago – my needs and my questions have changed. I have met many different people over the past couple of years and the opportunities that are offered to me are different than they once were. I can only assume that things will continue to change and that my “search” will continue and change accordingly. HUSTITO: Do have any memorable reviews from the critics that you would like to share? GIBSON: Yes – I received a review in the Boston Globe a few years ago that stands out. I think it was meant to be a criticism but I took it as a compliment. It read something like – Jeffrey Gibson’s paintings are like Helen Frankenthaler on acid. Perfect.

HUSTITO” You don’t seem to limit yourself with the materials you use in your work. Where do you think that comes from? GIBSON: Honestly it comes from looking at traditional Native American objects. They totally blow my mind with their use of materials. Some of the objects were passed down for multiple generations and each owner added something to the object or repaired it with a (then) contemporary material. Certain objects can include materials from all around the world and from different time periods. Of course, there are other artists, modern and contemporary, who use any material available. I have become more selective in recent years and try to incorporate materials that have specific relevance to the work itself and don’t distract from the overall artwork. HUSTITO:You are a fan of the late Leigh Bowery. How much influence has he had in your work? Do you have a favorite look from Leigh? GIBSON: I am definitely a fan of the late Leigh Bowery. I first discovered him when I studied in London in the mid 90’s. His influence on me is huge but mainly because his life and creations were beyond anything I had seen up to that point. The commitment that he had to his “looks” is rare and the outfits were exquisitely crafted and so specific. His characters were immediate and attempted to address very real issues using camp, drag and performance as his mediums. Everywhere seemed to be a potential stage for him and he worked tirelessly without financial support. It has been interesting to watch his influence on other artists and designers. The references are unmistakably Leigh’s. There are many favorite looks, but if I had to choose one thing, it would be the song Useless Man by Leigh’s band MINTY. HUSTITO:You have created a name for yourself in the cutting-edge art world. What keeps you on your toes to continue this momentum? GIBSON: It has been really interesting but right now I am trying to continue working the way that I always have and remain honest to how I am experiencing the world around me. I have recently made the decision to move two and a half hours north of New York City to Hudson, NY. A large part of my decision was to be able to focus on my work with fewer distractions and to have more space. I feel as though I am “unpacking” ideas and thoughts that have been with me for years that I have been unable to experiment with for lack of space and time. My current work still very much comes from an impulsive and intuitive place initially, and then I begin to consciously think about what I am trying to communicate or what I want an artwork

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to do. HUSTITO: From the latest pieces I’ve seen online, it seems that you are a very forward thinking artist. Does this fuel your creative energy? GIBSON: I have always thought so much about the future and what the possibilities are. That has always really excited me, but recently I have been trying to be more and more present. By that I mean I try to look at my present surroundings and reallyconsider them, rather than looking elsewhere. I am trying to be more thoughtful about the immediate task at hand. It is a discipline – to slow down and really consider my relationship to the world. HUSTITO: Who are some of the hardest working artists out there today that you admire? GISBON: Nicholas Galanin, Post-Commodity, Wendy White, Jesse Bercowetz, Diana Al-Hadid, Theaster Gates, Edgar Arceneaux, Suzanne McClelland, Joanne Greenbaum – there are so many. Honestly it is simply hard work to be an artist, but these names came to me pretty easily when I think of who impresses me with how hard they work. HUSTITO: Traditional Native arts is usually seen by Natives as the only way to make a living as an artist. How were you able to break free from that thinking? GIBSON: I’m not sure that I ever thought that myself, so I did not have to really break free from it. I also was never taught traditional ways to make things so those are things that I have had to seek out and learn from others. I do know what you are talking about though, and I believe that the ways in which many people define tradition can be limiting. I believe that traditions can change to accommodate contemporary life but that the purpose of the tradition should remain true to the original intention. Native people have always made things creatively, using materials found locally. Horsehair embroidery gave way to beads and quills, plant dyes gave way to commercial dyes, buckskin gave way to trade fabrics. It is difficult to establish the earliest visual traditions and I see many of the changes made by Native artists as signs of survival and as incredible creativity in the face major hardships throughout modern history. HUSTITO: Do you go to art open-

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ings in NYC, and if so, at which galleries? GIBSON: I do try and go to galleries but lately find myself going more to Museum exhibitions. Here are some galleries that I do pay regular attention to. Participant INC, Friedrich Petzel, James Cohan, Casey Kaplan, David Zwirner, Greene Naftali, Maccarone Gallery, Team Gallery, On Stellar Rays. HUSTITO: Chinese art, Japanese art, Middle Eastern art have become important movements in the Contemporary art market, what do you think it’s going to take to create a Contemporary Native art movement? I would love to see a Jeffrey Gibson at a Christie’s auction next to a Jeff Koons. GIBSON: It is happening. There may still be some time before it becomes immediately recognizable, but it’s happening. Your magazine and you represent a huge change. HUSTITO: Do you associate with the two-spirit way of thinking, being able to see through the eyes of both a man and a woman? GIBSON:That is a really complicated question for me. I would never assume that I am able to see through the eyes of a woman, or men in general. I pay attention to the discussion surrounding two-spirit issues but am comfortable identifying as a gay man. I am obviously interested in the complexities regarding how identity is discussed and described but, for me, the most exciting thing is to see dramatic changes in the way people self-identify within an expanding gamut of gender and sexual identities. I do believe it makes a difference – who you identify as and what public identity you put forward – it has real impact in the world. HUSTITO: What advice would you give to up-and-coming Native artists working in the contemporary realm of art who are struggling with trying to find their own styles? GISBON: The best advice that I could give is to spend as much time thinking as you do making. Consider what it is that you can uniquely express and make. Be honest with yourself – people can tell when someone is disingenuous (even if they are polite about it). Don’t get defensive when you are given criticism, but realize where the criticism is coming from and seek feedback from as many people as possible. Be generous with who you are and where you are coming from. The openness that you share through your art will come back to you. Last thing – when you make something that makes you nervous to show the world, you are probably tapping into something worth paying attention to.

