How cool is this?

Steven Point, British Columbia’s first aboriginal lieutenant govdenror, is carving a piece of red cedar into an inland river canoe. He wants to launch it this month, and then donate it back to the people of the province as an example of a First Nations canoe, the Times Colonist of British Columbia reports here:

The launch ceremony will mark the culmination of hundreds of hours of work since Point, 58, found the old block of cedar while walking on Ross Bay beach last November.

The ends of the log had already been shaped into points and it looked like someone had tried to carve it, said Point. His brother, an experienced carver, pegged the wood at between 500 and 800 years old, meaning the work could have started before Christopher Columbus discovered the so-called New World.

He’s being mentored in his work by First Nations master carver Tony Hunt Sr., who carves both totem poles and seafaring canoes.

“What I believe is that you’re guided, and when things come in and out of your life you should pay attention, because something good could happen,” Point tells the paper’s Rob Shaw.

In addition to his provincial post, Point has been chief of the Skowkale First Nation and tribal chairman of the Sto:lo Nation.

He’s named the canoe Shxwtitöstel, which means a safe place to cross the river – a metaphor for between aboriginal and non-aboriginal people.

Gwen Florio

Tags: British Columbia, buffalo post, First Nations, Lt. Gov. Steven Point, Native American news, Native art, Skowkale First Nation, Sto:lo Nation, Tony Hunt

A Michigan State University exhibit designed to raise awareness of Native American tribes has been hit by thieves who stole four of its 12 pieces.

The nationally acclaimed artist, Hock E Aye Vi Edgar Heap of Birds — a member of the Cheyenne and Arapaho Indian tribes and former visiting artist in residence at the Residential College in the Arts and Humanities — says the thefts reflect an apparent lack of respect from students, according to this story in the Lansing (Mich.) State Journal.

“It’s kind of hard to believe that with such a small campus, people wouldn’t understand it’s an art thing,” he says. “To me, (the theft) related to Native American freedom or rights.”

The exhibit consisted of 12 metal signs valued at as much as $10,000. Each of the signs was marked with the words “Michigan, today your host is,” followed by the names of different Native American tribes in the state, the Journal reports. The four signs were stolen over the weekend.

Heap of Birds says a previous exhibit of his at the University of Illinois also was vandalized. (See background story here.)

While he wants whomever took the signs to be prosecuted, mostly he just wants his work back, he says.
“The work is available for people to see so they can be educated of native rights,” he said. “It’s really necessary to have this type of work to educate, to have students educated about native life and culture – that’s the mission of the art work.”

Gwen Florio

Tags: buffalo post, Hock E Aye Vi Edgar Heap of Birds, Michigan State University, Native American news, Native art, University of Illinois

“Intrigue and Novelty” is the title of a showing of the work of seven contemporary Native American women artists at Chicago’s Beacon Street gallery that started last week and shows through Dec. 18.
The gallery does not specialize in the work of Native artists, but does routinely feature it, according to this story in Indian Country Today.

“This is the 10th year for the gallery to have a show that is all Native American artists. This year’s show really allows Native American women to speak for themselves, something that a lot of the gallery market does not provide for; that of featuring all women artists and that of women of color,” says gallery co-director Patricia Murphy. “Approximately 80 to 90 percent of national art galleries feature mostly white male artists.”

The artists in the show include Christine Caluya, Amber Gunn Gauthier, Nadya Kwandibens, America Meredith, Rose B. Simpson, Debra Yepa-Pappan and Linda Lomahaftewa, whose “New Mexico Sunset” is pictured above. Most are alumni or faculty of the Institute of American Indian Arts in Santa Fe, New Mexico.

The show’s title, according to writer Brita Brookes, was derived from these experiences in which the theme of “intrigue” is drawn from the fascination of Native ceremonies and artifacts by non-natives and the “novelty” theme being derived from today’s modern instant culture.

Information on this show can be found here.

Gwen Florio

Tags: "Intrique and Novelty", Amber Gunn Gauthier, America Meredith, Beacon Street gallery, buffalo post, Christine Caluya, Debra Yepa-Pappan, Institute of American Indian Arts, Linda Lomahaftewa, Nadya Kwandibens, Native American news, Native art, Rose B. Simpson

Networking in the competitive art world is half the battle to becoming a successful artist. Starting in September Native American artists on the Wind River Reservation will have the opportunity to enroll in a 10-month program designed for emerging artists.

“In art school they teach you how to create art, but they don’t teach you how to transfer that to the real world,” said Native Emerging Artists Training (NEAT) instructor Dannine Donaho, “learning how to network is something that is lacking.”

Each month the class will focus on one topic leading up to a juried exhibition at the Lander Art Center. Some of the topics included photographing artwork, digital editing, and framing, matting and packing. The ultimate goal of the program is to teach people how to apply to juried shows.

The juried art show is also open to professional Native American artists not participating in the program.

“With each juried show an artist applies to the more people will recognize your name,” said Donaho, “this shows your dedication as an artist.”

Tetona Dunlap

Tags: buffalo post, Eastern Shoshone, Native American news, Native art, Northern Arapaho, Wind River Reservation

First Peoples Fund is seeking artists to apply for two of its fellowship programs that support Native American arts and culture. The 2010 Cultural Capital and 2010 Artists in Business Leadership will accept applications from eligible artists from the Northern Great Plains and the Plateau Regions of the United States as well as Canadian First Nations members. Artist applicants must have five years or more experience in professionally marketing their art at Indian art markets, galleries and wholesale experience. For more information, click here.

Gwen Florio

Tags: buffalo post, Native American news, Native art