CHICAGO (CBS)– Governor JB Pritzker will be in northwest suburban Schaumburg Friday signing bills that expand protections for Native Americans in Illinois.
He’s signing the bills at 2:30 p.m. at the Trickster Cultural Center, a gallery dedicated to contemporary Native American art.
The Governor’s office didn’t specify which bills he is signing, but state lawmakers did pass a bill requiring elementary and high schools to teach Native American history starting in the 2024-2025 school year.
Another bill passed would protect the graves of Native Americans and create a cemetery for the reburial of Native American ancestors.
Thanks for reading CBS NEWS.
Create your free account or log in
for more features.
Creative Director of Lore Group, Jacu Strauss uses exploration and experimentation to showcase the beauty, characteristics, and context of each project he brings to life. The destination where the property sits is just as important as everything else during his design process. While designing both Pulitzer Amsterdam and Riggs Washington DC hotels, Jacu actually relocated to each city to ensure that each property properly reflected the communities around them. Now that’s dedication.
“My baptism for hospitality design happened once I finished the Pulitzer in Amsterdam, only the second hotel I have ever worked on,” Jacu said. “It was a once-in-a-lifetime project with many challenges, but we overcame all the complexities with clever and unique solutions, and with a great attitude all the way. It was when this hotel opened, and seeing people’s delight when they walked in, that I realized that I wanted to design more and more unique hotels in wonderful (often unloved) buildings in amazing locations.”
Jacu and his team led the complete redesign of the award-winning Dutch hotel, Pulitzer Amsterdam, and Lore Group’s U.S. properties, Riggs Washington DC and Lyle. Most recently the team has overseen the redesign, refurbishment, and launch of One Hundred Shoreditch, a well-known hotel in East London. Jacu and his team even design and create bespoke furniture, fixtures, and equipment for each project.
Though firmly entrenched in the hospitality design industry, Jacu said that if he ever made a pivot to another creative medium it would be jewelry design, or anything to do with gemstones. “I grew up in an area famous for diamonds and gold and other precious natural gems, so I was always exposed to the beauty and diversity of all these bright and colorful things coming from mother earth, and how there is beauty in its raw forms and how through craft and human hands this beauty becomes a celebration.”
Currently London-based, Jacu has lived in several countries, beginning his architectural training in New Zealand and going on to study at the Bartlett School of Architecture and Westminster University in London.
Today, we’re happy to have Jacu Strauss joining us for Friday Five!
I have a certain obsession with Greek and Roman antiquities, particularly busts and statues. I love these sections at museums. I have several examples, mostly reproductions, but I do have one from 1 or 2 BC where the face is long gone but the silhouette is enough of a “Memory” to recognize it being a statue of a man. I am intrigued by these imperfections caused by time that adds to the mystery and beauty. My other favorite is a meter tall bust of Antinous, the lover of Emperor Hadrian. He is a 60’s reproduction done for some fair. I bought him in the US and had him shipped over, where sadly his head broke off! But thanks to Rebekah Dunsmuir, he has been perfectly restored.
Photo: Gareth Gardner
Just a magical museum showcasing the lifetime collection of English Architect Sir John Soane (1753-1837) in his London house. It is like a treasure cave, and unlike museums in general there is something particularly charming about the clutter in a domestic setting – loads of “grand tour” ancient pieces from Greece, Rome, Egypt and beyond. It resonates with my passion for collecting things on my journeys. I also like how he came up with certain “tricks” to display items, like the folding panels of art in his art room and how he used skylights (big and small), often through colored glass, in various rooms.
This is one of my favorite chairs of all time, it was designed in the 60s. I think it goes with almost all interiors as the ideal hero piece, I have used it in several different projects and it always works. It is also surprisingly comfortable and I think anyone sitting in one feels extra special.
I adore these lamps from the 70s. The shapes and pinkish beige tones and the light source are fantastic and they look great during the day, too.
It is hard to sometimes justify expensive luggage and travel pieces, but it makes all the difference. I love great travel cases by Rimowa and Away, long-term investments that make traveling a thousand times more tolerable, I especially love them even more with some wear and tear over the years. I also love British brand Smythson, they are fun and the quality and practicality are spot on. I have their Panama wallet in orange and a navy Passport holder – a gift from a friend when I became British earlier this year – and both are just perfect. The travel wallet even holds some sachets of Tabasco that I simply cannot travel without.
