We enjoyed related events last
weekend, all organized by our friend Saba, a Diné
(Navajo) artist. At NMSU's Kent Hall, Pictograff: the Art of
War Prayer opened; meanwhile, as part of the 8th Annual
Illegal(?) Arrowsoul Art Show, visiting indigenous aerosol artists
muralized walls at Cruces Creatives, the old Coors Building near the
railroad tracks, and elsewhere.
Friday evening, artwork hung inside
Kent Hall; and in the courtyard stood a temporary structure, its
blank walls waiting to be painted during the opening.
We talked with Orlando Cruz from Santa
Ana Pueblo, and listened to his haunting songs and drumming. A
Standing Rock Water Protector, he's friendly and interesting – and
so popular on Facebook that he has reached Facebook's limit on
friends.
Native Artists in Action had a table.
This collective uses art and rap music to help kids find better ways
to live, including healthier eating, Bishop Undurdog (Zuni) said.
“We found ourselves through art, and we're trying to do the same
thing, let young people find themselves through art.”
On the structure's three walls, three
artists created interesting art pieces as the sun set. One artist,
40+ (and even sometimes using little reading glasses), was Doug Miles
(San Carlos Apache), a nationally-known artist/activist. He once
painted a mural in Fort Apache (a Bronx neighborhood the police once
considered highly dangerous) exploring the similarities between the
two Fort Apaches, and did a residency at the DeYoung Museum..
These are energetic, creative, caring
young people. They feel doubly marginalized, being both indigenous
and artists. They're forging a subculture that welcomes them,
nurtures their art, and helps them help others. No one should feel
threatened by this – unless it's inherently threatening when people
who are different (ethnically, culturally, or socially) try to
express themselves, make a buck, and raise families.
These artists
exhibit an appealing mix of creativity and activism. Several
protested at Standing Rock. NAA sells a t-shirt with a painting and
the words, “The elders say . . . never forget 1680,” a reference
to the Santa Fe revolt.
Introducing the music, Saba said that
while “graffiti culture” started on the coasts, Native Americans
here have made it their own. “Don't forget, we've been writing and
painting messages on the wall forever. So this is a rebirth of that.
This is how we pray.”
He thanked Kent Hall and the
University officials for “being cool with all this.”
We bought a painting by Rezmo ("Rezzie McFly" on Facebook) of a
traditionally-dressed young girl reaching up toward a hummingbird.
The painting is somehow sweet, and seems sweeter when a friend
explains that the girl is Rezmo's daughter. It also reflects her
Diné-Aztec heritage.
Rezmo, talked with us about how, artistically and personally,
traditional tribal concerns mesh with new ideas and styles.
The temperature was perfect, the moon
peeked at us between tree branches, and the music was lively.
Blood-pumping. The NAA folks sang rap-style music with rap's
hard-edged sound but softer lyrics. We met some neat people,
learning later that many are cultural rock stars with legions of
fans, though mostly unknown to us older white folks. We saw some
great art, some made right in front of us. Both the art and
conversations reveal a very old culture blended with a new one, and
artistic self-expression mixed with strong desires to make things
better.
I wished more
Las Crucens were enjoying these moments; but I was also glad the
evening was so intimate. Everything seemed just as it should be.
-30-
[Here are a bunch more photos from the event. (I'm still adding captions). Below those are notes on some of the artists and links to further information on them. Some, as noted, are somewhat famous. Others are "emerging." (I'll add more later.) If interested, scroll down through the images.]
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| Even the Dead Can Paint |
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| but Don't Forget What Weekend this Is! |
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| Painting Cruces Creatives |
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| Saba takes a hand |
Saba runs the "Barricade Culture Shop" (https://www.barricadecultureshop.com) on Solano near Kansas in Las Cruces. Here's a New Magazine piece on him and it.
Interestingly,
when I dropped by a day or two after the Arrowsoul Art Show, a group
was discussing with him the possibility of bringing Saba and other
indigenous artists to paint at a planned gathering.
