Muscogee Nation hosts Native Christmas Market at Jenks Riverwalk.

Nov 19, 2023 By Admin in Native

JENKS, Okla. — The Muscogee Nation hosted a Native Christmas Market Saturday at the Jenks Riverwalk.

The event took place at the Jenks Riverwalk from 3 p.m. to 7 p.m.

During that time, more than 25 Native American vendors from various tribes were all showcasing their goods.

Sisters Brittany Hill and Breana Hill were selling handmade goods including beadwork, shellwork, paintings, ledger art and hand painted Christmas ornaments.

“We got it from our father, our father is a self-taught artist, and all our lives we’ve just been painting and drawing and so, we’re just now kind of starting to get into the art market specialty of it all,” Breana said.

They said their art depicts both their Muscogee and Ihanktonwan Dakota art styles.

Brittany said the event was a great place to showcase native art.

“We’re so happy to be here, it’s always such a great time when we have multiple vendors from different tribes come out and it’s just a great place to showcase native art,” she said.

Breana said she was thankful people were supporting local vendors and artists because of the amount of time and work that goes into the pieces.

“People take a lot of time outside of their daily life, whether that be their full-time job or not, to put these pieces together and just show a lot of their hard work and it’s a good depiction that we are still here today as indigenous people and showing our art pieces in modern and traditional times,” Brenea said.

She also said supporting local Native American artists is important because for many, art is a part of their identity.

The event also had live music, carolers, and a kids zone.

‘For Our Stories to be Told’: Hope Valley Native artist Brooke Waldron centers Indigenous narratives in her artwork

Nov 19, 2023 By Admin in Native

HOPKINTON — Native artist Brooke Waldron — painter, potter and proud Seaconke Wampanoag/Narragansett — sat inside her Hope Valley studio one morning last week, turning her pottery wheel and talking about contemporary Native art.

On the wall behind her, a painting of a white horse, framed by an orange rectangle and centered in a rich purple background, hung on a white wall. On the floor nearby, an enormous painting — featuring half a dozen different-colored horses galloping under a starry, moonlit sky — was leaning against a wall.

“We are not just tipis and dream-catchers,” said Waldron with a soft smile as she trimmed the edges of a small clay bowl. “Native art is so much more … and we’ve got to reclaim our seat at the table.”

Contemporary Native art often goes unnoticed, Waldron said, “and our culture and representation continues to be profoundly underrepresented.

“Our narratives, stories and artistic practice is almost exclusively told in the past tense and is rarely exhibited in an equitable way.”

Waldron will talk more about Native art, and take questions from the audience, this afternoon at 4:30 at the Gamm Theatre in Warwick, where an exhibit of her work is currently on display at the Gamm Theatre Gallery.

The solo exhibit — paintings from “Those That Guide Us” — features 12 of Waldron’s newer works, paintings that “present a breadth of style and color,” according to installation organizers, who note that the “collection is steeped in Indigenous symbolism.”

Waldron, who explores the relationship between color, nature and traditional native symbolism and contemporary techniques, has a deep affinity for the natural world and for animals.

“Our four-legged relatives” are common themes in Waldron’s work.

Rabbits and horses appear in her paintings, feathers and ferns pop up in her pottery. Birds and eagles too.

Also an equestrian and riding instructor, Waldron, 33, grew up on a 118-acre farm in Exeter with her parents and an older sister, Kara.

“She’s my biggest supporter,” said Waldron with a smile, “along with my parents, of course.”

Waldron graduated from Exeter-West Greenwich High School before heading off to work and to study at the Community College of Rhode Island.

Waldron, who is employed by the Rhode Island Regional Indian Council and works in the subsidiary office in North Stonington assisting Native communities in career development, said she knew from an early age that she was an artist.

In high school, she said, she was positively influenced by her high school art teacher and friend, Elizabeth Lind, who helped her realize there was space for the art she was making.

