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Montana Repertory Theatre stages reading of original MMIP play

Nov 17, 2023 By Admin in Native

This Sunday, the Montana Repertory Theatre is staging a reading of an original full-length play that addresses the crisis of missing and murdered Indigenous people.

“Can’t Drink Salt Water” was written by Kendra Mylenchuk Potter, a Missoula actor-playwright and member of the Lummi Nation, a Pacific Northwest tribe.

The reading is at 4 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 19, in the Montana Theatre of the PAR/TV Center. Tickets are available through a “pick what you pay” model at montanarep.org.

The title is a reference to salmon, a sacred creature to the Lummi people, and the rare physiological changes the fish undergo during their migrations from freshwater to salt water and vice versa, from one world to another.

“What is required of a salmon’s body in order for them to make their way back to their natal stream and then out to the ocean again?” Potter said.

In a time of widespread disagreement, she said that the acknowledgment that we’re all going to deal with death, and the benefits of storytelling as a coping mechanism, are something that is hard to dispute.

“Let’s go to those basic truths: We all got born, we’re all gonna die,” said Potter, who works as both a birth doula and a death doula. “What happens in between? And how can we be with one another in that ‘between time?’”

The story of “Can’t Drink Salt Water” is set in three distinct but connected worlds, Potter said. One is a shelter in Missoula for victims of sex-trafficking run by evangelical Christians. Another is a mother searching for her daughter who’s gone missing. The third centers on a young woman, in a sort of watery liminal space between worlds, an arc that involves elements of magical realism.

The story follows the mother in her search, along with its “anticipatory grief,” and another thread follows a young woman settling in at the shelter.

In the realm of magic realism, the viewers will meet a “Divine Mother” character. Raven, an ancestor and feature of creation stories for many Indigenous cultures, ties together all three settings.

The Rep commissioned the original play in a partnership with the Warren Miller Performing Arts Center in Big Sky. After an open call, scripts were vetted by a committee of local and national Indigenous artists.

The Rep’s artistic director, Michael Legg, said the committee “loved how Kendra planned to weave together the two stories that are at the heart of the play. They were also excited by Kendra’s existing ties to Missoula and Montana and how those ties could strengthen the story and its relationship to our community.”

Potter has acted in film and theater locally and in New York and Los Angeles. She wrote an original work, “The Buffalo Play,” that premiered here in and in New York City in 2019.

Last year, a feature documentary, “Daughter of a Lost Bird,” directed by Brooke Pepion Swaney, screened at Big Sky Documentary Film Festival. It details Potter’s search for the birth mother — she was put up for adoption and raised in Missoula by a loving white family. While following on her search as an adult, the film explains the Indian Child Welfare Act and the history of U.S. policies separating Native children from their families and culture.

The cast for this reading of “Can’t Drink Salt Water” includes visiting and local actors. University of Montana student Shadie Wallette, who was seen in the school’s production of “A Wrinkle in Time,” has a role. The visiting actors include Elva Guerra, who’s appeared on the FX series “Reservation Dogs.”

The entire show is overseen by guest director Pirronne Yousefzadeh of the Playwrights’ Center of Minneapolis. Audiences will see the work on the heels of three days of workshops at UM.

On Sunday, doors to the PAR/TV Center open at 3:30 p.m. There will be Native art and vendors in the lobby, curated by Dre Castillo.
At 4 p.m., the show will begin after a performance by the Pete Sisters.
Carissa Heavy Runner will speak after the reading. Her

daughter, Mika Westwolf,

22, was killed while walking home on Highway 93 on March 31. A Butte woman, Sunny K. White, was charged with vehicular homicide on Oct. 23 and has entered a not-guilty plea in the case.
The Pete Sisters will perform again afterward and there will be a reception in the lobby with artwork on view.

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Medina unveils interactive sculpture as part of Reimagine the Canals initiative

Nov 17, 2023 By Admin in Sculpture

Medina, N.Y. — There is a new way to connect to the Erie canal in Medina.An interactive sculpture installed by the University of Buffalo and students from Medin

Queer Native American Artist Marx Cassity Talks New Music

Nov 17, 2023 By Admin in Native

Marx Cassity just released their latest album 2Sacred in time to celebrate Native American Heritage Month, but that’s not the project’s only purpose. The set, which spans genres and tackles some really heavy topics, has a grand goal — to help all queer Native American people, especially youths, feel that they have a space in this world.