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MEET THE ARTIST August 16-18, 2013 La Fonda Hotel in the New Mexico Room. Enjoy a Sunday evening of Blues music with Native band Déjà Vu from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m. on August 18th! Hors d'oeuvres and drinks will be available. www.riveraarts.com

NATIVES DOIN HIP-HOP W A T E R M E L O N

S E V E N

Hip-hop culture has flooded the reservations and urban native communities as early as the 70’s. Hip-hop has made its way into the hearts of native lives at home and abroad. Many practitioners are using hip-hop elements as a vehicle or tool to express themselves. Not all native hip-hop artists are using the elements the same way. Some use it in a positive way while some use it in a negative manner. Gathering of Nations pow-wow weekend in Albuquerque, NM has turned into a conjunction point for native infused performances and native art shows. Some questions arose during the Gathering and Quese IMC and Red Eagle provided feedback from an artist’s point of view. WATERMELLON SEVEN: How did you first find out about hip-hop? QUESE IMC: I found out about hip-hop through my older brother, Indigenous Shock B, who started DJ’ing in 1985. My brother would bring home turntables, hip-hop and house records. I started MC’ing since the age of seven. I have performed all over the country and Europe, but I still stay culturally active in the indigenous rights movements and spirituality.

RED EAGLE: While going through foster homes at the age of five, music got me through some painful situations. I discovered Hip-hop from my father who listened to a wide variety of music and poetry. One day while helping my father unload groceries from the car, he played an Ice-T tape “I’m Your Pusher”. I fell in love with hip-hop and started rapping to my dad and friends in the living room. WATERMELLON SEVEN: Do you feel that native hip-hop is its own entity or is hip-hop hip-hop no matter what race you are? QUESE IMC: It’s a great genre of music that has influenced millions. Indig-

enous hip-hop, I feel is powerful at its truest form. Hiphop can be used as a tool to express the life, survival and movement of our indigenous people then, now, and the future. Just like African movement, the empowerment in hip-hop influenced and inspired me in the 80’s. I believe that indigenous hip-hop is a tool when used in a musical art form along with media. Hip-hop can be life and hiphop can be destruction, it depends on the frequency you choose to feed. RED EAGLE: I think hip-hop is hip-hop no matter what as long as you're part of an intelligent movement that’s positive for the people. Saying that, I do believe there are many different lanes within hip-hop to do this. Native hip-hop to me should be unique in some way because our struggle is unique. I would hope an MC could recognize that and relate his or her flow to our unique path of existence and survival. The same goes for all the other elements of hip-hop. I also feel indigenous people had a hand in creating hip-hop. From top rocking, which they used to call “Indian stepping”, to storytelling to drum, it was easy for natives to merge raps, sand painting, beading and other visual art with graffiti. Many of our tribes were “call and response” people within music. This intertwines

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with Dj’ing. This is not something foreign for us. WATERMELLON SEVEN: Where do you see hip-hop going? QUESE IMC: What the media wants you to be conditioned to love and brainwashed to learn is typical, but it’s going in various directions. There is great hip-hop out there with positive messages and creative ideas and you just have to find it. There are also mainstream native rappers whom I personally think are garbage. These days rappers can’t freestyle. LOL.That was a given for hip-hop artists in my day. I miss those days. Good music is like good medicine, because it is saving lives. There are some indigenous hip-hop artists that I feel do it proper. I commend them for that. RED EAGLE: In essence it’s not “going” anywhere and that’s the way it should be! WATERMELLON SEVEN: Any last words? QUESE IMC: Hip-hop has been a part of my life. Just like basketball and DJ’ing. I worked super hard to be almost dope, LOL. Hip hop has allowed me to use the gift I was

given to help the human race in a positive spiritual way through hip-hop music.That’s just one gift, one vision. We help because we’ve been helped along the way in this journey to learn the meaning of direction and that direction is powerful. It takes time to find the way and in that time of sacredness, you find the way. RED EAGLE: I just wanna say yakoke (thank you) to all the heads, all the people putting their being into this hiphop movement. To my indigenous relatives and youth, don’t be afraid to be who you are! Honor your ancestors, don’t let this beast called American society devour you! Express yourself! You're important! Yayoke to the elders, you inspire me every day through your knowledge. Someday it’s a good day to die, someday it’s a good day to make HIP-HOP! Ha ha, Word!

hop. By blending and mixing sound from nearly every music genre while creating a new sound and genre, the DJ's skill is the reason hip-hop music sounds so diverse. B-girls and B-boys use dance as a reaction to bursts of energy from musical sound with distinctive and rhythmic movement. B-girls and B-boys usually focus on up rocking, footwork, power moves, tricks and freezes. Locking and rocking are part of this element, but the focus is more on ticking, waves, popping, and other body expressive visual actions. Breakers also have a variation of styles within this element. Breakers (B-girls or B-boys) got this title from dancing when the DJ mixed the breakdown part of records in a continuous loop.

The culture consists of five elements. Four solid foundational elements are graffiti, DJ’s, MC’s, and dancers (called b-boys and b-girls). The fifth is the lifestyle.

MC’s are the orators of the culture, the master of ceremony. The MC's voice feeds energy to the crowd or event while the DJ pumps out rhythms and sound. With the voice as their instrument, MC’s tell the story of the culture. Many stories have been told. Some stories are fact, some fiction, but within all ethnicities are tales of human struggles and victories.

Graffiti consists of its own separate elements, subcultures, and styles of execution. Styles vary vastly from simple fonts or caricatures to complex scenes, backgrounds, and letters unreadable to the untrained eye.