“She was very encouraging,” said Waldron. “She made time.”

Waldron participated in her first exhibit — as a teenager — at the Hera Gallery in Wakefield. She exhibited at the Hera again years later. She has also exhibited at the South County Art Association, where she has taken many classes, and the Warwick Center for the Arts.

In 2007, Waldron attended the solo exhibit of noted Comanche Artist Nocona Burgess at the Peck Gallery in Providence, an event that stays with her.

It was an emotional experience for Waldron who had seen Burgess’ work in Santa Fe and Albuquerque and had become what she calls “a fangirl.”

She said she feels a sort of thread that connects her work with Burgess’ work and “pulls on through.”

Burgess, who has earned widespread recognition for his bold acrylic portraits of historic American Indian figures, including his famous great-great-grandfather, Comanche chief Quanah Parker, is known for his modern depictions of Indigenous men and women from various tribal nations of North America.

According to his biography, Burgess “explores the cultural context, life story and identity of each sitter. In this way, the artist urges us to update our perceptions of Native people and consider the intriguing and often highly politicized place of Native American portraiture.”

It is a philosophy shared by Waldron, who said she’d like to be a sort of change agent for the way people think about contemporary Native American art.

Especially now, during the month of November, which has been designated as Native American Heritage Month.

Waldron said when she was approached about the idea for the exhibit by Lauryn Sasso, the Gamm’s institutional engagement associate who facilitates the theater’s art installations, she was thrilled.

“I’m honored to be there,” said Waldron. “They have been very welcoming and I’m grateful for the space.”

Sasso called Waldron’s use of color in her paintings “stunning.”

“She is an intelligent and unique talent,” said Sasso, who first saw Waldron’s work at an exhibit at the Warwick Center for the Arts.

Waldron’s work is “really, really singular in the way she delves into and integrates Indigenous lore and symbolism,” added Sasso. “And her ceramic work is beautiful too.”

“The collection is steeped in Indigenous symbolism, a departure from the human form,” reads a statement from the Rhode Island Humanities about the exhibit. “The series invites the viewer to interpret the many lessons we can learn from self-reflection.

“Using animals as the north star of her focus, the artist creates a narrative that shares her own personal story while connecting with the audience in a familiar way.”

Now that she’s completed her “dream project” — the creation of her Hope Valley studio — Waldron is pondering her next steps.

Maybe she’ll open a gallery for Native artists, a place “for our stories to be told,” she said.

“I’m in a constant experimental state,” Waldron added with a smile.

Waldron plans to participate in a Dec. 9 holiday event in Hope Valley, will have some pieces at the Village Art Studio and maybe she’ll be at a Christmas market or two. In the meantime, “Those That Guide Us” will be on exhibit at the Gamm through Nov. 26.

For more information, visit www.grayhorsestudioart.com and www.gammtheatre.org.

Little Big Horn College group learns how to make Crow moccasins

Nov 19, 2023 By Admin in Native

BILLINGS — Little Big Horn College’s Ak Bacheeitchiilewioosh Youth Leadership Council met Saturday at the MSU Billings Native American Achievement Center to learn the traditional art of moccasin making.

“It starts right with their feet. They’re learning how to make these moccasins and get on that cultural path. We talk to them in our language, we speak Crow to them, and we want them to learn leadership and continue on in life knowing who they are and not forgetting where they come from,” said one of the organizers of the council, Jonella Hill.

About a dozen students were taught how to measure their feet and make patterns to design their own buckskin moccasins.

For many, this was their first experience learning how to bead. The group hopes that once the youth members learn how to make their own, they can then teach others and keep the tradition alive.

“In order for them to start learning and having awareness of who they are and where they come from, they need to walk in the shoes of their ancestors. They were pretty tough people back then and they used moccasins to get anywhere,” said Noel Two Leggins, another organizer.

Many of the participants, like Vanessa Afraid of Bear, watched their own grandparents make moccasins growing up.

