Senate Committee Hears Concerns On Tribal Art Law Update
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Griffin Museum of Photography : Rohina Hoffman : Embrace – The Eye of Photography Magazine
Isolated in the confinement of her Los Angeles home during the covid lockdown, Indian-born American artist Rohina Hoffman takes us on a metaphorical journey connecting her roots to food through the rituals of daily meals. Embrace combines two deeply personal photographic series.
In Gratitude is an homage to food and family. Created during the early days of the pandemic, it is a series of portraits of Rohina and her family holding the fresh produce they used to create their daily meals. The act of creating photographs and preparing food became an almost meditative practice, offering structure and grounding during unsettling times. The work is “seasoned” with Hoffman’s poetry.
Generation 1.75 is a visual memoir that explores identity, belonging, and the complexities of acculturation. Born in India in 1968, Rohina was raised by her grandparents until age 5 when she was reunited with her parents in America. Her essay in the book, ‘Not All Peacocks are Blue’, published in English and translated into Hindi, provides a deeper look into the photographer’s background from her early childhood through the present and serves as a bridge between the two projects.
The Griffin will also host an online talk with Rohina on Wednesday, May 17 at 7pm EST.
The book Embrace also includes essays by Paula Tognarelli, the former Executive Director of the Griffin Museum of Photography, and Geeta Kothari, senior editor of the Kenyon Review. The book is designed by Caleb Cain Marcus, head of the design studio Luminosity Lab.
About the Artist:
Rohina Hoffman is an Indian-born American artist whose narrative work focuses on themes of identity, home, adolescence, and the female experience. Raised in New Jersey but now residing in California, Rohina received her BS in Neuroscience and MD both from Brown University. She also studied photography at the Rhode Island School of Design. Rohina published her first monograph Hair Stories with Damiani Editore (February 2019) accompanied by a solo exhibition at Brown University’s Alpert Medical School. Hair Stories is held in many public collections and university libraries. Her photographs have been exhibited widely in juried shows and in 2021 she was the winner of the Purchase Award with Atlanta Photography Group and several of her prints were acquired by the High Museum of Art in Atlanta, Georgia.
For more information about Rohina Hoffman visit her website: https://rohinahoffman.com where you can order a signed copy of Embrace.
Exhibition
Rohina Hoffman : Embrace
April 21-May 28, 2023
The Griffin Museum of Photography
67 Shore Rd
Winchester, MA 01890
https://griffinmuseum.org/
Book Details:
Rohina Hoffman : Embrace
Published by Schilt Publishing
Format: 8 x 0.8 x 10.2 inches.
144 pp with approx 50 photos
ISBN 9789053309544
$60 | €60 | £55
https://www.schiltpublishing.com/shop/books/new-releases/embrace/
Past and future collide in Manasee Jog’s printmaking exhibition
Manasee Jog’s ‘Memorising the past to see the future: an exhibition of imprints’ explores memory and materiality, now and then.
Sunrise and Summit Elementary School students design sneakers
5th grade students from Sunrise and Summit Elementary School were given the opportunity to design shoes as part of a new project.
It was all a part of the annual art show. This project is teaching kids more than fashion, it is instructing them to create and market their own products. They used 3D printing, laser cutting, along with sewing to make their shoes.
Jordan Colle is just one of 250 students who got to express themselves with a pair of sneakers.
“The flag on it is the Black pride flag and that reflects a lot of who I am. And the shoelaces are made from crochet, which is one of my favorite things to do,” Colle said.
It’s a project that made many students excited about school again. Alison Smith, an art teacher, says this was the purpose to get these students motivated.
“There were students that were kind of disengaged at the beginning of the school year for 5th graders, both of our school buildings. So, I talk to 5th graders a lot on what kind of things they like to do and what are their interests and we found shoes as a common interest among a lot of our students in our community,” Smith said.
CBS
The project is teaching students the basics of marketing, social media influence, networking and fashion design.
“This is a really high level project, usually students don’t do things like this until they are in college. So, creating this project now in elementary school gives students an early advance art experience,” Smith said.
For 5th grader, Mackenna Dickey, this taught her more than that.
“To be yourself and don’t follow other people are trying to make you,” Dickey said.
After speaking with a couple shoe designers from Nike and Vans, the project became a reality with the help of Cherry Creek Schools Foundation, providing students a budget of $30 each for materials for their sneakers.
“We have a lot of shoes that didn’t turn out the way students had hoped that they would… after like, a lot of research and preparations, months went into it. So, I learned a lot about just pivoting and learning from the process more so than like, the final product,” Smith said.
Students have until the end of the school year to finish their project. Once finished, they will be able to take their shoes home.
Indigenous artists exhibit closes
‘The Spirit Within’ exhibit closes April 28. The Doña Ana Arts Council (DAAC), 230 S. Water St., continues its “The Spirit Within – A Gathering of Indigenous Artists,” exhibit of contemporary native artists through Friday, April 28. Artists in the exhibit include Marcy Angeles, Ramona Angeles, Ishkoten Dougi, Aaron Freeland, Amado Peña, Saba, John Suazo and Michael Toya. DAAC is open 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday-Friday, plus noon-5 p.m. on Second Saturday, April 15. Contact DAAC 575-523-6403 and director@daarts.org.