You can contact or book Quese IMC via queseimc@ gmail.com or find his music on Itunes.com/queseimc or Cdbaby.com/queseimc and you can contact Red Eagle via redrace21@yahoo.com

Break Down…

DJ’s have always been the backbone of hip-hop music. Without the DJ you would have no MC’s, B-girls or Bboys. The DJ's role is deeply rooted in the start of hip-

Towanna Miller standing in front of “Corn Husk Family”

I nterview

with

Towanna Miller CNAM: Reading your biography, you have studied at the School of Art and Design in NYC as well as IAIA in Santa FE. How have both of these schools influenced your artistic development? MILLER: The High School of Art and Design was were I studied commercial art, drafting, lettering and perspective. IAIA helped me to develop fine art. They both influenced my work in different ways. Perspective is required to show depth in my work and fine art taught me about the history and development of art, both have different markets but can be blended together. CNAM: IAIA is mainly focused on Native American Students whereas the School of Art and Design teaches a more diverse group of students. Is that reflected in the subjects and methods taught? MILLER:When I attended IAIA we would gather in small groups and talk about our traditional creation stories. I was amazed when some students brought me to the Taos Pueblos and I saw their beautiful dances, the people opened their pueblo

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homes for strangers like myself to enjoy a traditional meal with them, they were so kind and welcoming. It was so beautiful in New Mexico and so rich in Native American Culture and a relaxed atmosphere. One time in the IAIA dormitory hallway, a group of Iroquois accidentally were all in the hallway at the same time, so one of the Seneca’s started singing a longhouse song, and a Mohawk, Cayuga, Seneca, Oneida and Onondaga students started dancing together. It was a wonderful random moment in time that I will never forget. I know now why they call it the land of enchantment. The sunsets took my breath away everyday. I didn’t get that when I resided in New York, it was more of a melting pot with the hustle and bustle of a city. My high school was seven stories high with over a thousand students, elevators, escalators and security guards at the doors. We would sit in the cafeteria and the guys would show photos of the graffiti (tags) they created on building and subways. High of Art and Design was more structured towards marketing and commercial art, which always helped me to market my work. You can be the best artist but if no one sees it, no one will know. IAIA helped me to learn to paint with watercolor, acrylic and oils. New Mexico influenced my work with the coloring. I’ve been told that my art has the feel of the southwest. CNAM: Was it beneficial for you to study away from home and bring fresh new ideas with you, putting some distance

between you and your roots or has that even strengthened your ties to your roots?

I do the art for our next seven generations to keep those stories alive to be told again and again.

MILLER: I’m from a Mohawk Territory of Kahnawake, Quebec, Canada. I grew up in New York returning to Canada to spend vacations with family. I attended High School of Art and Design until the 10th grade then I transferred to Canada to complete high school one year early. I went to Billings High School to apply for entry. I was told that Quebec passed some French Language Laws requiring all students to learn all subjects in French. All Mohawk students got up and marched out of the school to protest. Our Mohawk Community got together and started the Kahnawake Survival School to help us to return to our culture, language and history. When I completed High School I went to the Education Center to apply to IAIA. I was told that I could pick any college in Canada and the government would pay for it. I asked is there any Native American Art college in Canada? The answer was no. So I insisted that I wanted to attend the Insitute of American Indian Art in Santa Fe because Canada could not offer the same curriculum. They relented providing that I kept good grades and was told “Your the first student from Kahnawake to attend, if you can be an honor roll student, then we will open to doors for other community members to attend. I carry my Mohawk identity where ever I may go. Being a Native American I look at other Native Americans as brothers and sisters because we have the same respect for Mother Earth. Studying away from home was an enriching experience. I feel in love with New Mexico and stayed for ten years before returning. Why? I loved seeing galleries on many streets. It was so inspirational. The mountains, the Native and Spanish people, the art, the food and the festivals is what made me want to stay. I returned back to my roots in Canada to be with my family again and our longhouse ceremonies.

CNAM: You stated once that you getting invited to international shows but it is difficult to find funding to attend. One of the missions of this magazine is to educate an international audience about native art to create more opportunities to show outside of the tight native art circuit in the US. What needs to change to enable artists to show their works abroad?

CNAM: When I met you ate the “Power of Tradition” Exhibit at the MMAI in Evanston, IL, many of your paintings told a story – do you retell older legends or are you creating legends with new subjects for coming generations to be told? MILLER: My art is focused on Iroquois legends. Many of our stories are not written down but remember and passed down orally. I try to interpret them into a visual representation. I still to this day go and listen to our elders and the cycle of ceremonies workshops. I have three books of my written notes along with quick sketches to produce into apaintings one day. I never stop learning because I don’t want our stories to die.

MILLER: I went to IAIA in Santa Fe and lived there for ten years but was not permitted to register for the Santa Fe Indian Art Market because they only accepted State recognized Native Americans. This applies to many galleries also in the United States. It shuts the door for any native American born in Canada. I wrote letters every year asking SWAIA to change their policy. They now allow all Native Americans to apply from both sides of the border. I never thought it was fair to make those stipulations because it wasn’t the Native people that created the border. I do get invited to show my art internationally but I can’t afford to attend. The only way I found a way around this dilemma was just to ship my art for others to display them. Thankfully Indigenous Brilliance - An Exhibit of Contemporary Native American Art is exhibiting some of my paintings in London, England, Italy and next will be Spain. I’ve also reached out to my community to financially assist me to showcase at the Vancouver Olympics. My community does have one organization that I can apply for funding only one time a year to an exhibit far from home. In my opinion on what needs to change are the “Only State Recognized Native Americans” stipulations and to offer artist temporary lodgings and smaller booth fees. They would get more diverse artists. I’m fortunate to be computer literate but I notice some old traditional artists, like basket makers and textile artists are don’t have the technology to apply. Perhaps an art representative could travel to smaller communities to help those artists to apply to exhibits internationally. CNAM: Representing your tribe at Vancouver 2010, how did the audience (the visitors) perceive the native art shown? I assume most of them had never been in direct contact with so many native artists and their artistry? MILLER: The Artisan Village at the Vancouver 2010 Olympics had amazing art with such diversity. Many people told me that my art was very different and unique compared to the