“I’m almost making my ancestors proud because this is something obviously they did, and for me, to be in a society that we are but still able to return and do that, I think is really significant to me to know how to do it for myself and generations to come,” Afraid of Bear said.

Moccasin making is just one of several activities the council hopes to share with the younger generation. The group is planning on wearing their moccasins in the spring for powwows.

Capybara Coffee hosting fall pop-up market with local vendors

Nov 19, 2023 By Admin in Art World News

Capybara Coffee will host a fall pop-up market on Sunday, Nov. 19, from 11 a.m.-4 p.m., located between the University Commons and the Publix just outside of the University of Tennessee campus.

Leticia Fernandes, owner of Capybara Coffee, said she is very excited about the market. It will be the second pop-up market that Capybara Coffee has hosted.

“There will be around 20 vendors, all local crafts, arts and food as well,” Fernandes said. “There will be energy balls, coffee, honey and sketch artists. I’m trying to do a very eclectic market that has a little bit of everything.”

Due to the success of the first market, which took place back in April, Fernandes is planning on having many more.

“The vendors were very happy with the sales and the customers were very happy with what we had to offer,” she said. “I wish we could do even more.”

Fernandes originally started the pop-up market as a way of connecting with the Knoxville community.

“I love the market but I work a lot so I don’t always have time to go,” she said. “So I thought, ‘Might as well bring them here.’ We can help each other and bring something different to the table. I want to throw a big emphasis on communities, especially in a large town like this.”

Fernandes is hoping that Capybara Coffee can be a place where college students can find a connection.

“When you go to college, you have to move and then make a new community in your life,” she said. “This way, the market is within walking distance to all students living in the dorms. I’m trying to bring a sense of the city to them, not just college life but everything that happens around it too. You know, creating your own community.”

Fernandes chose the name “Capybara Coffee” because it is a reminder of her home country of Brazil. She said they are common in her hometown city and very friendly.

“We wanted to honor our origins, where we come from and also have this friendly and welcoming environment,” Fernandes said. “We want to keep it warm and cute.”

Fernandes also really enjoys being a coffee shop owner, as it allows her to get to know her customers intimately.

“Sometimes people will tell me what research they’re doing, whatever they’re learning or whatever they’re teaching,” she said. “I’ve learned a little bit of everything from music to marketing.”

The highlight of her day is getting to see customers’ faces light up after having their first sip of coffee. When choosing the vendors for the fall pop-up market lineup, Fernandes was careful to think about her customer base.

“I invited people with wares that I think would interest our customer base as well as some vendors my customers and friends recommended,” Fernandes said.

One such vendor is Kathy Cotten Bryant, known as “outsidethebox__vintage” on Instagram and “OTB Outside THe BoX” on Facebook. She collects and sells vintage artifacts and wares and has been doing so for about nine years. A recent retiree, this is now her main gig, and she enjoys it to the fullest.

“I started with a friend to let go of items I no longer needed and items my kids had outgrown,” Bryant said.

While it is a fun business, she says it can be challenging at times.

“It requires a constant focus, whether on finding new treasures to sell, marketing those treasures, or keeping up with the in and out of inventory,” Bryant said. “As with any endeavor, discovering my talents and gifts within the resell world and it continues to be a journey.”

Bryant’s love for vintage items goes far and wide. She has even traveled to places like Italy and found things there.

“Vintage items tell stories and have stood the test of time,” Bryant said. “Repurposing, reimagining, and bringing those items back to the public is exciting and rewarding. They will live another life hopefully as long or longer than their first!”

Treasure hunting is her favorite part of the business. Just like Fernandes, Bryant is hoping to connect with people through the upcoming pop-up market.

“The most difficult part is narrowing my focus on what I choose to look for and purchase for resale,” Bryant said. “I feel that if I can narrow my focus, I’ll be able to offer variety and quality and appeal to those individuals looking for just what I have.”