Pulitzer Photo courtesy of Lore Group
One Hundred Shoreditch Lobby Bar Photo courtesy of Lore Group
One Hundred Shoreditch Photo courtesy of Lore Group
Editor’s note: An untold number of unheralded artists live in Colorado, those creators who can’t (or don’t want to) get into galleries and rely on word of mouth, luck or social media to make a living. You’ve likely seen them on Instagram, at festivals or at small-town art fairs. This monthly series, Through the Lens, will introduce you to some of these artists.
Tintype photographs conjure up images of the Old West or soldiers heading out to fight in the Civil War. They evoke a sense of history, nostalgia and a glimpse into the past.
Salida-based Tintype photographer Tim Brown said the process, which was developed in the 1850s, was practically extinct 20 years ago. With the heavy cameras, use of complex chemicals, a complicated multistep procedure and the development of newer camera equipment, the art form was disappearing quickly.
But it is experiencing a renaissance, Brown said.
“People are always blown away by the wet plate process, especially when they see their portrait develop in front of their eyes in the darkroom,” said Brown. “The emotional response to witnessing your tintype come to life can be very compelling, even cathartic. I’ve had clients in tears in my dark room.”
Clients end up with a unique photograph made of silver on tin that they get to take home with them.
“Tintypes can last hundreds of years. My portraits become heirlooms that will be passed down for generations to come. How cool is that? I love offering something tangible to my clients versus digital files that you can’t really touch.”
We asked Brown some questions about his craft. (This interview has been edited for length and clarity.)
Q: How would you describe your art?
A: Unique and compelling. The portraits are created using a wet plate collodion process called Tintype photography. It was invented in England by Frederick Scott Archer in the 1850s. Many images from the Civil War were Tintypes.
As little as 20 years ago, there were just a handful of people in the entire world doing this. Because it had gone by the wayside, there were only books and notes from the late 1800s that described the process and how to do it.
The chemicals used are very toxic and dangerous if handled improperly and this, I believe, is what keeps a lot of people away from learning. There are now workshops available, and wet plate collodion businesses that sell the chemicals and supplies.
Q: Briefly explain your process.
A: Before plastic and film, photographers would prepare a plate in the darkroom (metal=tintype, glass=ambrotype) using chemicals to make the plate a light-sensitive negative. The plate is then inserted into a lightproof holder, placed in the camera for exposure, then developed in the darkroom. This process involves coating a piece of tin with liquid silver and other chemicals, to create a light-sensitive negative. The negative is then exposed using my vintage cameras and lenses (hand-made in Europe in the mid-1800s) that I have collected over the years. Once exposed, the negative is developed using the historic chemical process to create stunning, one-of-a-kind portraits. The process takes about 10 minutes. If the plate dries before it is developed, it will not turn out. So all tintypes must be created, exposed and developed fast before the plate dries. After the plate is washed and dried, it is varnished to protect the plate from tarnishing and/or damaging the silver. The end result is a photograph made of silver on tin that will last hundreds of years.
In taking the images, the process can be cumbersome. The field cameras are large and clunky. There is nothing automated about the cameras, they are 100% manual. Focusing is difficult and composition takes time. Exposures are long. Typically I’m exposing my plates somewhere between two and eight seconds. Any movement with the camera or the subject and everything will be blurry. This process reacts to light much differently than modern photography. It’s most sensitive to ultraviolet light. Among other things, that means that anything on the cool or blue spectrum goes lighter and anything in the warm or red spectrum goes darker. This can really affect the tones in the image.
Things can easily go wrong. Temperature, humidity and contamination all play a role in maintaining your chemicals, and sometimes issues come out of nowhere and take a while to figure out.
Q: How do you work?
A: I use my studio almost like a theater space. Clients have a selection of items from hats, clothes and other things they can dress in to make the photos more interesting, fun or dramatic. Oftentimes they bring their own items to wear. This helps clients create personalities for their images. I have done pop-ups in a field where clients want on-location images.
Q: What’s your background?
