Zombies and Indians and Art, Oh My!

Photo: The Virtual Stage

Who doesn't love zombies, right?  They're everywhere these days.  Television fans are sitting on gravestones and pitchforks waiting for the new season of TMC's Walking Dead, which premieres October 14.  In Vancouver, British Columbia, The Virtual Stage, brings The Zombie Syndrome to town October 13-31.  This production takes audience members on a scavenger hunt from a starting location in downtown Vancouver.  The catch?  They won't know where until the day before when attendees will receive a phone call from a character in the show telling them where to meet.  Using the GPS on their smartphones (Yes, phones are very much encouraged!), audience groups advance the story by finding clues.  Conceptually, this show is like a theatrical "progressive dinner" without the food and with a little high-tech thrown in for good measure. Zombies lurk around every corner. See it for only $25!  For more information visit www.facebook.com/TheVirtualStage or follow them on Twitter @TheVirtualStage.

This fall, the University of Washington in Seattle is actually offering a course entitled Zombies and Indians.  The course is designed around the idea that "zombies have existed at some level of reality for centuries,"   though they were popularized during the Twentieth Century. The description goes on to add that they "have their origins at the many points of collision between colonizer and colonized..." and "have always walked the uncertain spaces between binary 'certainties' such as us and them, rich and poor, slave and master, and, of course, alive and dead."  It isn't hard then to see how this concept can be linked to Native Americans, and their treatment in popular culture iconography.

  

Photo: Ahalenia Studio/
Zombie Skins

In fact, there is a generation of contemporary Native American artists who are taking on these images, turning them around to make them their own to elicit discussions of issues that affect Native Americans.  Much of this "repatriation" is done in works that pay homage to the lowbrow movement of the late 1970s, or what people have come to know as "pop surrealism."   At first glance, many of these pieces seem frivolous with their bright color palettes and familiar subject matter plucked directly from popular culture.  While some pieces are meant to be tongue-in-cheek, according to Swedish-Cherokee artist America Meredith, who easily maneuvers between contemporary Native and lowbrow art, these works are intended to have a broader, more biting message.  "Even though the imagery in our work might be silly; the messages are serious."

She went on to say that Native artists walk a fine line of "respect and criticism" of the world.  "Many of the artists are also young parents, so they don't have the luxury of nihilism.  We hate society, but we love our grandmothers.”  Instead of fitting the mainstream stereotype of artists as iconoclast, many of the artists are dancers and are active in their own tribes’ ceremonies, and the art reflects this respect for their tribes. But many things need to be torn down and critiqued." 







Installation by Daniel McCoy in
Low-Rez at Eggman and Walrus Art Emporium
 

Last month, when I was in Santa Fe for the 2012 SWAIA Indian Market, I had the opportunity to check out some of this type of work in two exciting shows.  Low-Rez: Native American Lowbrow Art was curated by Meredith and on view at Eggman and Walrus Art Emporium just off of the Santa Fe Plaza.  The work was thoughtful, colorful, well executed and garnered praise by Native American art heavy hitters. "The response has been overwhelmingly fantastic. Luckily hosting the show during Market enabled us to share our work with the widest possible audience of people in the Native art world, including curators of major museums," Meredith explained.  

While Low-Rez was the show that attracted everyone's attention, quietly situated across town at Meredith's Ahalenia Studio I found Zombie Skins: Salon de la Vie Morte, another group show featuring many of the same artists from the Eggman and Walrus exhibtion, including Meredith, Monty Singer, Frank Buffalo Hyde, Daniel McCoy, Mary Beth Nelson, Tom Farris,  Chris Pappan, Melissa Melero, Ryan Singer, and more.  Meredith found herself coordinating this show as well.  I missed the opening night party but had the opportunity to peruse the studio walls uninterrupted by other spectators in late afternoon just before the SWAIA preview night. The art was high-quality, interesting, fun, and some pieces were even priced as little as $40!