usual B.C. Vancouver style. Many had never seen an Iroquois Khastowa (men’s headdress) or an Iroquois glengarry women’s beaded cap. The only disappointment was the lack of advertisement. Many came upon us by accident stating that this was the best kept secret they came to. Visitors inquiring about Native Art where directed to the Bay and not to the Artisan Village. Sales are very low as well as visitors. On the last day the artist got together and we traded art, so we went home happy. I always love trading art because I enjoy the creativity and diversity of others. CNAM: I have read that you are interested in paranormal phenomena – do you have any paranormal experiences you could talk about? MILLER: Yes I’m an artist and I think we are all a little weird. I think that comes from keeping our minds open to many possibilities and seeing beyond the basic realities of life. I’ve always had a strange fascination with the paranormal since childhood. My first experience happened when I was six years old. My grandfather Harry Miller from Six Nations came to Kahnawake to bring me to his home for the weekend. In Six Nations, in my grandfather’s kitchen door window I saw through the curtain a shadow of a man with a top hat and he knocked on the door. I got scared and got my grandparents. They opened the door and no one was there. My next experience happened in Akwesasne, N.Y. We rented a house for a few months. Water would turn on by itself. We had a garage with a garage door, the only way into the kitchen was thru the garage. The garage door was down and no way to enter. Men visitors were sitting around the kitchen table when a large booming noise on the kitchen door startled all of them. I never seen so many grown men turn pale, they got scared and left in a rush. The banging on the kitchen door occurred a few times but only when a man was in the kitchen. Other things happened also. Once my mother came to sleep on the couch and all was normal when she went to sleep. When she woke up the cradle board had been moved to the other side of the room and all the cornhusk dolls on display were turned around showing only their backs. Footprints in the snow going in only one direction from the backyard tree to the bedroom window. Later I was

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told that a child had died in the backyard at that location. Occasionally I go out late at night to take photographs, even at cemeteries. I’ve a few photos of mists and ghosts. I don’t advertise this is my community because I worry some old timer’s might label me a witch. I’d like to clarify that I’m not a witch and I don’t practice any kind of magic or spells. When I was small my great grandmother would tell me true ghost stories about our Mohawk Community. Stuff about blobs of liver that would crawl under people’s home and causing ill tempers for all the dwelt there, about witches peeking in windows or stealing cloths off the line, orbs floating near the bridge, about the giant tall man near the tunnel, the hoof lady, and one story about a lady that wanted to be a witch, which I’ll share. Once there was a woman who wanted to become powerful and decided she wanted to become a witch so she asked around. A witch told her I’ll teach you what I know but you must follow all my instructions carefully. She brought the lady to a cave in the mountains. Inside the cave hanging over wood braces were skins of many animals. She was told “you must lay down on the ground, animals will walk over you and you will not move no matter what, each animal that crosses over will give you the ability to transform into that spirit”. The lady laid on the ground as instructed. The skins turned into living animals. First a wolf walked over her and she did not move. Then a few other animals did the same but then a snake came along. She refused to allow the snake to go over her because she feared it too much. She broke the instructions and ran out of the cave. She gave up on the idea of becoming a witch. CNAM: I saw two paintings of you, that represented the false face mask society (“False Face Looks” and “Healing Face”). As far as I am aware there is a taboo to show or depict false face masks in public. Why is it different to show paintings? Or are you breaking a taboo? MILLER: Have I broken taboo, yes. I had a dream about making a false face painting. Even before proceeding with it, I wanted advice and permission. I went to our Longhouse and asked the society “can I make a painting with false faces”? I was told “Yes you may, there are books on the subject and people can even search for images on the internet, the only time we have

a problem is with the living false face’s being sold or displayed”. So I made two paintings called False Face Looks and Healing Face. The first one I made in the dark with only a candle burning because the scene was false faces over a burning camp fire and I wanted the effect to be just right. The next one was Healing Face which was inspired after I went to the Stirring of the Ashes at the Longhouse. The people on the bench who were sick would have ashes placed on them by the faces for healing and the spectators watching would still get the medicine because it was in the air. Now I’ve been told my other Iroquois people that they are highly offended by me displaying these paintings, they said “You are showing our grandfather and it’s not for everyone to see”. I just want it to be known that both of those paintings were sold to members of the False Face Society. They went to where they were meant to be. I also did one painting on the Little People but to this day it has never been on any exhibit and I donated it to the Little People Society. While I was making it the lights would flicker in my house every time, the microwave would go on and off, I had to keep in covered with a cloth so no one could see it while I worked on it because I got the advise from a medicine man to keep it hidden. It had elements in it that were not meant for everyone to see.

them into a painting called Corn Husk Family. The Corn Husk Clan Mother has the real wampum beads hanging out of her basket. It is the Clan Mother that uses these beads to represent the Mohawk names given to Chiefs and newly born children. I also made a painting called HENO where I made the lightning bolt 3d. Many artist at different exhibits asked what medium I used to create this effect and I share my techniques with them. I’ve learned some more traditional techniques that I’m going to try to implement such as moose hair embroidery, tufting along with some birch bark to my paintings. Blend the old style with contemporary ideas. I like experimenting my crafts with my art. I’m not one dimensional with my thinking. I develop myself so I don’t see why my art doesn’t develop too into different techniques.

CNAM: A lot of your paintings are very unique in a sense that they incorporate traditional materials used for regalia (e.g. beadwork, wampum, leather) or even have a 3D effect (e.g. pottery paintings). Where does that idea originate from? MILLER: I’m one of those people that like to touch everything. I’ve been doing beadwork for thirty years now and wanted to combine all my loves together, painting and beading. So I did. Then I decided to experiment with other mediums. I started adding modeling paste to the canvas and made pottery that looked like it was really coming out of the canvas. When I showed them at the 2010 Olympics, every person that walked past my booth had to touch them to see if their eyes were deceiving them. I didn’t mind because I would do the same. I took a workshop on wampum beads which took me two hours to make two beads. I incorporated

ART OF THE PEOPLE I n t e r v i e w w i t h B a h e W h i t e t h o r n e J r.

â&#x20AC;&#x153;Coming together is a beginning. Keeping together is progress. Working together is successâ&#x20AC;? Henry Ford Art of the People (AOTP), a consortium of 31 well-established and aspiring male and female artists representing various media categories from painting, pottery, weaving, jewelry making, sculpting, carving, graphic design, tattoo, to performance arts. In a unique approach, AOTP was hired as a group to create large-scale artworks for the new twin Arrows Casino in Flagstaff, AZ. This ambitious project was a success. In addition to completing a worthwhile project, the group was able to adapt, improvise and overcome challenges. CONTEMPORARY NATIVE ART MAGAZINE: How did the group approach Twin Arrows Casino with this idea? BAHE WHITETHORNE JR: AOTP approached the Gaming Enterprise for the new Twin Arrows Casino and offered them a consortium of Native master artists to create works on site.