All of the coffee at Capybara Coffee is made in-house, so if you want some authentic Brazilian coffee, consider grabbing a cup at this weekend’s pop-up market.

“We want every cup to be amazing,” Fernandes said. “We want your experience to be amazing.”

‘100 Cameras for 100 kids’ aims to help kids gain photography skills

Nov 18, 2023 By Admin in Photography

INDIANAPOLIS — A new program is providing undeserved youth the chance to learn photography.

The ‘100 Cameras for 100 Kids’ program is on a mission to empower youth in Indianapolis with the transformative power of photography.

“I’ve learned the basics. I’ve learned a lot of techniques — the way to use the camera, ways to use light to bring things to life,” Jordan Warbinton said.

“I’ve learned how to use this camera. This camera is a beast,” Chance McMillion said.

‘100 Cameras for 100 Kids’ gives each participant a free camera. They go through a six-week training course where they get to learn from professionals.

“It means a lot that somebody would actually want to help us out,” Caden Kerr said.

Dennis Jarrett, with Next Generation Initiative, is the program’s coordinator.

“From an economic point of view, a majority of these kids would not have had the opportunity to have a $600 camera and equipment. That told us they would have been on the sidelines of pursuing their dream just because of economics. That’s where we can step in,” Jarrett said.

The goal is to give out 300 cameras over three years. There is still room for 40 kids to join a session this year.

If a student wants to sign up, they need to fill out an application and write a short essay.

For more information on participating or teaming up with 100 Cameras for 100 kids, email Info@thenxgen.org.

An Icelandic artist’s response to climate change

Nov 18, 2023 By Admin in Native

Charlotta Hauksdóttir is a Palo Alto-based mixed media artist whose works incorporate the stunning natural landscapes of Iceland, her native country. As Hauksdóttir’s awareness of climate change has developed, her works have evolved along with it. This is the story of that evolution.

Enter Here IV, by Charlotta Hauksdóttir

Hauksdóttir has a deep and abiding love for Iceland’s “magical” landscapes with their broad vistas, glowful lighting, varied terrain and ever-changing weather. As a child she spent summers camping, picking blueberries, and recreating outdoors with family and friends, forming deep bonds with people and the land.

After leaving Iceland to study photography at the San Francisco Art Institute, a bout of homesickness led her to put together sets of photographs, “Dreamscapes”, that reflected her memory of the land she loved. Imperfections in our memory, and our movement through the landscapes, are represented by gaps between photos and selective blurring. The photographs are not objective mirrors of landscapes, but instead reflect our perception of places. People are represented in the art, and the connection between people and nature, even though we are not visible.

Sharp Edges, by Charlotta Hauksdóttir

It had long been a dream of Hauksdóttir to study in San Francisco, but each time she traveled back to Iceland, even the moss-covered lava fields by the airport reminded her how much she missed her home. Her art diverged from the “fairy tale” dreamscapes to a more immersive format that could almost envelop the viewer. The human-scale art, placed at eye level, allows a viewer to look down by their feet, or up by the horizon, and see what you might see if you were there. Seams between the photos are visible to remind us that perception is not reality.

Walk on Water, by Charlotta Hauksdóttir

As her children grew, her work switched to focus more on family and life changes, with the themes of time evolving and nostalgia for moments in time coming to the fore. But in 2016 she turned back to landscapes, this time feeling an urgency “not to assemble the landscape, but to disperse it in pieces”. She wasn’t sure where this impetus was coming from, or what it would look like. She knew only that the dispersal should be a meaningful pattern, something organic. It took a lot of trial and error until she found a technique that resonated, cutting up her photographs and layering them. This was a destructive act for her, as she described it, “physically cutting up these memories”. But Iceland was changing, and it felt right.

Hauksdóttir began with a fingerprint pattern, here rendered in black velvet, that reminds viewers that we are more than passive observers of nature.

