Heard @ the Heard 2011: Iconic Artist Benjamin Harjo, Jr. Shows His "Layers" in Berlin Gallery Group Show Opening 4/15

What I find fun about going to art shows is that there is always an opportunity to connect with artists who are new to my art lexicon--I'm constantly learning and I love it!  What's more amazing is that many of these artists have had lifelong, high-profile careers, and when you first meet them, you'd never know.  Some are as humble as they day they entered the marketplace.  That's always refreshing.

One such artist is Benjamin Harjo, Jr.  Having spent almost a half of a century training and working as a master of pen and ink, a painter and block print maker, Harjo is one of the most recognizable and respected artists working in Native American fine art.  His work has graced posters, is housed in museums, and exists in private collections all over the world.  None of this, however, has gone to his head. Harjo understands the ebbs and flows of the art world and "the abuse" that artists take when it comes to selling their work.  Luckily, he has cultivated a loyal group of friends and regular collectors who find inspiration in his art and want to see him flourish.  Whereas, many visual artists don't attend "booth" shows such as the Heard Museum Guild's Indian Fair and Market, Harjo consistently participates in them. The season runs from March to November, so he is always busy.  That's when he's not working on a commission.  He contends that some years the shows will be good for him, and other years it will be good for other artists. It's just the way things are.

Tonight, Benjamin Harjo, Jr. opens in a group show at the Heard Museum's Berlin Gallery entitled Layers: Sarah Sense + Frank Buffalo Hyde + Benjamin Harjo, Jr.  While his counterparts in the show are considerably younger, they are also edgy and hip.  The inclusion of his work is a testament to the agelessness of Harjo's paintings and drawings.  The exhibition, which runs through May 16, highlights works by the three artists that "reveal the layering of either ideas or processes to create their own unique vision, the end result multi-layered works that explore new territories of definition." 

Ironically, and completely unaware of the upcoming exhibition at the Heard's Berlin Gallery, I had the opportunity to interview Harjo last month for my "Heard @ the Heard 2011" series at the 53rd Annual Heard Museum Guild Indian Fair and Market.  So, it makes complete sense that things come full circle and I end my series with this iconic master artist, who talked to me about his award-winning Heard submission piece as well as his influences, on the day of his opening! 

Watch the video interview with Benjamin Harjo, Jr. HERE:

Heard @ the Heard 2011: Haida-Tlingit Basketry by Gianna Willard & Diane Douglas-Willard

Since my family lives in the Pacific Northwest, my first exposure to indigenous art was that of the Northwest Coast.  It was in Seattle and Vancouver, B.C. that I fell in love with the easily-recongnizable symbology of red and black button blankets and the phenomenal mask work that incorporates cedar, alderwood, horsehair, abalone shell and more. 

Of late, I have been very interested in learning about basketry in general, so when I met Gianna Willard and Diane Douglas-Willard of Ketchikan, Alaska, I was so excited.  Not only are they lovely and open people, but their work is some of the finest you will find.  Gianna (Haida-Tlingit), who is Diane's daughter, has only been making cedar bark hats for a year, but the workmanship shows a lifetime exposure to basket making.   The 53rd Annual Heard Museum Guild Indian Fair and Market was Gianna's first Native American art show ever.   She was a little nervous to do an interview at first, but she jumped right in and did a fabulous job!

Diane Douglas-Willard is a Haida basket maker, who was born in Bellingham, Washington.  Diane, who has taken "First Place" and "Best in Division" at SWAIA Indian Market in Santa Fe,  incorporates traditional basketry with contemporary designs.  She utlizes both yellow and red cedar bark in addition to wax linen to achieve her unique style of work. 

Both mother and daughter took the time from selling at the Heard show to talk to me about their work and the painstaking process of getting materials ready to weave their museum-quality pieces.

Watch my video interview with Gianna Willard and Diane Douglas-Willard HERE:

Heard @ the Heard 2011: Pottery Innovator Harrison Begay, Jr.