The singer-songwriter grew up queer on the Osage reservation in Oklahoma, and knows what it’s like to not fit in. As a professional trauma therapist, they work with young people to heal them, and now they’re looking to do the same through music. Some people are just meant to make the world a better place, it seems.

Cassity answered some questions about their new album and why they felt compelled to write and sing about such weighty issues, like suicide and the struggles faced by Native American peoples in today’s world.

1. Tell me about this album and the themes you write about.

2Sacred is a 10-song folktronic rock album with Native-nuanced lyrics and singing styles, supported by an NDN Collective Radical Imagination grant. It was inspired by a statistic from the Trevor Project that found that 33% of Native American LGBTQ youth attempted suicide in 2020.

I wanted to tap into my lived experience as an Indigiqueer songwriter and trauma therapist to create something in response. It ended up also being an album written for my younger self, who struggled with coming out in the 1980s in Oklahoma.

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I also created a music video for the song How Long that depicts Indigiqueer trauma and community healing, along with some stunning portraits of contemporary two spirit people. I’ve heard from folks it’s making a difference in their lives, and I’m really moved by that. It was always my hope to make something that would have a positive impact on people.

2. How is growing up queer in the Native American community different from other communities?

I talk with many queer Natives Americans and their allies, and also have my own experience. A common theme is the need for the basics of safety and legal rights, but also a great need for visibility, representation and honoring.

Queerness is nothing new in tribal societies. Upon first contact, Europeans wrote about seeing, in what is now called the United States, over 130 tribes with gender diverse and queer people living as part of those tribes. We also have our own oral histories and words depicting queerness such as Mi.xo.ge in Osage, Winkte in Lokota, Nádleehi in Navajo. This queerness was heavily impacted by the genocide of the cultural ways of many tribes by religion that was forced upon the people who had to comform in order to survive.

We are now in a significant Landback movement of decolonization, which is a call for the return of land, language, ceremony, language, and kinship in our Native communities in North America. A very important part of this is the decolonization of sexuality and gender as this vital part of Native culture has been impacted by colonization as well.

3. What difficulties does your community face that others don’t?

The two spirit community faces similar issues as the broader LGBTQ communities in this current political warfare by the conservative right. However, many Indigiqueer folks also face that same erasure and harm in their own Native nations and families.

Either folks are silent and don’t advocate for their Indigiqueer constituents and community members, or they also perpetuate harm by using fundamental religion and conservative politics to delegitimize their existence. There is also a limited understanding by the non-native LGBTQ community of the existence two spirit people and the important history of gender diversity and queerness in tribal societies. This can lead to the mainstream LGBTQ culture working within a colonized understanding of gender and sexuality that further harms and erases Indigiqueer folks.

4. Why did you decide that making this album was a way to help others?

When I came out as a teen in the ’80s in the depths of the AIDS crisis in the Bible Belt of Oklahoma while living on a Native reservation, I was ostracized by many people and intuitions around me.

The thing that helped me stay alive was the visibility of other queer people who came out. Movements such as ACT UP in NYC inspired us in Oklahoma to be brave enough come to march in the first Pride parade in Oklahoma City in 1989. Artists such as Bronski Beat in 1983 with the song and music video “Smalltown Boy,” and Ani DiFranco in the ’90s coming out as bisexual, as well as local Oklahoma artists such as Peggy Johnson, a lesbian folk singer in Oklahoma City, encouraged me to stay alive, and to be myself. This was vital.

I am sad that we still so deeply need folks to be out and encouraging those who are isolated and suffering, but I am trying my best to give back, be visible, and make a difference in someone’s life.

5. Tell me more about your musical career. It seems like you just started with this album?

I have always played and performed music, singing Johnny Cash songs to my aunties in Oklahoma as a small child, as well as receiving classical piano training all the way into college as a music major. I ended up in nursing during the AIDS crisis, and I always played cover songs at AIDS fundraisers, but I left Oklahoman in 1997 to heal my own PTSD.

I wrote my first songs at 30 and began performing in a fabulous artist community in Boulder Colorado, and eventually went on to live in California for many years where I recorded albums and also became a trauma therapist. My last album Songs From the Well was produced by Julie Wolf who played keyboard with Indigo Girls and Ani Difranco and was met with favorable reviews.

2Sacred is actually my fourth studio album! But you’re right it’s also a new beginning in some ways. I am performing under the name Marx Cassity for this album, as I added and X to my first name to honor my own two spirit/nonbinary identity and bring visibility to gender diversity as this very old thing in tribal societies.