 

Zombies Skins at Ahalenia Studio
Photo: Paul Niemi

Why a zombie show (besides the obvious reason that they are cool!)?  "Several artists at the Heard Museum Guild Indian Fair and Market asked me if they could do a show at my studio during Indian Market," Meredith said.  Chris Pappan stepped up and helped hang the show, along with his wife Debra Yepa-Pappan. Crews of volunteers made the show happen — Natasha Wagner, Robert Garcia, Stephen MacMurray, Staci Golar, Melissa Melero, Linda Eben Jones, Maggie Ohnesorgen, and others."  

While Meredith insists that this type of work is not the wave of the future for the Santa Fe Native American art scene, shows such as these are airing out some of the stuffiness that one oftentimes experiences in Santa Fe's cultural landscape. They give artists the opportunity to create outside of the confines dictated by many traditional galleries. With these shows, artists are free to set the rules and break them--whatever they want to do.

"Dealers in Santa Fe have a great deal of money and emotional investment in continuing on the exact same path they have been on for decades," Meredith contends. I hope Meredith continues to produce and support more art events such as the ones I attended during Indian Market week. 

"There’s a great deal of talk locally about demographic shifts occurring among Santa Fe Indian art collectors. More and more, Native people collect art, and the Baby Boomers and Gen-Xers are the collectors now...I believe they want art they can personally relate to." 

Photo: Partial Self-Portrait by
Cannupa Hanska Luger

Speaking of more shows of this genre, if you are traveling through Oklahoma, catch zombie madness with the debut of Zombie Skins in Norman, which opens tonight (Friday, September 14). Tom Farris of Bigfoot Creative has brought a handful of the artists and their work from the Santa Fe show and others to Norman. The exhibition will kick off with an artist reception and Night of the Living Dead Live Paint

at 7 p.m. as part of Norman's 2nd Friday Art Walk. The show features the work of Bryon Archuleta(Ohkay Owingeh), Lara Evans (Cherokee Nation), Tom Farris (Otoe-Missouria-Cherokee), Robert Garcia (Mestizo), April Holder (Sac and Fox-Wichita-Tonkawa), Topaz Jones (Shoshone-Lummi-Kalapuya-Molalla), Daniel McCoy, Jr. (Potawatomi-Muscogee Creek), Cannupa Hanska Luger (Mandan-Arikara-Hidatsa),America Meredith (Cherokee Nation), Joseph Sanchez (Mestizo),Hoka Skenandore (Luiseño-Oneida-Oglala Lakota), and Micah Wesley (Kiowa-Muscogee Creek). 

Zombie Skins runs through October 8 at Bigfoot Creative 315 E. Main Street in Norman, Oklahoma. Bigfoot Creative is open Monday through Saturday, 9:00am to 5:00pm, for more information call (405) 420-0119 or visit their web site at www.bigfootcreative.net.

Watch an interview with Otoe-Missouria-Cherokee artist Tom Farris at 2012 SWAIA Indian Market HERE.

Multi-Generational Cherokee Experience Subject of New Exhibit at Berlin Gallery in Phoenix

If you're in Phoenix before February 13, please stop by the Heard Museum's Berlin Gallery to catch an interesting exhibit entitled Facing the Sunland: Works by America Meredith + Sallyann Paschall + Kay Walkingstick.

All three artists are of Cherokee descent but each has a very distinct style.  In addition to their proud cultural heritage, the three women also come from backgrounds where art was in the family blood.  Each representing the third generation in their family's artistic legacy, the artists' work in the exhibition is a cohesive whole that questions "shared identities, pop imagery, innovation and tradition."

Facing the Sunland opened on January 20.  You only have a few more weeks to check it out, so don't miss it!  For more information, visit the Berlin Gallery's blog.

The Berlin Gallery located in the Heard Museum Shop in downtown Phoenix "boasts an unprecedented retail gallery experience and an innovative way to view and purchase contemporary American Indian art by established and emerging Native artists for today's collector. The gallery is the latest extension of the Heard's educational mission with a retail focus on contemporary American Indian paintings, sculptures, photography, as well as, prints and drawings."