A: I’ve been a self-taught professional photographer for 41 years. Before wet plate collodion, I specialized in adventure travel photography for the commercial and editorial markets. My interest in photography was greatly influenced by my father, who was an avid amateur photographer. I received my first camera when I was 12, by 16 I had a darkroom in my basement and by 21 I left home to pursue adventure photography in Colorado.
Q: How did you transition from adventure photography to tintype?
A: When digital photography arrived, so did approximately 22 million new “pro” photographers. Competition is fierce and everyone’s looking to make a buck. All of this really affected my business as an adventure travel photographer. One by one, I lost a lot of my longtime clients as they could find their photography for much cheaper, or even free. Before digital photography, I did a lot of darkroom work with film. I missed the handmade aspect of photography. It makes each image unique and one of a kind.
In 2014, after opening a studio and gallery in downtown Salida, I began building a darkroom and started focusing on wet plate collodion (tintypes) and film photography. After five years of perfecting the tintype process, and COVID, I sold my downtown gallery and moved my studio to my home just outside Salida to pursue tintype photography in a natural-light studio that I built on-site.
Q. Where can we see your art?
A: On my website (timbrownphotography.com), Instagram (timbrownphotography), Facebook or at my studio. Or the occasional show at an art gallery.
Q: What is the price range (or average price) for your works?
A: Prices for tintype portraits start at $98 and go up.
Q: Do you have a favorite art piece? How about one that isn’t yours?
A: I have a vintage cowboy print from 1920 taken in Salida that I love.
Q: What did your parents say when you told them you wanted to be an artist?
A: Ha ha, my father told me to get into business and sales. He questioned what I was doing in a small, desolate (at the time) mountain town taking pictures and running around in the wilderness.
Q: What one thing bothers you about being an artist?
A: The occasional feeling of being underpaid for what I do. The competition, where so many photographers copy other photographers’ styles and techniques, versus creating that on their own. Tintype can easily be “mimicked” on the computer or through filters on phones. True tintypes can’t be made on computers. Part of the beauty of the image is the very process that it takes to make it and the fact that there is only one image when done.
Q: What advice would you offer to beginning artists?
A: Be passionate about what you do. Be playful with your art; it doesn’t always have to be about making money.
Q: What are you working on now?
A: A tintype project documenting six men and women as they struggle through the hardships of divorce and being single again. I hope for an October opening in Salida.
All images © Tatiane Freitas, shared with permission
Hitting peak popularity in the mid-20th century, acrylic furniture—sometimes branded as Lucite—represented a fresh, modern take on traditionally functional objects, from tables to headboards to kitchen chairs. The clear thermoplastic can easily steal the show in a room, drawing attention to its own silhouette and contrasting the furnishings that surround it. São Paulo-based artist Tatiane Freitas taps into the legacy of the material and the relationship between past and present in her ongoing My New Old Series.
Redolent of kintsugi, a Japanese philosophy that embraces breakage and repair as part of the history of objects, Freitas molds strikingly transparent replacements for chair arms, spindles, and seats. The artist “aims to explore the dynamic between the past versus present, old versus young, and how this tension can be presented in a physical state,” she says in a statement. The plastic fits precisely into place and mirrors its wooden counterparts, creating an effect that is both solid and spectral.
Freitas has recently translated her full-size sculptures into miniature versions that appear to float on the wall, several of which are currently on view at Guy Hepner in New York City through the end of this month. You can also find more work on the artist’s website and Instagram.
“The Ripple Effect”
“The void created”
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 Tatiane Freitas Splices Contemporary Acrylic Elements Onto Traditional Wooden Furniture appeared first on Colossal.
August 04, 2023
Award-winning singer and song-writer Buffy Sainte-Marie (Piapot Cree Nation) is retiring from live performances. The retirement of the 82-year-old singer was announced Thursday evening through her publicist.
The announcement cited a combination of contributing factors including travel-induced health concerns and performance-inhibiting physical challenges that led to her decision to retire at this time from live performances.
“I have made the difficult decision to pull out of all scheduled performances in the foreseeable future. Arthritic hands and a recent shoulder injury have made it no longer possible to perform to my standards. Sincere regrets to all my fans and family, my band and the support teams that make it all possible,” Sainte-Marie said in a statement provided through her publicist.
Sainte-Marie entered the music scene during the 1960s by singing in folk music clubs. She is multi-talented, who is a singer-songwriter, musician, composer, and visual artist.