6. Outside of music, you’re a therapist. Tell me more about that work.

Again, it really goes hand in hand with being a musician. To me they are the same thing. I have done tremendous amounts of self-help and healing work, and had many great teachers, healers, therapists, and medicine people around the world help me and teach me.

I often take what I learn from them and sing about it. I sing about the hardship of being Native, queer, genderqueer, the shadow of this, as well as the encouraging words of how to heal or turn the shadow into healing. I also have a deep spiritual practice that has led to inspiration and guidance from other dimensions, what I call the astral, and I get information from ancestors and spirit guides for the songs. It’s always been my way of integrating what I learn, first singing it to myself, then offering it to others.

7. What do you wish people understood about two spirit identity?

That gender diversity and queerness are very old ways of being. We are creative beings, with a Creator, so what is new is the way we express queerness. There are still tribal societies today that require queer community members to be present to have a proper ceremony. We have often been the healers, the medicine people, the counselors, the artists in cultures. Thus, when we uplift our queer people in society, we bring balance and well-being to all people, not just queer people.

8. What’s next for you?

I will continue to do the best I can to follow the guidance of my ancestors, trans-cetors, as they are my guides in showing up authentically, and being here for others as a singer, a therapist, and a community member.

I’ll be giving a keynote performance at Creating Change in New Orleans in January. In February I’ll be performing at an event the day after the BAAITS pow wow supported by the American Indian Cultural Center of San Francisco. And in June I’ll take part in a two spirit event titled Uniting Resilience in South Dakota.

My hope is to make my way to two spirit and Pride gatherings across the U.S. in 2024 to join the community and help carry this message of safety, legal rights, visibility and honoring for those who are still in suffering, isolation, or in harm’s way. My hope is to reach any Indigiqueer person and say: you are honorable, and your life in precious.

Developing Your Personal Photography Style

Nov 17, 2023 By Admin in Photography

Developing a photographic style is a complicated topic. While having a distinct visual style used to be more important for professional photographers, many hobbyist photographers now also strive to find their aesthetic niche. This great video discusses why this desire for a personal style is so prevalent, then dives into tips and perspective on how to actually formulate your own style over time.

In this insightful video, James Popsys explores the reasons why photographers want to have a defined style, like having a cohesive body of work, a sense of clarity when shooting, and a form of individuality. He emphasizes that finding your ideal style is an ever-evolving process as your tastes change and your skills develop. Popsys suggests not labeling yourself within one genre, consuming diverse inspiration sources, and analyzing why exactly you like certain photographic elements. He shares his own style criteria, like simplicity and bold colors, to illustrate how parameters can help shape your work.

While developing a style requires patience through constant practice and failure, keeping your specific taste preferences in mind can guide your growth. Popsys encourages avoiding frustration by accepting that this long-term process will likely never have a defined end point. According to Popsys, landing on a style that genuinely appeals to you is far more rewarding than trying to emulate someone else’s aesthetic.

For Popsys’ complete thoughts and advice on finding your ideal photographic style, be sure to check out the video above.

Auctions in New York Reflect a Dip in the Market

Nov 17, 2023 By Admin in Art World News

While some risk was offloaded to third-party guarantors at the November series, and sales hit estimates, Sotheby’s saw a loss on a Rothko and seemingly the Fisher Landau collection.

A dip, or a trough, or just a blip? Traders and collectors were left asking this question after two weeks of sales in New York stress-tested the top end of the auction market for modern and contemporary art.

Headlined by Sotheby’s sale of the collection of the art patron Emily Fisher Landau, which grossed $424.7 million with fees, this latest bellwether November series — with 14 live auctions at Sotheby’s, Christie’s and Phillips — took place against an unpromising backdrop of high interest rates, slowing economic growth in China and war raging in the Middle East.

“We were expecting a very difficult couple of weeks,” said Philip Hoffman, chief executive of the Fine Art Group, an international art advisory company.

“Apart from a very few lots, there weren’t many second bidders,” Hoffman said, commentating on a first week dominated by the Fisher Landau sale. “There were no sparks. But Sotheby’s and Christie’s are still managing to sell paintings for very high prices.”

As is almost always the case now with auctions of major single-owner collections, Sotheby’s secured the Fisher Landau consignment by guaranteeing the sellers an overall minimum price. The auction house offloaded as much as possible of this financial risk to third-party “irrevocable bidders,” who have a first option to buy the work, usually on advantageous terms, or can share the upside if the bidding continues. Picasso’s 1932 painting “Femme à la montre,” the star lot of the Fisher Landau collection, was one of 24 lots in the Nov. 9 evening sale backed by irrevocable bids. Typifying the cautious buying that night, this sold for a low estimate of $139.4 million with fees, albeit the highest price of the season, to a single telephone bid from an anonymous client. It was just $1 million above the guarantee.