Impression XXV, by Charlotta Hauksdóttir

She also employed a cut-out pattern of retinal veins, conveying “our unwillingness to admit or see what’s happening in nature”.

Imperception IV, by Charlotta Hauksdóttir

In other works gaps in the terrain, often where snow or ice might have been, are filled with texts about global warming.

Erosion VII, by Charlotta Hauksdóttir

Hauksdóttir recalls seeing Iceland change through her twenty years of photographing it. “If you look at the glacier in this photo, I took that in 2014. I went back in 2019, and the glacier was so much smaller, with pieces coming off as I watched. The erosion of nature that I have witnessed is represented in these works.”

A series of topographic works physically removes pieces of the landscape, giving a sense of time passing as erosion happens.

Topography Study XV, by Charlotta Hauksdóttir

“People often visualize topography,” Hauksdóttir observes, “with the pieces being built up from the base. But in mine they are cut away from the surface, showing the wearing away of our natural environment.” In an upcoming exhibition in Berkeley, viewers will themselves be taking away some of these pieces, reinforcing our involvement in the environmental degradation we are seeing.

Hauksdóttir’s work continues to evolve. With the storms of last year, she incorporated both the destructive force of the winds and our ability to repair by weaving together pictures bound around sticks. This work is more hopeful in that it not only cuts things up but also binds things together.

Reclamation IV, by Charlotta Hauksdóttir

This year, after many walks with her dog looking at plants growing in the smallest of sidewalk cracks, she developed new works that emphasize the resilience of nature in the face of the changes we are seeing.

Resurgence III, by Charlotta Hauksdóttir

“Sometimes I get criticism that my works are too beautiful, that they do not show enough of the destruction from climate change, or the harm that we are doing to the planet. But at the same time, it is important to draw viewers in. I find that people appreciate the works even more when they understand what they are about.”

Art can help us to connect with our feelings. Even Hauksdóttir does not know what her works are about until after she has created them and reflected upon them. We need to bring both our hearts and our minds to the environmental challenges we are facing. It is not enough to know without caring, or to care without knowing. Art that incorporates climate change themes can help us to reflect more deeply on the scale of the change, the destruction, the uncertainty, and the resilience that we are living with as the planet warms.

Indentation I, by Charlotta Hauksdóttir

You can see more of Hauksdóttir’s work on her website. She has a studio in Palo Alto’s Cubberley Community Center. She also has multiple pieces up at the Garvey Simon Gallery in San Anselmo, and will soon have several on display at 120710 in Berkeley. I hope many of you will take a look.

Happy Thanksgiving to everyone!

Current Climate Data
Global impacts (October 2023), US impacts (October 2023), CO2 metric, Climate dashboard

Globally, October 2023 was the warmest October in the 174-year NOAA record. The year-to-date (January–October) global surface temperature ranked as the warmest such period on record. October 2023 marked the fifth consecutive month of record-warm global temperatures. According to NCEI’s Global Annual Temperature Outlook and data through October, there is a greater than 99% probability that 2023 will rank as the warmest year on record.

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Rest with Music series features live music at planetarium for MSU community

Nov 18, 2023 By Admin in Native

MSU’s Rest with Music events jump back into action this Monday. This event features a live free concert, allowing students and faculty to sit back in the Abrams Planetarium and relax with professional musicians.

These events, which take place every third Monday of the month, are run by MSU Health4U, a program dedicated to giving the community the opportunity to unplug and take a break from their day through relaxing events.

“We want to give folks the opportunity to come enjoy the planetarium while enjoying live music from artists and just getting a chance to unplug and get away from their work,” program consultant TJ Hall said. “It’s a super cool event, and the venue makes it all the more better.”

This is the eighth annual Rest with Music series at MSU. Throughout the years, the events have aimed to provide the community with a wide variety of diverse and dedicated artists.