Two years ago, a call to artists was announced. During the audition process we went through several rounds of proposals, but at last the group got the go ahead and budget to begin. We were commissioned to create10 art panels, all just over 6’ tall and up to 8’ wide to be hung around the convention center part of the casino. We had just 10 days to execute the project. We managed to arrange for everyone to meet and stay in Flagstaff with as little as two days notice. CNAM: What directions did the casino provide and how did the group agree on a vision for the pieces to be created? WHITETHORNE JR: I guess you could say we were able to express ourselves within the main themes provided by the casino: Big, Bright, Bold, Contemporary, and Abstract. In terms of direction and concept, the gaming officials had several key ideas to incorporate, but other than those guidelines, we pretty much had creative freedom in subject and narrative. We approached the narrative as a group, and created sketches of our visions and interpretations. As we sketched, we broke everything into pieces to create a story of Northern Arizona and Navajo Life ways, choosing topics from everybody’s childhood.

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CNAM: As the participating artists work in different media, were some of them out of their comfort zone? WHITETHORNE JR: A majority of the artists more comfortable with the project were painters, but it was a challenge for other artists in the group such as the woodcarvers, jewelers and sculptors, each masters in their own field. They had to stop, step back, and re-assess how to approach the medium. They revisited their art school days and remembered the basics that they learned, reapplying these techniques. CNAM: What does it take to transform a group of individual artists into a working team? How do you overcome egos, different working habits? WHITETHORNE JR: The master artists who are used to working alone were out of their comfort zone, so a certain amount of head butting was expected. It was made very clear to all the artists from day one that every one had to work together. An inspired frenzy broke out among the artists during the creation process. A few conflicts occurred between artists when work was painted over or content in the pieces was changed without discussions. This prompted the group to step back and focus on how to better serve the pieces and

stories of the panels. Everyone gathered in a room and had a chance to voice their concerns. Concerns, criticisms, suggestions and opinions were presented. It was pointed out that future opportunities could be created by completing this project successfully. The artists became closer and more responsive during this parlay. Four hours later, the artists emerged. They were energetic and enthusiastic as they found their bearings. The group worked together like a well-oiled machine to complete the project

CNAM: Having finalized this enormous task as a group - how did you all celebrate or is that happening with the casino opening and art show? WHITETHORNE JR: After the project was done, we got together and celebrated as a group at a Mexican restaurant in Flagstaff. It felt as if we ran a marathon or something because it was 10 straight days of work!

CNAM: What did it feel like for you, the next generation to work with so many established and successful Native artists? WHITETHORNE JR: It was great because, in a way, it was kind of like getting accepted into a community that I admired a lot growing up. To get the chance to work alongside these well-established artists, I saw an opportunity to learn. They introduced me to a whole new way of thinking and approaching art in general. It was great to experience. I feel great am now more confident in my work.

The Gallery of

Douglas Miles 50

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CHRIS PAPPAN WWW.CHRISPAPPAN.COM SFIM BOOTH #774 Lincoln West

ART IN THE DIGITAL AGE D

CNAM: What medium were you first passionate about when you started at IAIA? DEBRA YEPA-PAPPAN: When I first got to IAIA, I wasn’t really sure what I wanted to do. Admittedly, I don’t possess drawing or painting skills, so those classes intimidated me, but I was fascinated by jewelry making. I took jewelry classes. My closest friend at IA was taking photography classes, so by my second semester, I thought I’d give that a try. I did and fell in love with it. I really enjoyed the hands on process, but I continued with jewelry making as well. CNAM: When did you first start working with photography? DEBRA: My interest in photography began when I was in my second semester at IAIA. I never really considered myself a “photographer” though, but an artist that uses photography as my medium.

a darkroom someday and develop my own film and print my own prints. The use of either means definitely requires a different mind set in approaching the outcome of a piece. When creating digitally, I really try to make my works not look as if they were created digitally. My works often times get mistaken for paintings or drawings. Do you have a vision for a piece when you start, or do you play around with a piece until you feel it is finished? I can go either way. Sometimes I start with an idea, then I’ll make some crude sketches to map out how I think a piece should come together. I’ll either use existing photographs or go out and photograph the images I want to use. My final piece doesn’t always come out the way I planned. If I feel it won’t work at all I’ll just scrap it, or I’ll play around with it and the outcome is better than what I first had in mind. CNAM: 3-D Printers are becoming popular in the art scene, any plans to utilize them for your work? DEBRA: No, it’s not something I ever gave any thought to. I think it’s amazing what can be done with technology, but I’m kind of a traditionalist at heart in that If I wanted to create a three dimensional piece, I would rather take a sculpting class and create something with my own hands as opposed to having a machine do it for me. At this time, I don’t feel the need to go 3-D with my work. Your show at MOCNA was a hit, what kind of response did you get from the public about your art? I received a lot of great feedback! I love hearing about how my work speaks to those that are either intim-

idated by art or not really “into art”, but when they see my work, they get it. It’s important for me to be able to share my story through my art and to share the message that it’s okay to be someone who is mixed race, and that I am someone who is proud of that fact and embraces the different cultures that make up who I am. Where does the confidence come from for you to accept digital art as a fine art form? It is a new art form for most Native artists. I guess in the same sense that I don’t consider myself a photographer, I don’t consider myself a digital artist either, but an artist who uses digital technology as a tool to create art. I make use of the digital medium because of it’s ease and convenience, though I would love to get back into

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Advising younger artists to use modern electronics to create art ( e.g. Digital cameras, iPads, etc.) what should they focus on first: mastering the technique of the device they

want to use or creating a vision of the final piece and then figuring out what medium can help to realize that? You definitely want to master whatever medium you choose to create with whether it be traditional materials or electronic devices. If you have a certain medium in mind to realize a piece, make sure you have some expertise in using that medium or else you may not be able to accomplish your goal. To me it’s about maintaining quality and integrity. If I don’t know how to paint, I’m not going to paint. When I think of creating a piece, I’m thinking of realizing them using photographs and images that I’ll manipulate digitally. Social Media seems to play a big role in promoting art these days but that can result as well in an increased amount of written reviews (comments). How do you react as an artist to this feedback - good or bad? Do you even want to read it?   Yeah, social media can be a blessing and a curse. Most often we post something and we get the likes and nice comments, it can easily go to your head and inflate your ego. But it is necessary to receive constructive criticism. It helps us grow as artists so that we continue to make better art. You have to hear the good and the bad. You can’t expect everyone to like everything you create and you have to be open to criticism. But keep it constructive, people! Has social media ever influenced a project of yours? And if so in what way? I haven’t been influenced by anything I see in social media. I like to see what other people are doing, but I don’t follow trends. I like to think I have my own style. I use social media to keep in touch with other artists, and to show my support. It’s also a good way to learn about and take advantage of opportunities available in the art world, and to promote my own art and exhibits I’m in. CNAM: What is your hope for the future of Native arts? YEPA-PAPPAN: I want to see more Native art/artists enter the mainstream art scene. We have the capability of being more than just Native artists. We are artists... who happen to be Native.