A further seven lots in that sale were guaranteed by Sotheby’s. All 31 works sold, raising $406.4 million against an estimate range of $344.5 million to $430 million, but among the auction house guarantees was a somber 1958 Mark Rothko abstract with a low estimate of $30 million. This was knocked down to one bid of $22.2 million, incurring Sotheby’s a substantial loss, but preserving the prestige of a 100 percent selling rate.

“While in art market terms it was a success, in business terms it was an expensive investment,” Hoffman, a former chief financial officer at Christie’s, said of the sale. (His Fine Art Group spent $4.8 million for a 1995 Agnes Martin painting at the Fisher Landau evening session.) He and other experts noted that the aggregate $424.7 million grossed by the Fisher Landau evening and day sales would have struggled to recoup a guarantee set near the overall low estimate — which would also have included much if not all of the auction house’s projected fees.

The art adviser Josh Baer, reporting on the Fisher Landau auction in his Baer Faxt newsletter, said, “profitability for auction houses is not always going to happen. They have a tough business.”

Sotheby’s declined to comment on the financial performance of the Fisher Landau sale.

Richard Diebenkorn’s “Recollections of a Visit to Leningrad” (1965) set a record for the artist, selling for $46.4 million. via Christie’s

“The day sales are where the auction houses make their money,” Hoffman said. Fewer works are guaranteed in those modern and contemporary art sales typically valued in the $15,000 to $1.5 million range, and both buyers and sellers are charged as much as 25 percent per lot.

The day sales can also be the pressure points that reveal when the art market is about to enter a slump.

“There’s nothing sexy about the day sales but they are the bread and butter of the auction houses,” said Andrew Terner, a private dealer and collector in New York. “They also serve as a kind of barometer of what’s trending in the art world.”

According to data prepared by the London-based art auction analysts Pi-eX, day auctions of modern and contemporary art at Sotheby’s, Christie’s and Phillips in New York this season raised an aggregate $278.1 million with fees, down 8 percent on the equivalent day sales last November.

“The auction houses did their jobs well,” said Wendy Cromwell, a New York-based art adviser. She added that the sales were well edited “with less on offer” and “realistic” estimates: “Sell-through rates were good.”

There were “some great bargains to be had,” she added.

Among the 1,448 day lots on offer, the small, lyrical works of the German Modernist master Paul Klee stood out as noticeably off-trend. At Sotheby’s day auction of Modern art on Tuesday, Klee’s 1929 watercolor “Solitary Sign,” not seen at auction since 1988, sold for $95,250 against a low estimate of $100,000.

By contrast, three vibrant, dreamlike landscapes by the recently rehabilitated Turin Arte Povera painter Salvo all sold far in excess of their estimates in the contemporary day sales. At Phillips on Wednesday, Salvo’s 1996 oil “Prima Primavera” sold for $495,000 against a low valuation of $60,000 to $80,000.

“It’s about color; it’s about wanting something very positive around you,” said Abigail Asher, partner at the New York-based advisory company Guggenheim, Asher Associates, commenting on what was influencing buyers’ tastes.

Jadé Fadojutimi’s “Quirk my mannerism” (2021) sold for $1.9 million at Phillips’s evening sale of 20th-century and contemporary art on Tuesday.via Phillips

The same upbeat aesthetic also applied to most of the standout results from this series, such as the artist’s auction record $46.4 million for Richard Diebenkorn’s much-exhibited and never previously auctioned 1965 masterwork “Recollections of a Visit to Leningrad,” at Christie’s Nov. 9 evening sale of 20th-century art, and the record $1.9 million given for Jadé Fadojutimi’s sumptuous 2021 abstract “Quirk my mannerism,” at Phillips’s evening sale of 20th-century and contemporary art on Tuesday. The work by this admired young British painter had been acquired two years ago at London’s Pippy Houldsworth gallery for less than $60,000.

The possibility of such hugely profitable discrepancies between “primary” market gallery prices and “secondary” market auction results continues to energize demand for 21st-century art. On Wednesday, Sotheby’s evening “The Now” auction of recent, hard-to-source contemporary works raised $55.2 million, just below the upper estimate, with all 18 lots selling, helped by 11 guarantees. Julie Mehretu’s monumental 2008 drawing-on-canvas “Walkers With the Dawn and Morning,” acquired some 15 years ago from the Project gallery in Harlem, was the star here, selling for $10.7 million, an auction record for the artist.