April 2023: Indigenous Art & Apparel Design Newsletter
The Native American Law & Policy practice group at Dentons US LLP brings you the latest on federal policies, legal news, and events in the Indigenous art and fashion world.
Congressional Update:
Proposed Amendments to the Indian Arts and Craft Act
The Indian Arts and Crafts Act (IACA) (Pub. L. 101-644) is a “truth-in-advertising” law that bars sellers from misrepresenting products as “Indian-made” if such products are not in fact made by Indians (as defined in the Act), or individuals certified as Indian artisans in accordance with the Act. Persons violating the Act may be subject to civil and/or criminal penalties. Senator Brian Schatz (D-Hawai‘i), Chairman of the Senate Committee on Indian Affairs, has released a discussion draft of legislation that would update the Indian Arts and Crafts Act called the “Amendments to Respect Traditional Indigenous Skill and Talent (ARTIST) Act of 2023.” According to the Committee press release, the draft legislation is intended to “support creative economies and strengthen enforcement of current law and protections against counterfeit competition for Native artists and their works” and “reflects direct stakeholder input as well as years of Committee oversight and broad commitment to the protection of Native cultural patrimony and revitalization of Indigenous languages.” A link to the text of the discussion draft may be found here. A link to a one-page summary of the discussion draft may be found here.
Deadlines: The Committee is holding a listening session on the discussion draft today, April 26, 2023, at 2:30 p.m. EDT. A registration link to participate in the session may be found here. A link to the live video of the event may be found here. In addition, the Committee is accepting written feedback on the discussion draft, and comments are due by May 19, 2023 to Artist@indian.senate.gov.
Interior Update:
Proposed Amendments to Regulations Implementing the Indian Arts and Craft Act
The U.S. Department of the Interior (Interior) wants to hear from Native artists regarding proposed changes to how the Indian Arts and Crafts Act is implemented. “Arts and crafts are important to Native communities, both culturally and economically,” said Assistant Secretary for Indian Affairs Bryan Newland. “Updating these regulations to include modern forms of art and craft work will support Indigenous artisans and craftspeople.” A link to the proposed changes may be found here. Starting this month and running through August, Interior is holding a series of listening sessions regarding the proposed changes. Questions to be discussed at the listening sessions include whether revisions sufficiently account for the range of Indian arts and crafts that Indian artists are presently creating and whether the law should apply to Native Hawaiian Organizations.
Deadlines: Written comments are due by 11:59 p.m. EDT on September 1, 2023 to consultation@bia.gov. In person listening sessions and tribal consultations are ongoing now. The first virtual tribal consultation is scheduled for August 2, 2023 at 2 p.m. EDT. A link to more information may be found here.
Legal News:
A Texas man has been sentenced in federal court for selling counterfeit Native American goods after fraudulently selling jewelry online by marketing it as “genuine Indian handcrafted”, “Native American Indian Handmade,” “Zuni” and “Navajo,” although the merchandise really came from a manufacturer in the Philippines. Kevin Charles Kowalis, 60, was sentenced to five years of probation for mail fraud and misrepresentation of Indian goods under the Indian Arts and Crafts Act. “This sentencing is important in the fight to end this type of fraud,” said Assistant Director Edward J. Grace of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s Office of Law Enforcement. “Our dedicated team of special agents works on behalf of the Department of the Interior and the Indian Arts and Crafts Board to protect American Indian and Alaska Native artists and the consumers who purchase authentic Native American art and craftwork.” A link to the full press release may be found here.
More Information and Upcoming Events:
- The Indian Arts and Crafts Board posts American Indian, Alaska Native, and Native American (AI/AN) art and craft marketing events that are judged on its website to promote authentic AI/AN products and as a service for potential consumers. A link to the webpage may be found here.
- The Department of Health and Human Services and the Department of the Interior are hosting an Inaugural Buy Indian Industry Day Matchmaker event today, April 26, 2023, from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. EDT. The purpose of this marketplace is to provide an opportunity for Native American and tribally owned small businesses to engage directly with and present your company’s goods and/or services to contracting and program officials from HHS and Interior. A link to more information may be found here.
Sympathy to the Family and Associates of Art Professor Shelley Gipson
The university community today expresses sympathy to the family, colleagues and students of Shelley Gipson, professor of art.
International Print Day in May Comes Back to Las Cruces
Printmakers around the world and several in Las Cruces will have their doors open, making prints and giving studio tours and demonstrations as International Print Day returns Saturday, May …
Bucks County Community College art exhibition showcases student creativity
The Arts and Communication Department at Bucks County Community College will host the 58th Annual Student Art Exhibition on view Friday, April 28 through Tuesday, May 9 in the Hicks Art Center.
Explore the Earth and beyond
This weekend offers a plethora of nature- and space-themed activities and events to learn more about the world around you. If science isn’t your speed, however, there’s plenty more to do, including a soccer Fan Fest, a 5K around Lake Lansing, Taylor Swift cover shows and a Burlesque Extravaganza.