PREVIEW K A T H Y

W H I T M A N - EL K W O M A N

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PREVIEW

S H EL D O N

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H AR V EY

PATRICK DEAN HUBBELL V I S I O N A R Y

A R T I S T

Patrick Dean Hubbell is Dine’ (Navajo). He is To’ahani’(Near to Water Clan), Born for Dibe’lizhini (Black Sheep), Maternal Grandfather is Kinyaa’aanii (Towering House People), Paternal Grandfather is Hona’ghaahnii (One Who Walks Around Clan). He is originally from Navajo, New Mexico, located near the Northeast region of the Arizona, New Mexico border of the Navajo Nation. Patrick attended Arizona State University where he received his Bachelors of Fine Art in Painting and Drawing and also minored in American Indian Studies. He is currently residing and working in Gallup , NM. My work is an investigation of identity. I am drawn to the subtle questioning of this examination. I find inspiration in everything and I use various themes rooted in the correlation and the conflict of both my Native American and Contemporary mindset. I am equally interested in the abstract qualities of expression as well as the human figure. Using nature, stories, philosophies, and abstract representations, I am able to depict this existence of identity. My work includes the use of bold and vibrant colors, combined with the integration of various elements of design, and a multitude of line quality and expressive mark making that often mimics what nature provides.These elements allow me to create my own aesthetic value in which reflect a personal experience

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of memory, physical, mental, and spiritual instances from life. The expressive personality of my work allows the viewer a momentary visual experience. The “Look On the Brighter Side” series revolves around the idea of the fusion of the traditional with the contemporary. It examines the modern identity of many natives through fashion and style of todays generation by combing older historical images of these Native Americans, from different nations, with a contemporary touch of color and fashion. Throughout the history of the United States there have been countless photographs taken of Native Americans. As i look at these images, I attempt to read the personality behind the face. I like to imagine how they would speak, the gestures they might make, and they way carried themselves. I observe the details in their eyes, hands, and how they are dressed. From these images, I have utmost appreciation for their strong traditional mindset, their way of life and what they stood for. As I try to imagine how

their lives were, I am also reminded of how easy we have it made in these modern times. These simple question also arise, “If these individuals were alive today, what might they wear? Would they dress they we dress? Would they be disappointed in how we present ourselves?” Through this series of paintings I reinterpret these images, with bright colored clothing, design elements for the background, and the use of sunglasses. By adding these different modern elements, it is a way of connecting these two different generations of physical, mental, and spiritual ways of life. The sunglasses acts as barrier that distances the viewer and distorts the personal connection through the eyes. The title of the series draws on the underlying thought of; as Native people, having gone through so much throughout history, we still exist and are still present. We are still here and we have all the opportunities before us to achieve something great for our families and to honor the ones who came before us. We have to “Look on the brighter side” and establish a positive mind to accomplish these goals for the future of our people.

This series of paintings is inspired from the stories and philosophies of various aspects of nature through the Navajo Creation story to the modern era of my internalization of having presence in a certain environment. These paintings are an abstract representation of these times and how different elements of nature occupy a certain space. These paintings mimic and render the history of mark making that nature presents through the process of time, weathering, and organic aging. Through this concept, the different elements, whether it be mental, physical, spiritual, or emotional are represented and depicted in the form of an equal sided cross making their presence known in the atmospheric environment.

DARNELL FINE ART 640 CANYON RD | SANTA FE, NM 87505 505 984 0840 | 800 984 0840 WWW.darnellfineart.com | art@darnellfineart.com PATRICK DEAN HUBBELL INDIAN MARKET SOLO EXHIBITION AUGUST 16 - SEPTEMBER 3 OPENING FRIDAY, AUGUST 16 5PM

A solo exhibition featuring the work of Contemporary Navajo artist Patrick Dean Hubbell. “Untitled explores line, movement, expression, and color. These elements, which are used to examine the different aspects of identity of the artist, are also featured in the works from the “Untitled Appropriation” series, “That Which Makes Up Space” series and “Red and White” series.

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NATASHA SMOKE SANTIAGO I N T E R V I E W

B Y

K A T J A

L E H M A N N

I first encountered one of Nathasha Smoke Santiago’s Belly Sculptures while I was strolling through the exhibit “Auf den Spuren der Irokesen” in Bonn, Germany. These sculptures stood out among a sea of objects. They were colorful, vivid and full of life.. Natasha is a re-known M ohawk potter, painter and life caster based in the community of Akwesasne. Although she is heavily influenced by her heritage, she is not shy to venture into the unknown. She has added a modern twist to traditional pottery by creating life size “pot” bellies. Natasha maintains her heritage through her creative expressions on canvas, effigy pipes and more traditional style of pottery.

CNAM: At what point in life did you become fascinated with pregnant bellies? SANTIAGO: My fascination with pregnant bellies probably began when my mother was pregnant with my sister. I was an only child for twelve years. I was so very excited during my mother’s pregnancy. I loved her belly and my sister inside. This love of pregnant bellies carried over long after my own pregnancies. Pregnant women are the most beautiful women in the world. They are carrying life and not just anyone can do that. It is truly a gift from the Creator.

rienced difficulties during that pregnancy. I wasn’t able to have it done myself as my first baby was born prematurely. I was able to have it done for my second & third child, though. I experienced first hand how the mother’s health, a healthy pregnancy, and healthy babies can be easily taken for granted. I was gifted a healthy baby girl who just needed extra time and care in the NICU. My whole experience eventually worked itself into my paintings one way or another and eventually into Bellies as Art forms themselves. LEHMANN: Where do you find models for the sculptures?