Julie Mehretu’s “Walkers With the Dawn and Morning” (2008) set an auction record for her work, at $10.7 million. via Sotheby’s

Overall, this latest New York marquee series of modern and contemporary art auctions raised $2.1 billion with fees. Last November the total was $3.2 billion, a figure bloated by Christie’s behemoth, $1.6 billion Paul Allen Collection sales.

“Basically a billion down, which is not that bad, considering what the Paul Allen Collection sold for,” said Christine Bourron, chief executive of Pi-eX. “It could have been a lot worse.”

Photographic storytelling

Nov 17, 2023 By Admin in Photography

Article by Megan M.F. Everhart

Photos courtesy of Jon Cox and Tatiana Petrova

November 17, 2023

To Jon Cox, associate professor of art and design at the University of Delaware, photography is a universal language with the potential to create social change and healing.

Cox recently returned from Banská Bystrica, Slovakia, where he spent three weeks as a Fulbright Specialist leading workshops for Ukrainian refugees, members of Roma communities and other displaced people, empowering them to tell their stories through photography.

The project, “Arrivals: What’s Left Behind, What Lies Ahead,” was a partnership with Anna Slatinska, a professor at Matej Bel University in Banská Bystrica, and UD alumnus Andy Bale, a lecturer of photography at Dickinson College in Pennsylvania. Slatinska, Bale and Cox conducted PhotoVoice workshops, which prompted participants to take photos related to their experiences.

The PhotoVoice research technique is similar to a writing prompt. Participants were asked questions that they answered through taking photographs, allowing researchers to collect data in a way different from an interview and giving participants an outlet to explore their own emotional reactions and challenges. Prompts included questions like How did it feel to leave your country of origin? How did you feel when you first arrived here? What did you leave behind? and What challenges did you face?

“For so many of the women, the answer to the prompts was, ‘I just want to feel safe. I just want to make sure that when I put my kids to bed at night that they’re alive in the morning,’” Cox said, noting that many of the participants were women and children because many men stayed in Ukraine to serve in the military or are unable to leave the country.

While some of the refugees said they felt lucky to be in Slovakia, others experienced guilt at leaving loved ones behind. For most, their focus was simply staying safe.

“That struck a chord with me — not knowing what your future holds,” Cox said. “And that uncertainty is reflected in the photographs.”

Here’s What’s Going On In Indian Country, November 18th

Nov 17, 2023 By Admin in Native

Details

By Kaili Berg

November 17, 2023

This week in Indian Country, there are plenty of events for everyone to enjoy. From powwows to Indigenous People’s Month celebrations to educational films, here is Native News Online’s weekly round-up of arts, culture, and entertainment offerings around Indian Country.

Native American Culture Day
Lafayette, LA
November 18, 2023

Join this free event to celebrate and share local Native American culture and heritage.

The focus is to celebrate the rich history and modern culture of the tribes and tribal communities whose lands fall within the boundaries of Louisiana. Tribes from across the state will come to share their stories, music, drumming, dance, crafts, language, and culture.

Never miss Indian Country’s biggest stories and breaking news. Sign up to get our reporting sent straight to your inbox every weekday morning.

Powwow & Native American Festival
Timonium, MD
November 18, 2023

The Baltimore American Indian Center is hosting its 47th Annual Powwow. Everyone is invited to join at the Maryland State Fairgrounds Exhibition Hall. There will be Native American music, dancing, and food for all.

Native American Heritage Festival
Palm Desert, CA
November 18, 2023

Come join in for a special screening of Tuhaymani’chi Pal Waniqa, bird singing and dancing, along with Native American vendors.

First Voices Festival
Atlanta, GA
November 18, 2023

This will be the inaugural First Voices Festival, a gathering of Native Americans in Atlanta for a PowWow. There will be Native American dancers, crafts, Native American vendors, and demonstrations of Native American customs.

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Native American Arts Fair
Tucson, AZ
November 18, 2023

Every year, Mission Garden hosts Native American artists who exhibit and sell their products. The artists come from many of Arizona’s tribes, including Tohono O’odham, Yaqui, Hopi, Navajo, and Apache, and work in various media. These include ceramics, basketry, jewelry, gourd decorations, carvings, beadwork, clothing, paintings, and more. Some artists will be demonstrating their crafts at their booths.