On Nov. 20, local and Indigenous singer-songwriter Jessica Dominic will serve as the selected talent. With this being Native American Heritage month, Hall and MSU Health4U partnered with the Native American Institute to bring Dominic to MSU to tell her story through song.

This will be the third Rest with Music concert this semester. The first concert featured professional guitarist Hiroya Tsukamoto on Oct. 6, and the second concert featured local artist Phoebe Holmes on Oct. 16. Hall called both of these events “a success.”

“The first two shows were great,” Hall said. “In shows like this, we try to bring in a diverse array of talent that bring a nice representation of the different music styles from around the world. It’s a unique show for the artist as well, because they’re playing in a totally dark and silent room. Tsukamoto and Holmes both did a fantastic job.”

This event will be the last of the semester, but it’ll pick back up on Jan. 22 with Michigan born singer-songwriter Monte Pride being the main talent.

Multi-genre guitarist Justin Hatt will perform on Feb. 19, followed by jazz pianist performer Ricky Nalett on March 18. To end the spring semester, a diverse, Lansing-based band called the Dangling Participles will perform on April 15.

Rest with Music also continues into the summer season: singer-songwriter Taylor Taylor on May 20, folk musician Samuel Nalangira on June 17 and music duo Denning & Johnson on July 15.

“The goal of the program is to give folks the opportunity to take a break and rest,” Hall said. “Though, we also want to let the campus community know there’s resources available through university health and wellbeing. We do programs like this all the time and all over campus, and they’re usually free.”

Other programs that MSU Health4U hosts are courses and events like food and nutrition counseling, emotional wellness courses, yoga and more. More information about these can be found at MSU Health4U website.

Rest with Music’s third and final show of the fall semester takes place on Monday, Nov. 20, from 12 p.m. to 12:50 p.m. in the Abrams Planetarium, with Jessica Dominic as the singer. While in-person admission is free, spots are limited. Community members can register online at the MSU Health4U website. There will also be a Facebook live of the event, which does not require registration, and can also be found on the website.

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Artisan market to be held in Richmond

Nov 18, 2023 By Admin in Art World News

An artisan market will be held in Richmond on Sunday.

The Little Bird Market will be held in the Market Place from 10am to 3pm.

Stalls selling a range of items from organic skin care, to fragrant candles, clothes, accessories, art, photography, gifts, crafts, woodwork and more will be in attendance.

There will also be a range of food and drink stalls, including street food vendors.

Hazel Morrison, spokesperson for the market, said: “Little Bird Artisan Markets bring a modern twist to the traditional markets that so many of Yorkshires Towns are famous for.

“They bring together some of the finest artist, bakers, creators, designers and creators to showcase their handmade and specially selected high-quality goods all in the one location.

“Shopping online is so convenient from your home, but by visiting the market and buying the unique goods directly from the small business you are helping them to fulfil their dream and bring their goods to the communities across the area.”

Hastings Native runs Shop Meg Ann after chasing her dreams

Nov 18, 2023 By Admin in Native

HASTINGS, Neb. (KSNB) – More than 25 vendors showed up to Braeder Barn on Saturday showing their crafts off to customers, including Megan Eddy who started her business Shop Meg Ann back in college.

“I have been doing art for my entire life,” Eddy said. “During 2020 like a lot of other people I needed a new hobby. I decided to take my business full-time, I started out by making stickers, I hand draw all of my stickers. Overtime I have grown it out to include scrunchies, earrings and pet bandanas.”

When Eddy launched her online business during her junior year of college she faced the challenge of balancing handling her shop while taking college courses, but at the same time it became her stress reliever. Now that she has graduated she can spend more time focusing on Shop Meg Ann. The passion started as a kid and for those who have goals, Eddy said chase them.

“Just go after your dreams,” Eddy said. “I have dreamed of doing this since I was a kid. My mom jokes because when I was younger I had a chillax and art studio in my basement where I tried to sell stuff to my family and now I am doing this full time and it is a full circle moment.”

You can find her shop here.

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