LEHMANN: Did you develop the idea to cast pregnant bellies from the fact that the Mohawk word for pot describes a woman’s belly? SANTIAGO: I think that it is safe to say that it had an influence on the first “Pot” belly that I had made. I became interested in belly casting when I was pregnant with my first child, but expe-

SANTIAGO: I originally started finding models in my community of Akwesasne. Most of the women are Mohawk. LEHMANN: How do the belly sculptures connect to the Skywoman’s creation story?

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SANTIAGO:I feel that my belly creations directly connect to Skywoman in our Creation Story. In the Haudenosaunee (which means People of the Longhouse) Creation Story, “Skywoman” was pregnant when she fell from the Sky World. Her fall was broken by a flock of geese who rescued her. The geese brought her down safety to a large turtle, who offered it’s shell to her as shelter. There was no land in this new world, only water animals. All of the water animals tried to dive for rumored earth below the water. The only one to succeed was the muskrat. The Skywoman, in turn, spread earth along the turtle’s shell She also planted various roots that she had grasped when falling from the Sky World. To this day Mother Earth is also referred to as “Turtle Island”. LEHMANN: How does your audience perceive the belly sculptures? I am sure there might be the one or other controversy related to them. SANTIAGO: I think that the Bellies are pretty well received. Most audiences are in “awe” when they see them. People’s natural tendencies are to want to go “feel” the belly. On the other hand, there are still a few people here or there who have negative comments. I feel that it is most likely due to their own upbringing and the media influences which have caused a negative perception of a woman’s body. With these altered perceptions, they lack the ability to see life and beauty in the female form. I just see beauty. LEHMANN: Is there a contemporary development amongst the Haudenosaunee potters or do most of them make traditional pots? SANTIAGO: Traditional Haudenosaunee potters and pipe makers are few and far between. Most of them seem to focus more on contemporary pieces; however, there are still a few Traditionalists amongst us. means People of the Longhouse) Creation Story, “Skywoman” was pregnant when she fell from the Sky World. Her fall was broken by a flock of geese who rescued her. The geese brought her down safety to a large turtle, who offered it’s shell to her as shelter. There was no land in this new world, only water animals. All of the water animals tried to dive for rumored earth below the water. The only one to succeed was the muskrat. The Skywoman, in turn, spread earth along the turtle’s shell She also planted various roots that she had grasped when falling from the Sky World. To this day Mother Earth is also referred to as “Turtle Island”. LEHMANN: How does your audience perceive the belly sculptures? I am sure there might be the one or other controversy related to them. SANTIAGO: I think that the Bellies are pretty well received. Most audiences are in “awe” when they see them. People’s natural tendencies are to want to go “feel” the belly. On the

other hand, there are still a few people here or there who have negative comments. I feel that it is most likely due to their own upbringing and the media influences which have caused a negative perception of a woman’s body. With these altered perceptions, they lack the ability to see life and beauty in the female form. I just see beauty. LEHMANN: Is there a contemporary development amongst the Haudenosaunee potters or do most of them make traditional pots? SANTIAGO: Traditional Haudenosaunee potters and pipe makers are few and far between. Most of them seem to focus more on contemporary pieces; however, there are still a few Traditionalists amongst us.

“Manta of the Universe”

CLIFF FRAGUA P.O. Box 250 Jemez Pueblo, NM 87024

505-252-8870 CFRAGUA55@YAHOO.COM WWW.SINGINGSTONESTUDIO.COM

SFIM Booth #753-LIN-E

POST-COMMODITY BY HOKA SKENANDORE

Initially, Post Commodity sounds like a buzzword for another anti-art movement. It actually signifies the beginning. Founded by Steven Yazzie, Kade L.Twist, and Nathan Young, the current line-up has expanded to add the talents of Raven Chacon and Cristobal Martinez. Each individual is a fantastic force of change and insight in the respective fields of installation, music, and contemporary art. When combined, each member brings individual background, experience and talent to create a whole that is blazing a path in contemporary art. Steven Yazzie is a multi-talented painter based in Arizona. One of the founding members of Post Commodity, he worked with the group from 2007 to 2010. Kade L. Twist creates work that re-imagines traditional tribal stories into contemporary contexts such as consumerism. His works are primarily film and installation pieces. Nathan Young is another multi-talented artist who contributes his knowledge of sound. Raven Chacon is involved with the independent arts space “Small Engine” and plays in several bands. He works as a composer of sound. Cristobal Martinez, a doctoral student at ASU works with a number of collectives that “…express North American indigenous worldviews and their relationships to place, while considering the impact of colonization, imperialism, neo-liberalism, and globalization.” Together they create multi-media works that are very unique. Many of these are live performances. I attended a performance by James Luna at the Pueblo Cultural Center in Albuquerque a number of years ago. It was pretty funny. Mr. Luna even dissed on my bleached yellow hair. As a point of comparison, my experience seeing Post Commodity perform was as different as night and day. Mr. Luna projects a modern day blues-shaman-storyteller-trickster vibe. Post Commodity was like seeing a performance similar to many do-it-yourself artists in the alternative/post-punk/indie/noise bands that play and perform at various locales of the Albuquerque Metro. I was lucky enough to catch them at an alternative space downtown near the Zoo.