The Austin Powwow
Austin, TX
November 18, 2023

For over 25 years, this unique Austin event has featured hundreds of Native American dancers, singers, musicians, artists and craftsmen. Friends, food, art, and culture are enjoyed throughout the day. The songs and dances you will experience are based on ancient traditions and living cultural expressions of creativity and innovation. Thousands of visitors have the opportunity to share in this exciting cultural experience.

Native American Heritage Month Weaving
Walnut, CA
November 18, 2023

Join in to celebrate Native Americans in the United States and learn about their important history, rich culture, and diverse traditions. After, try your hand at weaving and learn more about this traditional Native American art.

Native Culture Make and Take
Tulsa, OK
November 18, 2023

Come and enjoy a variety of make-and-take arts to celebrate Native American Heritage Month. Featured arts include beading on looms, heirloom family photo ornaments, and Native American patchwork. Materials are provided.

Native American Heritage Documentary
Las Vegas, NV
November 17, 2023

Celebrate Native American Heritage Month by watching Wild Beauty, an immersive journey into the world of wild horses that illuminates the profound beauty and desperate plight they face in the Western United States. Filmmaker Ashley Avis and crew try to uncover the truth before wild horses disappear forever.

Local Heritage Film: Native American Lives and Customs
Penn Yan, NY
November 18, 2023

Come join in for a viewing of a previously-recorded talk by G. Peter Jemison, Native American Life and Customs. This was a presentation of the Dundee Area Historical Society held at the Tyrone Fire Hall in 2015. This video affords us the opportunity to revisit Jemison’s presentation, which includes details on the lives of our region’s indigenous peoples in the past and today.

Native American Celebration
Pickens, SC
November 18, 2023

Every November, the Hagood Mill Historic Site observes Native American Heritage Month by holding the Native American Celebration. This beloved third weekend event is also called Selugadu. Visitors and guest performers will participate in the festivities of the day which will include Native American traditional drumming, singing, dancing, flute playing, storytelling, Cherokee hymns in the Tsalagi Gawonihisdi language, and traditional crafts and demonstrations.

Native American Blessing at Quogue Wildlife Refuge
Quogue, NY
November 18, 2023

Join the Shinnecock Nation tribal members for a blessing of our earth and a guided traditional dance that you can participate in, outside at Quogue Wildlife Refuge. This free program will take place outside.

Native American Heritage Lunch and Learn
Charlotte, NC
November 16, 2023

Vail and Wanda Carter, members of the Lumbee Tribe, will be back to share their expertise about Native culture. Their talk will cover a lot of material about historic and contemporary accounts of Indigenous Peoples of the U.S.

Native American Heritage Month Event
Duluth, MN
November 21, 2023

Come join in for a brief overview of issues faced by Native American people in the modern world presented by Roxanna DeLille, Dean of Indigenous & Academic Affairs at the Fond du Lac Tribal & Community College. Lunch will be provided at the Center for Equity and Inclusion.

Native American Stories & Corn Husk Doll Workshop
Concord, CA
November 22, 2023

Join in to celebrate National Native American Heritage Month. Our special guest, Rayshell Clapper will retell us Native American stories then, we all learn how to make corn husk dolls. You will have the opportunity to take seeds from our seed library to make your own Three Sisters garden at home.

Native Story Hour with Karen Kitchen
Coos Bay, OR
November 22, 2023

Join in to honor and celebrate Native American cultures at the Coos Bay Public Library. Karen Kitchen (Osage Nation) will deliver an engaging program featuring Native traditional stories that entertain and teach important values. She will also share songs that showcase the beauty and diversity of American Indian music. Children, families, elders, aunties, uncles, cousins are invited and welcome.

Celebrating Native American Heritage Month
Bismarck, ND
November 21, 2023

Join in for the Heritage Center and State Museum from 10am to 4pm to honor and celebrate Native American traditions and cultures from North Dakota. The celebration will include vendor booths with authentic Native American made products, samples of Indigenous foods, and traditional storytelling, MHA Nation dancers and singers. All programs are free and open to the public with performances in the Russel Reid Auditorium.

Native American Heritage Month
El Monte, CA
November 21, 2023

Come join in to celebrate Native American Heritage Month at the El Monte Library from 4 pm to 5 pm. Learn the tradition of pinch pottery and create your own piece of art.

Together, we can educate, enlighten, and empower.

