--Lindsey Shakespeare
Charming describes Mescalero Apache/Kiowa Apache/Comanche and Northern Arapaho doll maker Lindsey Shakespeare, who hails from Mescalero, New Mexico. Having learned doll making from her relatives growing up in the Three Rivers area, Lindsey went on to earn her B.F.A. in Photography from New Mexico State University in Las Cruces, New Mexico and subsequently an Associates Degree from the Institute of American Indian Arts (I.A.I.A) in Santa Fe.
This seemingly meek and quiet young woman is bursting with talent, which is represented in the Comanche-style PowWow and Apache Crown Dancer soft sculpture dolls she creates. Her inspirations for designs and colors often come from her dreams she told me. Travel influences and culturally important mountain symbols are also incorporated in her work. Her Apache Crown Dancer dolls are affixed to hand-carved and sanded wood bases, which split apart like puzzle pieces so that collectors have a variety of ways to display her work. The bases are her first task at hand when she begins to create a sculpture.
My favorite part of meeting Lindsey was the traditional formality with which she expresses herself. She fills you with the true spirit of what it is to be Native American. More exciting was that this year was the first time she has been able to attend the Heard Museum Guild Indian Fair and Market. The response to her work as I spent time with her at her booth was overwhelming, which undoubtedly bodes good things to come for her. Enjoy my interview with Lindsey Shakespeare as part of my "Heard @ the Heard 2011" series HERE:
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