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Where Mr. Luna brought the laughs, the P.C. boys brought pure manic noise. I was interested in seeing the group because Chacon is from my hometown of Albuquerque (Burque or the 505, as it is often referred.) That night’s line up featured Kade L. Twist, Raven Chacon, and Nathan Young. Twist was blasting on an elk-call, while Chacon and Young were scraping deer antlers on some sort of amplified metallic plates. The atmosphere was awesome, the kind that pulls in emaciated hipsters with beards and other independent thinking types. The room had a good crowd. Everyone sat and listened to a solid half hour of avaunt-garde music. Afterward, one man commented that the local deer population was probably going nuts. I could imagine deer charging up the face of the Sandia Mountains in the dark. Kade handed me a copy of their “Post Commodity + Magor” recording. I took it home and listened to it. When I read the liner notes, it became clear to me that what the members are doing is groundbreaking in many ways. Magor (aka the late Ivan Martin Jirous) is an example of art and artists fighting against the crushing tides of conformity. Post Commodity is a collective of artists who seek to defy categorization not only of what they do, but also of what they create. James Luna has carved out an important area with his performances. His Artifact Piece is amazingly important. Where he has approached the institution from the inside out, Post Commodity has shown they can create within the museum context as well as completely outside and beyond. In this case, the Repellent Eye is a great example. I have always felt the arts of Indigenous people have been a form of cultural resistance to the vast powers of colonialism and imperialist attitudes that expect art to conform to western standards. This vision has been noticed by art junkies such as myself as well as the Joan Mitchell Foundation which awarded Post Commodity the 2010 Sculptors and Painters Grant.This is not an anomaly, look at their collective resumes! It seems Post Commodity has taken the two-worlds idea and blown it pieces. They have taken the resulting chunks and distilled them through an Indigenous worldview filter. Much can be taken away from the seeing/hearing this work, but I promise it will leave you thinking. Look for more performances in the New Mexico area. If you get a chance, drop in and see the “Spirit Abuse” project space in Albuquerque, NM. For more information visit: www. postcommodity.com

Mercedes is wearing a sealskin and metallic green leather corset, claw and fur tuft earrings, claw and metallic white leather cuff and curved snakeskin cuff. Shaaxsaani is wearing sealskin and metallic gold leather corset, claw and pearl earrings and sealskin cuffs.

Photography by Anjelica LS Gallegos

Indigenous Princess is the mother-daughter contemporary skin sewing team of Shaaxsaani and Mercedes. The chic aesthetic of these designs appeal to women from all kinds of backgrounds.They are inspired by the richness and utility of traditional materials and strive to bring an artful expression that speaks to ancestry in a modern world. Using materials such as sealskin and sea otter root Shaaxsaani and Mercedes solidly in Southeast Alaska and the styles they create are relevant to their culture while speaking to contemporary fashion and art.

SHAAXSAANI AND MERCEDES 2013 SFIM Booth # 900-CA

SummerDawn is modeling the Seal-spearing dress, Metallic Ermine clutch, Pretty Fierce cuff in metallic blue, sealskin and pink seed bead cuffs, Sealskin and Ivory dangle chain stud earrings and Skullband.

Sarah is modeling a pair of Ermine earrings, the Ermine dress and an arctic fox Hair Flower.

Back home everyone hunts or fishes and lives a daily life that is directly connected to the land. Materials that Natives utilize such as, sealskin, polar bear, sea otter, walrus ivory, fishskin, teeth, claws, and bone are by-products of a subsistence lifestyle. Our people continue to use every part of these animals as our ancestors did. Occasionally we encounter folks who have an immediate, negative response to the idea of us using fur. Most of them are not aware of the relationship we have with these animals and that they are hunted as a traditional food source.

Shaaxsaani and Mercedes

CRAIG GEORGE T H E

A R T I S T ’ S A R T I S T Interview by Katja Lehmann

Secluded from the hustle and bustle of the art scene in Santa Fe and Phoenix, Navajo artist Craig George who is equally at home in Los Angeles and Blue Gap AZ, creates art portraying his surroundings with a detail that is unparalleled. Asking him why he is not showing at the major art shows in the Southwest or being represented by a gallery, he humbly replies that he still wants to improve his skills. Craig shows you in his work that he doesn’t take his gift for granted, as each piece he creates seems to have been painted by a person who is in his element. KATJA LEHMANN: You have lived in two extremely different locations. How does each of those two places influence your art work? CRAIG GEORGE: Los Angeles influenced me a great deal. Living there felt like living within a huge art school: the street was our canvas to paint and our teachers were our neighborhood challenges. The rich culture of graffiti art is incorporated into my artwork. Living on the Rez provides me with everything I need to create my artwork right in my backyard – Nature: night skies, music, ceremonies, and all living elements. Each element has its own story to tell. I am constantly telling (weaving) my two stories together, my life as a city Navajo artist living in two worlds. LEHMANN: Is there an art scene for Contemporary Native Art in LA?

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GEORGE: Not too much. The Museums (e.g. the Southwest Museum of the American Indian, etc.) display mostly traditional works - nothing like my kind of art. LEHMANN:Your mixed media pieces demonstrate your roots in printmaking and almost always incorporate text in Navajo. What message does the language carry for you? GEORGE: Printmaking was my first major but after taking print making courses; I found a whole new passion, combining the two subjects together. Until then I had not heard of Jean-Michel Basquiat, Jean Dubuffet, Robert Rauschenberg or Keith Haring. These guys were good using hidden messages in their pieces but I never understood it the concept until I finally stood back and saw the full picture of their stories. Using messages helps the viewer to search for the focal point of the subject matter. It could be an image or shape that re-directs your eyes back to the main focus. It is like finding a lost piece of the puzzle. LEHMANN: Who are your role models, when it comes to art? GEORGE: My two role models were Keith Haring and JeanMichel Basquiat.They both have unique style which I can relate to; love how they use different medium in their work and the idea how they fit the all materials to make it work. LEHMANN: What was the most interesting commission you have ever done?

GEORGE: I was in the 4th grade and just received a 1st place art contest award. The school loved it so much that they wanted me to paint the front of the school building entrance. I painted a 3ft x 8ft image with a sunrise peeking over downtown Los Angeles high risers executed with enamel paint. It took me at least 3 Â˝ weeks to finish â&#x20AC;&#x201C; all on my own. It was the first time I recognized the fact that I could be an artist. LEHMANN:You told me once that two of the things you miss the most on the rez is your bicycle and Starbucks. GEORGE: I do miss my free speed bike, and the rush of riding through traffic non-stop, trying to beat every light and making it home safe. LEHMANN: What do you want to accomplish in the bigger scheme of things? GEORGE: I want to be up there with the great ones, the ones that did something good for themselves and for others. LEHMANN: How do you view the young generation of Native artists? GEORGE:The upcoming generation of young native artists are amazing, bold and not afraid to express their talent. The young minds are intact, ready to conquer the world.

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