November is celebrated as “Native American Heritage Month.” At Native News Online, we amplify Native voices and share our relatives’ unique perspectives every day of the year. We believe every month should celebrate Native American heritage.
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About The Author

Author: Kaili BergEmail: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Staff Reporter

Kaili Berg (Aleut) is a member of the Alutiiq/Sugpiaq Nation, and a shareholder of Koniag, Inc. She is a staff reporter for Native News Online and Tribal Business News. Berg, who is based in Wisconsin, previously reported for the Ho-Chunk Nation newspaper, Hocak Worak. She went to school originally for nursing, but changed her major after finding her passion in communications at Western Technical College in Lacrosse, Wisconsin.

Colorado Springs artist creates giant mural for 8th Street Walmart

Nov 17, 2023 By Admin in Native

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KKTV) – A local artist has her newest creation displayed in a big way.

Make that a Walmart-sized way!

The company is selecting artists across the country to create community murals for its stores.

And what’s really cool is a Colorado Springs store selected one of its own customers for this job!

“I think that it’s awesome that a corporation is willing to showcase a small illustrator.”

April Lavely-Robinson was born and raised in Colorado Springs.

She also shops at the 8th Street Walmart.

“I was contacted by Walmart at the beginning of the year, and they were like, ‘Are you interested in doing a mural’ for this series that they’re doing called ‘Community Murals.’ Walmart is trying to bring in more local artisans and artists, and they wanted to showcase community through art.

“So they contacted me and asked if I would be interested, and as an illustrator, I was like, ‘Yes, I am interested!’”

The company actually approached her first to do a mural for its Lamar store.

“I was really honored they wanted me to do Colorado. So I did Lamar, and they loved it.”

So much, that her own Walmart came calling next.

“I actually emailed them when I was done and was like, ‘Just so you know, I’m really close to 8th Street Walmart, so if you need an artist for that …’ and it was just a couple of weeks later they emailed and asked if I would do the Walmart on 8th Street.”

In person, this mural looks like a beautiful, intricate painting. I was blown away to learn it wasn’t a painting at all!

“So I did the entire mural on my tablet,” April told me. “I can create some pretty amazing textures and make it look like a real painting.”

Walmart had asked for the mural to be done digitally — perfect for April, who is a digital artist!

“I’m a traditional painter. I’ve always painted my entire life. But after I had children, I needed a way I could still do art but also, you know, be a mom. So I picked up digital art with my iPad, and you can still paint, you can still use a stylist, it’s very much like painting. It’s different, but a very awesome creative outlet for me as a mom because I can just close my tablet and go change a diaper or take care of a baby. So I got really good at it.”

She described the process of making the mural.

“It was a really large DPI because they needed to blow it up very large. All of the locations, the mural sizes were the size of a wall. So I needed to use a really high DPI, which gave me very little layers to work with, which was a challenge and I had to very strategic where to put everything and how to incorporate everything. But it was really fun.”

As a native, thinking of everything to include was the hardest part.

“I was doing lots of thumbnail sketches, and I was getting frustrated because I didn’t know how to incorporate everything, so I went to bed, and I was just about to drift off and I saw exactly what I needed to do. The layout, how it has a very symmetric shape to it. I just saw it. So I got out of bed, I grabbed my tablet, I sketched it all out, and it just came that way. It was very organic, which is the best way art can come out.”

It took 20-30 hours to complete the mural. She then sent the file to Walmart, and they took it from there.

“I sent it to Walmart for approval, and from there they use a heated wrap to adhere it to the wall. And what I love about it is it actually looks like it’s painted, which is really fun, like I painted it on the wall.”

From the Broadmoor to the Air Force Academy and everything in between, her finished result celebrates Colorado Springs. It just went up at the store, and customer can now see it as they enter and exit the building.She described to me why she incorporated everything that she did.

“I have the Thunderbirds,” she said, gesturing up to the upper right corner of the wall. “When I was a kid, we would go and see the Thunderbirds. I remember that as a child, going and seeing that, and how loud they were and the roar of it, I really wanted to showcase that.

“And then we also have the Black Hawk over here representing the Colorado Springs military,” she said, gesturing the upper left.

“We live really close to Manitou, and my kids go to Manitou schools, so I wanted to make sure we put in the Manitou ‘M’ as well. … Also, the Incline. I’ve never done the Incline, but I will draw it all day.

“And then also the Shrine of the Sun. I’ve been staring at that ever since I was a kid, and it’s so beautiful. And I have gone up that one!”

I told her I loved that she had the Army aircraft on the south side and the Academy jets on the north.