Her music speaks out about the environment, alternative conflict resolution, Indigenous truth, and fighting corruption. Sainte-Marie is a unique force in the music industry
Sainte-Marie became a Native American activist during the Red Power movement, which gave voice to Native American concerns and issues. Her artistry, humanitarian efforts, and Indigenous leadership have made a positive impact for decades.
Through the decades, Sainte-Marie has garnered numerous awards, including an Oscar and a Golden Globe Award in 1983 for co-writing the hit song Up to Where We Belong.
Here’s What’s Going in Indian Country, Aug. 3 — 13
Readers Respond: Who would you want to star as Native Barbie?
New Orleans Museum of Art Opens New Fashion Exhibit featuring Native Artists
Sinéad O’Connor, Who Told the Truth about the Catholic Church, Walks On
We hope you enjoyed the story you’ve just read. For the past dozen years, we’ve covered the most important news stories that are usually overlooked by other media. From the protests at Standing Rock and the rise of the American Indian Movement (AIM), to the ongoing epidemic of Murdered and Missing Indigenous People (MMIP) and the past-due reckoning related to assimilation, cultural genocide and Indian Boarding Schools.
Our news is free for everyone to read, but it is not free to produce. That’s why we’re asking you to make a donation to help support our efforts. Any contribution — big or small — helps. Most readers donate between $10 and $25 to help us cover the costs of salaries, travel and maintaining our digital platforms. If you’re in a position to do so, we ask you to consider making a recurring donation of $12 per month to join the Founder’s Circle. All donations help us remain a force for change in Indian Country and tell the stories that are so often ignored, erased or overlooked.
Donate to Native News Online today and support independent Indigenous journalism. Thank you.
A Harrison Hot Springs souvenir shop is facing major backlash in the wake of a lawsuit alleging the theft of original Indigenous art.
Vancouver-based Indigenous art wholesaler Native Northwest has filed a lawsuit against Sasquatch Gifts and Souvenirs and Bruce and Fiona Fearon for allegedly copying, using and selling t-shirts featuring a design strikingly close to the work of Coast Salish artist Francis Horne, Sr.
During a trip to Harrison last year, Horne was “mortified” to find a t-shirt design nearly identical to his own featuring Sasquatch, sold at the store without his permission.
“As soon as we stepped in the door, lo and behold, there’s my design,” Horne said in a video posted on social media by Native Northwest. “I couldn’t eat after that. It literally made me sick to my stomach. You think ‘Why would they steal this? Why would they steal my design?’”
Horne said the incident and subsequent lawsuit sends a message to all west coast Indigenous artists.
“We need to stand up for ourselves,” he added.
Horne is well-known for his carving skills, having created four poles for the town of Duncan. He creates jewelry and apparel primarily featuring traditional Northern style.
In a statement posted on social media, Native Northwest said they tried “everything” for more than six months to get copies of Horne’s design off the shelves. As of Wednesday, July 26, the company has not received “a meaningful” response from the Fearons or Sasquatch Gifts and Souvenirs.
“Theft of Indigenous art is wrong and we won’t back down until it is stopped,” Native Northwest stated. “The Fearons and Sasquatch Gifts & Souvenirs have been served by the Federal Court and we are awaiting response.”
In the days following Native Northwest’s announcement, Sasquatch Gifts and Souvenirs experienced a string of 12 one-star reviews on Google, bringing their rating down to 1.5 stars on the search engine. All the reviews posted within a single week condemned the store based on the art theft allegations.
The Observer has reached out to the current business owners for comment and received no response as of press time. While the store features a number of items featuring First Nations designs, the Sasquatch shirt in question did not appear to be available as of Monday.
The Sasquatch – or “sasq’ets” in Halq’emeylem – has been an important part of First Nations culture since time immemorial and subsequently found renewed meaning in Harrison Hot Springs. Harrison sits on the traditional territory of the Sts’ailes people, on the site of the ancient village of Qwó:íls.
According to Sts’ailes tradition, sasq’ets, or “hairy man,” is the caretaker of their land and can shift shape and move between the physical and spiritual realms.
@AdamEditor18
adam.louis@ ahobserver.com
Like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter.