Sur-Mound-ing Obstacles For Artistic Exploration with Public Donations

A greater awareness of ancient mound builder sites in the United States exists, especially amongst artists who use indigenous iconography in their work. But, do they really understand the meaning of the symbols they represent?

Two Native American art scholars and artists will explore ancient burial mounds in the United States to do just that--gain understanding.

What if you could help them? Well, it's funny because now you can. On Saturday, September 10, America Meredith, Swedish-Cherokee painter and great, great niece of legendary cowboy and actor Will Rogers, and Choctaw-Hopi artist Linda Lomahaftewa will take off on an amazing journey through the ancient Southeastern Woodlands.

The purpose of the trip is to connect with the lands of their people that they have heard about all of their lives. The two artists will also sketch and photograph approximately twenty mound sites, which will become subjects for works in two exhibitions--one at Tribes 131 Fine Art and Gift Gallery in Oklahoma and another at Ahalenia Studio in Santa Fe in May 2012. The photographs will also be posted online for other educators and artists to use in their research.

Now through September 27, you can help these ladies fulfill their passion by donating as little as a dollar to their cause on the Exploring Ancient Southeastern Woodlands project site located on Kickstarter.com.  You can also follow America and Linda as they post updates about their journey.

Watch a video interview with the artists/educators HERE:

The Road to Indian Market 2010: Cherokee and Swedish Painter America Meredith

It would be easy to say "let freedom ring" when referring to the work of Cherokee and Swedish painter America Meredith.  Her work is as diverse as the artist herself is complex. America is thoughtful, intellectual, focused all the while humorous and unassuming.  The great-great niece of comedian Will Rogers, America enjoys enjoying life around her while she interprets from her own unique perspective.

For America, the road to SWAIA Indian Market is paved with numerous committments and keeping on track to make sure she has something substantial and compelling to offer her collectors.  One of her favorite aspects about Indian Market is meeting collectors--the old and the new--and answering questions about her work. 

For the first installment of my "The ROAD to Indian Market 2010" series, America talked with me recently in her Santa Fe studio about the various work she does that leads up to market, including her extraordinary pieces, which incorporate syllabary, the Cherokee writing system.  The artist blends traditional styles from Native America and Europe and then adds her own spin by including pop iconography from her childhood. Oftentimes, she paints portraits of historical figures--including Native Americans from all walks of life.  These paintings, which can incorporate signs, text, and found objects such as stickers, as seen in one of her new series, make social commentaries and incorporate her own brand of humor. 

(**Please note that this series and video is in no way connected to SWAIA or its partners. Thanks to SWAIA for its permission to use the words 'Indian Marlet,' which are trademarked.)

Check out the video interview HERE:

New Video Series Offers Behind the Scenes Look at Indian Market 2010

There's no denying it--another year has passed!  Native American artists all over the country are frantically preparing for, what has been termed, "the Christmas season" in the Native arts world--the 2010 SWAIA Indian Market in Santa Fe, New Mexico.

This year, Market runs from August 21 through the 22nd.  And it's not just the artists who are preparing for Market, it's SWAIA, it's the dealers, and even the collectors are eagerly awaiting their arrival in New Mexico to have first pick at their favorite artist's wares.  Many of them even arrive at Midnight on Friday so that they can camp out in front of artists' booths.

The way is certainly long and grueling for everyone.

"Will I have money to make it to Santa Fe?"  "What type of pottery should I feature in the gallery during my Indian Market show?"
"Can I afford my booth fee?" 
"Am I going to be able to score one of her pieces this year?"
"Why can't I stop adding stuff to this pot?"  "When is the right time to put my brush down, take a deep breath and know I did a good job?"

All these questions are asked as artists, dealers, and collectors make their way down the road..."The ROAD to Indian Market," a new series coming to Uncle Paulie's World art and culture blog in August. Stay tuned! 

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