Award-winning Diné (Navajo) potter Harrison Begay, Jr. does amazing work. His skill lies in creating pots with interesting shapes that are deeply incised and polished. In addition to being a master polisher, Begay is highly skilled at ensuring that the cuts in his work are consistent throughout the piece. For those who don’t know about Pueblo pottery, Santa Clara pots are hand-coiled, incised with the designs, and then coated with a red clay slip (liquid clay). Just before the slip dries, the artist will take river stones to polish the pot. Pit-firing completes the process, which, in the case of Santa Clara pots, can result in the pot’s black or red color. It all depends on how long the pot is fired.

What makes Begay unique is that he learned traditional Santa Clara style while living in the pueblo, located just north of Santa Fe. Begay, who is considered to be one of the Native American pottery world’s innovators, mostly utilizes designs from Navajo culture. In addition to creating traditional red and black Santa Clara pots, Begay also is making a name for himself with distinctive brown-fired pots. The end result is all in the timing of the firing.

I always speak about the idea of “accessibility” of Native American artists and their art—a very special aspect of living in the American Southwest. With a true zest for life, Begay is very friendly and accessible. An interaction with him is a moment to be cherished for a lifetime.

This year at the 2011 Heard Museum Guild Indian Fair and Market, I had the opportunity to ask him about his process, his influences and how the economy has affected him and the Native American artist community at large. Watch my interview with this genuine and soft-spoken artist HERE:

Heard @ the Heard 2011: Tufa Cast Jewelry Design Duo Denipah-LaRance

When I think of ubertalented and genuinely nice, I think of the Denipah-LaRances.  Steve Wikviya LaRance (from Moenkopi on the Hopi Reservation) and Marian Denipah (Diné--Navajo and Tewa--San Juan Pueblo Ohkay Owingeh) are the husband and wife jewelry design team that specializes in Tufa cast jewelry.  Tufa stone, a soft volcanic stone, is carved and used to create a cast for silver or gold with a truly distinctive look.  Denipah and LaRance both started making tufa cast jewelry more than 15 years ago and have become two of the most recognizable faces on the Native American art show circuit.

From dragonflies to crosses to corn, rain and water symbols, Denipah and LaRance create gorgeous works in silver and gold embellished with quality stones in traditional and contemporary styles.  While the recession has impacted their business, the artists are weathering the economic storm by using social media to market their work to collectors. They have also been going international in terms of where they show their work, participating in shows around the world in Japan, Germany and British Columbia.   With rising silver and gold prices also impacting their sales and ability to make a great deal of pieces, the Flagstaff, Arizona-based designers have decided to make quality, higher-priced pieces utlizing quality stones to appeal to higher-tiered collectors.



Courtesy Cirque du Soleil



The Denipah-LaRance household is full of talent. They have provided their children with an environment where they could learn painting, sculpture as well as jewelry-making and the kids have made the most of it.  They also have become accomplished dancers.  Their son Nakotah, age 21,  became a champion hoop dancer and is now a principal dancer in Cirque do Soleil's Native American-themed Totem, which is currently touring the United States.  He is also the poster child for the show.

Marian Denipah and Steve LaRance took the time from selling at the 53rd Annual Heard Museum Guild Indian Fair and Market in Phoenix to talk to me for my "Heard @ the Heard 2011" series. 

Watch my video interview with this dynamic design duo HERE:



Heard @ the Heard 2011: Onondaga Artist Ronnie-Leigh Goeman on the Dying Art of Basketry

The reason I write this blog is to talk about art and get to know the people behind it.  It is a very special experience for me because I encounter artists who completely fill me with energy and excitement with what they do and that compels me to share that energy with my readers. 

This year for my "Heard @ the Heard 2011" series, I wanted to focus on artists whom you haven't yet met on Uncle Paulie's World.  Of course there are the "usual suspects" of Market, and it's great to see the new pieces they are working on.   But, what about the people working dilligently on that beautiful basket, an art form that in this technology-driven world seems apparently forgotten and unappreciated?  The fun part of the 53rd Annual Heard Museum Guild Indian Fair and Market this year was focusing on finding lesser known artists and introducing their work to a wider audience.  Basketry, a bit of an underdog in the Native art scene, is actually fairly vast and diverse.  It is definitely gaining more notoriety as evidenced by Jeremy Frey's win of "Best in Show" at this year's Heard show and with SWAIA giving basketry its own category at Indian Market.  There are so many people working to preserve this special art across many Native cultures and I am happy to feature just a few!