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| Orlando Cruz drumming - Kent Hall |
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| Pleased with her Purchase? |
Rezmo is a Diné married to a Pima and living on the Pima reservation in Arizona. Her art doesn't quite fit any specific categorization. See below a link to her Facebook Page and the text of her October 2017 post on a sited called "Arizona Artist a Day."
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| At the old Coors Building Saturday morning |
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| At the old Coors Bldg |
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| Saba in Coors Building |
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| Painting Johnny |
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| Painting Detail near Buffalo |
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| Randy Painting at Dereks Place |
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| Johnny w chair |
[I hope to supplement these notes to cover a couple of additional artists, and perhaps add a bit more on some of these four:]
Douglas Miles also did a residency at the De Young Museum in San Francisco. He started and runs Apache Skateboards, which he says "started out as a father, making art for his son, but since then has grown into a movement sparking interest in skateboarding across Native communities for over 15 years." Wikipedia describes him as known for his "street art, skateboard art, stencil art, painting, and printmaking."
Here's a link to an Indian Country Today article/review discussing a 2019 short film (The Mystery of Now -- watch here.) on Miles and San Carlos Apache skateboarding. The official statement on the film says that in it, “artist and Apache Skateboards founder, Douglas Miles shares socio-political context [and history of] life on the San Carlos Apache reservation [and] the personal history of how and why he started a skateboard brand and a team of local youth leaders.
He offers advice on cultivating resilience, creativity, and joy, provides guidance in a time that for many feels uncertain, polarizing and divisive in our own living rooms and around our dinner tables. The film was directed by Audrey Buchanan and released by The Woods Productions."
Milestone Films described Miles in a recent post (""Apache Skateboard's Doug Miles Brings his Art and Activism to the Screen").Rezmo is, as mentioned above, a Diné married to a Pima and living on the Pima reservation in Arizona. Her art doesn't quite fit any specific categorization. In an October 2017 post on a sited called "Arizona Artist a Day," she writes:
"
Growing up on the Navajo Reservation the only graffiti I saw as a child was gang related graffiti.I even helped my elementary class paint park walls that were covered in gang tags during Earth Day events. There was no appeal or dazzle behind graffiti being from a small town.It wasn’t until I went to college in a bigger city that I was opened up to a bigger spectrum of art. I went to college for fashion design then painting then drawing. In that time I traveled a lot, met other artists and seen so many different forms of art.I still remember though, the first burner piece I saw.(A burner is referred to as a piece that is more elaborate and takes more time and effort by the artist.) It was in Albuquerque,NM and a friend of mine invited me to see the wall that she and a few others were working on.It was beautiful, it was alive and the energy of the artists, the wall, everything just spoke to me.In that moment I fell in love with graffiti.
Since then it has been my voice.I use my Native American roots as my source of inspiration. My ancestors before me left petroglyphs and now I leave my own.I am currently part of art collective made up of all indigenous aerosol artists called Neoglyphix.I myself as an artist strive to take my art to the next level.To inspire my children as well as others."
Her Facebook page is https://www.facebook.com/natasha.l.martinez.5
Orlando Cruz
Here's a link to the publisher, Clear Light Books, of his book, Vibe Tribe. The publisher says:
"Santa Ana Pueblo, Orlando Cruz, takes us on a journey from the front lines of the standoff at Standing Rock, North Dakota, to the Indigenous Peoples March, in Washington, D.C.
As we listen to the story told in Orlando’s own voice, we are transported to the places he describes and feel as if we are traveling along with him. His kind spirit and gentle voice make us right at home and we slip into the story, unaware we have become a part of it as he draws us in with his open heart, insightful anecdotes and songs.
His story is speckled with humor, mixed with deep thought and emotion, giving us a glimpse into what it’s like to be a Native American activist and water protector today. Throughout the book, Orlando, asks the questions that get people thinking in the direction of “How do I be more conscious in my life?”"
Here's a video in which he plays a hand-drum and chants.
Saba runs the "Barricade Culture Shop" (https://www.barricadecultureshop.com) on Solano near Kansas in Las Cruces. Here's a New Magazine piece on him and it.
Interestingly, when I dropped by a day or two after the Arrowsoul Art Show, a group was discussing with him the possibility of bringing Saba and other indigenous artists to paint at a planned gathering.
x
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