First NationsHarrison Hot Springs
Aug. 4, 2023
Watecha Bowl has opened a gift shop with traditionally made Lakota and other Sioux art.
Lawrence West, owner and founder of the Lakota street food restaurant at 2305 W. Madison St., said he started the gift shop as “an ode to Studio 1491,” his previous custom T-shirt business.
West said the new gift shop will sell Native print jackets, in-house made regalia, quill work and moccasins.
“The main focus of starting this gift shop was to take the novelty off of the Native American trading post,” he said.
“I’m pretty particular about what items come into the gift shop. Up to this point, everything that you’ve seen (elsewhere) is not based off of our beliefs. We’re not technically represented properly because it’s not being done by a Lakota or a Sioux with our traditional beliefs and background.”
West, an enrolled member of the Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe, said many non-Native American people sell inauthentic art and make “a ton of money off of Native American culture.”
His new gift shop will support local Native American artists. Two local vendors provide the soaps, candles and wax melts in the gift shop.
West said the quilled items, beadwork and moccasins are made in-house.
“That’s the difference in our gift shop compared to other gift shops. We bring that actual traditional aspect to it,” West said. “So when you come in and order a pair of moccasins, they are made traditionally and properly and in good taste.”
Currently, the gift shop features paintings from an Arizona artist, Terry Glad Flores, who depicts Native American celebrities in traditional paintings.
“Waetcha Bowl is synonymous with quality,” West said.
West said the restaurant also has a 12-piece charcoal series on handmade paper created by local charity artist Kurt Holdorf. The drawings are of Native American chiefs, medicine men and women leaders.
“The thing that makes it unique is that the head busts used for these drawings were also used to make a Native American deck of cards that are an education piece,” West said. Watecha Bowl also sells these decks of cards in the gift shop.
From honey sticks to tumblers, “everything is handmade by a local artist and has a connection or does some sort of beneficial work for the Native American community.”
West said that as the gift shop expands, it will add traditional Lakota-made drums, regalia and more Native American items for personal and ceremonial use.
With the back-to-school season approaching, West is offering guests one Indian taco in return for the donation of a backpack. Donations will be accepted through Aug. 21.
Bird lovers and photographers flocked to the African Bird Fair in Johannesburg (and online) recently for the announcement of the winners of the inaugural BirdLife South Africa Photography Competition, in partnership with Canon South Africa.
A professional panel of judges had the tough task of whittling down the more than 3 000 images received to a shortlist of 200, and then finally to eight exceptional images in different categories.
In a serendipitous turn of events, the overall winning image by Halima Beale showed a sunset scene featuring the familiar silhouette of a blue crane, South Africa’s national bird.
This was especially fitting for BirdLife South Africa, the competition organisers, which are tasked with conserving South Africa’s birds and their habitats.
The competition, which raises funds for the conservation work of BirdLife South Africa, has captured the imagination of South Africa’s birdwatching and photography community. More than 400 photographers entered the competition, in support of the organisation’s work, but also in the hope of winning one of the prizes totalling almost half a million rand in 10 categories.
The main categories were: action; portrait; birds in the environment; and garden, with secondary categories awarding the best photos of threatened and endemic species, an award for the best youth entry (for a photographer under 18), and a people’s choice prize.
There was significant interest in the shortlisted images for the people’s choice category, with more than 4 000 members of the public participating in voting.
Adam Buckham’s Cape Sugarbird
The quality and variety of images entered were outstanding. Roger Machin, product marketing manager for Canon South Africa and senior judge for the competition said: “We were really impressed by the efforts people went to, to get such amazing pictures of our country’s birds. Canon South Africa was very happy to be part of this competition, most notably with the big prize in the youth category. We really want to see the next generation of birders and bird photographers showing their stuff. Our judging team had a really hard time choosing the winners, with a few late night debates, but I’m sure you’ll agree that we have some great shots for BirdLife South Africa’s first photography competition.”
The overall winner, which also won the birds in the environment category, was a photograph of a Cape wetland just after sunset, with a single silhouetted blue crane reflected in the fiery orange water. The talented photographer, Halima Beale from Somerset West, walked away with the grand prize of a three-night, all-inclusive stay for two people at the Tswalu Kalahari Reserve worth R240 000, as well as access to more than R1 million worth of Canon camera gear to use on loan while at Tswalu.