Today, on "Heard @ the Heard 2011" is basket maker Ronnie-Leigh Goeman, who hails from the Onondaga Nation in Upstate New York.  Ronnie's style, warmth, thoughtfulness and passion for her art, especially her drive to continue her work making Black Ash baskets, grabbed me and wouldn't let go. Taught by her mentor Mae Big Tree of Akwesane Mohawk Nation, Goeman, who works in the Iroquois style of basketry began making baskets when she was a teenager.   She stopped for a while, but when she met her now husband Stonehorse Goeman (Tonawanda/Seneca), also an artist, she once again picked up the ash and sweetgrass for a collaboration, which they call "Iroquois Basket Sculpture."  These baskets are adorned with moose hair quills. The finishing touch is the placement of Stonehorse's detailed miniature carvings atop Goeman's finely woven pieces. 

The economy has greatly impacted artists' lives and careers, and Goeman's is no exception. She talked candidly about how the downturn in the economy has changed her life.  She also talks passionately about her need to continue the tradition of basket making to the end since there are insects from Asia that have been desimating the ash tree population in the United States.  It is predicted that in 50 years there will no longer be ash basket makers because forests can't be replanted for decades.

Get to know Ronnie-Leigh Goeman by watching a brief interview HERE:

Heard @ the Heard 2011: Cody Sanderson and the Sleekest of Hearts

Whether you know Native American jewelry or not, one name that is synonymous with Indian markets around the country is that of Navajo jewelry designer Cody Sanderson.  His designs have graced the pages of national women's magazines such as O The Oprah Magazine, and the reason is that he is a master of innovation and style. You never really know what he's going to come up with next.

When Cody walked into the Heard Museum Guild Indian Fair and Market's "Best of Show" gala on Friday evening with his son, who donned his latest creation around his neck, everyone took notice.  "Be Still, My Bleeding Heart," as Sanderson calls the piece, is hand-fashioned from silver, gold and coral (with inlay work by the talented Zuni designer Colin Coonsis), and is a replica of a real Human heart.  Sanderson said that he has always been fascinated by this part of the body and its beauty and wanted to honor it, especially since he came up with the idea around Valentine's Day.

Sanderson talked briefly to me for my "Heard @ the Heard 2011" series.  See the brilliance of Cody Sanderson HERE:

Heard @ the Heard 2011: Lindsey Shakespeare on a Doll Maker's Dream

"...Life experiences is what I have within my work..."
                                            --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:

Uncle Paulie's World Releases "Heard @ the Heard 2011" Series March 10

Well the 53rd Annual Heard Museum Guild Indian Fair and Market has come to a close for another year, but the spirit of the show still lives on. I think I may go through Native American art withdrawal!  But seriously, I get to relive all the memories as I begin putting the final touches on my series "Heard @ the Heard 2011."  This year, I've got everyone from Cody Sanderson talking about his mind-blowing submission piece that was the talk of the show, to the jewelry design team of Denipah and LaRance, to visual artists Ben Harjo, Jr., Daniel Ramirez, Marla Allison, and more. 

 The "Heard @ the Heard 2011" series begins on Thursday, March 10, so keep an eye out on Uncle Paulie's World for a new artist interview every other day until it's done.  If you didn't get to come to the show this year, live vicariously through me and my cameras.

This was a very special Heard show for me, seeing all my favorite people again. From the opening night "Best of Show" party to two beautiful 80 degree days filled with music, dancing and phenomenal Native American art, I captured it all through candid photos and video.  Until the series starts, watch this introductory recap video so that you can decide which piece or artist is your favorite!

"Heard @ the Heard 2011" Series Coming Soon to Uncle Paulie's World

Hi ya'll!  Well, I can scarcely believe that another year has passed and it is again time for the Annual Heard Museum Guild Indian Fair and Market.  This is the 53rd season and I will be in Phoenix with my handy camera in tow capturing the spirit of the show with interviews of many of the 750 artists in attendance.  You just never know who you might get to know via the Blogosphere!

Last year, my Heard @ the Heard series was very well-received, so I'm doing it again for 2011.    Stay tuned to your computer for blog updates starting this weekend and into next week.  Please comment and let me know what you think.  Thanks for supporting Native American fine art and see YOU at the Heard! 

In the meantime, watch a teaser for the series HERE!