“What I actually did was I tried to create where everything is, so Broadmoor being on the south side of Colorado Springs, the Shrine of the Sun being on the south side, and then we go more central to downtown, and then into Manitou … and then further north we have Garden of the Gods, and then very far north, we have the Air Force chapel and then the Thunderbirds. I really wanted to make sure everything was geologically correct.

“And then I also put in the Colorado state flower.

“I would definitely say my favorite part is the mountain because it took me so long to do. I redid the mountains over and over at least five times because I really wanted to capture Pikes Peak, which was really challenging. So that’s the thing I’m most proud of, because it was so challenging. I‘s just so iconic, and it’s just the key of Colorado Springs. So I really wanted to capture an organic thing with a digital medium. Challenging, but I think I did it.”

She also hid two Easter eggs in the mural for her kids. She showed me where they are, but asked me not to tell, so that shoppers can have fun looking for them!

Since completing the mural, April has been asked to do murals for the Walmart in Lakewood, and was honored by a Walmart 1,400 miles away in Delmont, Pennsylvania, which asked her to create its mural!

April hopes customers will get as much joy from the mural as she did creating it.

“I just want when people to walk in to see and be proud of Colorado Springs. To be proud of living here or just be grateful that they visited.”

But the reviews from her most important critics are already in!

April’s dad joined her for our interview, getting to see the mural for the first time! He kept telling me how proud he was of her, and how talented she was. Father and daughter spent time going through the mural together.

April’s son and daughter were blown away when they saw it with their mom for the first time.

“I had my daughter take a video of us walking in, and my son just kept saying, ‘You did that, Mom? You did that?’ And I got to point out my signature. I was like, ‘Yeah, I did that!’ He was like, ‘Wow, Mom, good job!’ And I was like [touches heart] so good. It’s like food for my heart.

“They’re really proud of me. And I’m proud of myself because they’re proud of me.”

_________________________

In a statement to our newsroom, Walmart said the following of its mural program:

“The Walmart’s new mural reflects the diversity and local cultures of Colorado Spring and is part of Walmart’s ‘Community Mural Program,’ the largest public-facing art installation celebrating communities across America. Walmart’s Community Mural Program is an important part of each store transformation and furthers Walmart’s commitment to the local community.”

Botanical Patterns Spill from Shinji Ohmaki’s Existential Vessel

Nov 17, 2023 By Admin in Art World News

“Gravity and Grace” (2023), installation view at National Art Center. Photo by Keizo Kioku. All images courtesy of National Art Center

In “Gravity and Grace,” Japanese artist Shinji Ohmaki poses a broad, if not daunting, question: what does it mean to exist? The installation, which features an imposing vessel carved with flora and fauna, radiates from the center and casts shadows in varied sizes and opacities around the gallery. Bulbous near the base with a slimmer neck that reaches toward the ceiling, the work’s shape evokes the tower of a nuclear power plant and spills light in every direction.

This iteration of “Gravity and Grace,” which is part of a series ongoing since 2016, is included in Ohmaki’s exhibition Interface of Being on view now at Tokyo’s National Art Center. The solo show features works made in response to the devastating 2011 earthquake and tsunami that killed nearly 20,000 people and caused the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant to melt down and release radioactive water.

Reaching up to a whopping 840,000 lumens, “Gravity and Grace” harnesses the interplay of light and shadow to critique modern society’s dependence on energy, literally mapping illuminated patterns onto the viewers who pass by. The contrast also draws attention to nature’s cycles and the artist’s enduring interest in time and space, particularly the reminder that we all inhabit this planet for a relatively brief moment.

If you’re in Tokyo, you can see Interface of Being, which also includes a gossamer sculpture that undulates across the gallery like billowing fabric, through December 25. Otherwise, find more from Ohmaki on his site and Instagram.

a detail image of a delicate floral carving illuminated by light

Detail of “Gravity and Grace” (2023). Image courtesy of A4 Art Museum

a large, vase-like sculpture casts floral shadows across two viewers in a large gallery

“Gravity and Grace” (2023), installation view at National Art Center. Photo by Keizo Kioku

Detail of “Gravity and Grace” (2023)

a large scale wave like sculpture billowing across an entire gallery

“Liminal Air Space—Time Vacuum Fluctuations,” installation view National Art Center. Photo by Keizo Kioku

Do stories and artists like this matter to you? Become a Colossal Member today and support independent arts publishing for as little as $5 per month. The article Botanical Patterns Spill from Shinji Ohmaki’s Existential Vessel appeared first on Colossal.