The prize includes dinner at the Klein Jan restaurant with Michelin star chef Jan Hendrik van der Westhuizen, a personal guide and tracker for the duration of the stay, as well as botanical and pangolin walks with the resident experts.
Beale was ecstatic upon hearing that she was the overall winner.
“We were heading out to Wits and for our family getaway with the kids and grandkids. The sun was already setting when we drove past this piece of water with blue cranes and the most magnificent sunset. But, it was already dark and we were late so we drove past. Then my husband said to me, ‘No, let’s go back. This is too beautiful. You have to take this picture.’ So we did, and I jumped out in the dark with my camera and took a series of pictures, and here we are.”
Adam Buckham, the winner of the youth category, was just as excited.
“Living in Cape Town, I have taken hundreds of pictures of Cape sugarbirds. However, on a particular day with a pumping southeaster, my dad and I decided to visit Tafelberg Road. After finding a group of sugarbirds feeding on a protea, we decided to try to get a winning shot. In this particular picture, I love how the wind has caused the tail to flap to the side of the bird’s body, creating a unique pose of an amazing bird. I have also grown to love soft lighting, and so the overcast day provided an excellent opportunity.”
Adam took home a Canon EOS R7 camera with RF-S 18-45mm, RF 100-400mm and RF 600mm f11 lenses, valued at R50 000.
Johannes van der Merwe’s male pennant-winged nightjar
The other main category winners included a spectacular photo of a male pennant-winged nightjar displaying (Johannes van der Merwe, in the action category), a diminutive female swee waxbill perched delicately on a hanging branch (Dionne Miles, in the portrait category), and a female white-bellied sunbird hovering in place while drinking nectar from a Chinese hatplant (Holmskioldia sanguinea) (Philip van den Berg, in the garden category).
The secondary categories featured a Cape cormorant framed from above against a crashing wave (Andrew Jenkins, in the threatened species category), a male swee waxbill feeding on a grass stem (Mike Buckham, in the endemic species category), and a male Cape sugarbird gripping a protea in a howling southeaster with its resplendent tail trailing horizontally behind it (Adam Buckham, in the youth category). The people’s choice winner was a shot of a rare black coucal in flight carrying a praying mantis (Roger Hogg).
The announcement of the winners was the culmination of months of effort from BirdLife South Africa and Canon South Africa, who partnered to launch this first-of-its-kind competition.
Roger Hogg’s rare black coucal in flight carrying a praying mantis
Mark D Anderson, chief executive of BirdLife South Africa, explained the significance and objectives of the competition: “Our annual photography competition provides us with an opportunity to showcase South Africa’s 870-plus magnificent bird species, through images captured across the length and breadth of our beautiful country, whether that’s in a famous national park or in a local garden. It is also a platform for our organisation to raise much-needed awareness of and funds for our conservation efforts, and we are extremely grateful to the many photographers who entered their images, and, in so doing, contributed towards our work.”
BirdLife South Africa would like to thank the many sponsors of the photography competition, including Canon South Africa; Tswalu Kalahari Reserve; Tintswalo at Boulders; The Royal Portfolio; The Oyster Box; RETURNAfrica; Struik Nature; Gardena; Elaine’s Birding and Wildlife Products; Birding Africa; and Cape Town Pelagics. BirdLife South Africa would also like to thank and acknowledge the five professional judges for their contributions, Roger Machin, Richard Flack, Lizet Grobbelaar, Prelena Owen, and Sandiswa Kula.
You can see all the winning images at: https://www.birdlife.org.za/photography-competition-2023.
BirdLife South Africa is the country partner of BirdLife International, a global partnership of conservation organisations that strives to conserve birds, their habitats and global biodiversity, by working with people towards sustainability in the use of natural resources. BirdLife International partners operate in more than 120 countries worldwide. BirdLife South Africa relies on donor funding and financial support from the public to carry out its critical conservation work
Internationally traveled photographer Martin (Desert) Powell will exhibit his photographs of birds and landscapes, “Sand and Feathers,” at the office of Edward Jones on Brunswick Road from August 17 through November.
His series of 20 photos, printed mostly on metal, showcase the uniqueness and variety of birds and beauty of desert landscapes.
