Modern artsists informed by their Native American heritage

September 14, 2016 11:47 AM

Jason Garcia, who also goes by Okuu Pin (Tewa for Turtle Mountain, the name for Sandia Mountain) is a traditional clay artist from Santa Clara Pueblo in New Mexico, except his art isn't strictly traditional. His work is his effort to document the ever-changing cultural landscape of Santa Clara (8 minute interview and overview of his art), as seen in his 'Tewa Tales,' clay tiles painted as silver-age covers, depicting the Pueblo Revolt and the colonization of New Mexico. For more, see Jason Garcia's short bio video for North American Native Museum (Nordamerika Native Museum) in Zurich, Switzerland, for a past exhibition titled "Native Art Now." Vimeo user Dylan McLaughlin/Invisible Laboratory has 10 more short bio videos from other artists in the exhibit.

More information on each of those 10 other artists:

• Chris Pappan, and Osage, Kaw, Cheyenne River Lakota Sioux artist who illustrates in realistic and surreal styles
• Diego Romero, a Cochiti Pueblo contemporary potter who pulls in pen and ink comic styles (Wikipedia)
• Sonya Kelliher-Combs was raised in the Northwest Alaska community of Nome, and works in mixed media
• Shan Goshorn is an Eastern Band Cherokee artist/activist who works in weaving and basketry
• Cannupa Hanska Luger is a Mandan, Hidatsa, Arikara, Lokota artist who works with ceramics
• Will Wilson is a Diné photographer who also works with display space, presentation, and storytelling
• Maria Hupfield, a member of the Anishinaabe Nation at Wasauksing First Nation, Ontario, is a multimedia artist/maker
• Nicholas Galanin is a Tlingit multi-disciplinary artist and musician (website/blog/Flickr gallery). Example of his work: Tsu Heidei Shugaxtutaan part 1, part 2 (YouTube / see also: Wikipedia entry)
• Ross Chaney is a member of the Osage and Cherokee tribes and works with film, video, installation, painting, drawing and digital imagery
• Gina Adams' work focuses primarily on her mixed heritage of Ojibwe and Lakota, Native American, Lithuanian and Irish bloodlines

posted by filthy light thief (4 comments total)

Great post. By coincidence, the Portland (Oregon) Art Museum had a wonderful show (which just closed, sadly) of clothing fashions by designers of Native American heritage. There are still photos of some of the items on the museum site.
posted by twsf at 12:21 PM on September 14, 2016 [3 favorites]

I can't wait to dive into these links. Thanks so much for putting this together.
posted by delight at 1:48 PM on September 14, 2016

Michael Nicoll Yahgulanaas, artist, Haida Manga creator, author and speaker.

Here's a recording of his talk at TedxVancouver.

For anyone in Vancouver, he has an upcoming free public talk next week.
posted by wenat at 7:24 PM on September 14, 2016 [2 favorites]

Another superlative post, filthy light thief, I look forward to digging in further than just the few main links. I've been to the Santa Clara pueblo and seen his mother's works. Her name is Gloria Garcia but she uses the name of Goldenrod - I had my eye on these two pieces (second artist down), which give you an idea of the traditions he grew up in. While I'm a fan of the classic pottery, it's great to see younger generations broadening into contemporary new themes and styles.
posted by madamjujujive at 2:25 PM on September 15, 2016 [1 favorite]