ANCESTRAL, HISTORICAL & LIVING ARTS by INDIGENOUS PEOPLES of the AMERICAS
FırstAmericanArt MAGAZINE
NO. 46, SPRING 2025
CREATING MAYA BLUE
DISPLAY UNTIL JULY 7, 2025
DAKOTA MACE
TLINGIT BUTTON BLANKETS
JARED NALLY
WILD RYE GRASS WEAVING
MELISSA PETER-PAUL
INSTALLATION ART
JONATHAN THUNDER
The The Art Art of of Judith Judith Lowry Lowry and and The The Lowry Lowry & & Croul Croul Collection Collection of of Contemporary Native American Art Contemporary Native American Art ON VIEW MARCH 22 – NOVEMBER 16, 2025 ON VIEW MARCH 22 – NOVEMBER 16, 2025
MAJOR SPONSOR SPONSOR JudyMAJOR and David Collins Judy and David Collins Friends of Nevada Museum of Art Friends of Nevada Art Sandy RaffealliMuseum | Mini ofof Reno Sandy Raffealli | Mini of Reno SPONSORS SPONSORS San Manuel Gaming and Hospitality Authority San Manuel Gaming andPhil Hospitality Authority and Jennifer Satre Phil and Jennifer Satre SUPPORTING SPONSORS SUPPORTING SPONSORS Kathie Bartlett Kathie Bartlett Yvonne Murphy, PhD and Murray Mackenzie Yvonne Murphy, PhD Band and Murray Mackenzie Shingle Springs of Miwok Indians Shingle Springs Band of Miwok Indians ADDITIONAL SUPPORT SUPPORT BetsyADDITIONAL Burgess and Tim Bailey Betsy Burgess and Tim Bailey
I M AG E : Judith Lowry, Welgatim's Song (detail), 2001. Acrylic on canvas, 68 x 90 inches. Crocker Art Museum, gift of the artist, 2009. I M AG E : Judith Lowry, Welgatim's Song (detail), 2001. Acrylic on canvas, 68 x 90 inches. Crocker Art Museum, gift of the artist, 2009.
The Choctaw Cultural Center is more than a museum, it’s an adventure. Become an intrepid explorer on a scavenger hunt that takes you through our immersive exhibits; learn how to prepare traditional Choctaw foods and crafts through our hands-on workshops; or just take a quiet moment to listen to our storytellers in the Luksi Activity Center. Whether you’re young or young at heart, the possibilities for fun and learning are endless! Scan code to learn more.
1919 Hina Hanta Way | Calera, OK 74730
Visit ChoctawCulturalCenter.com to plan your visit.
O’ POWA O’ MENG:
The Art and Legacy of Jody Folwell THE FRALIN MUSEUM OF ART | ON VIEW THROUGH JUNE 15
Exhibition organized by The Fralin Museum of Art and the Minneapolis Institute of Art, with major support from the Terra Foundation for American Art. Co-curated by Adriana Greci Green, Ph.D., Curator of Indigenous Arts of the Americas at The Fralin Museum of Art; Jill Ahlberg Yohe, Ph.D., Curator, Cafesjian Art Trust Museum; and Bruce Bernstein, Senior Scholar, School for Advanced Research. A fully illustrated catalog accompanies the exhibition, enriched with essays and personal reflections by Folwell’s longtime artistic peers, friends, and family members.
155 Rugby Road | Charlottesville, Virginia | uvafralinartmuseum.virginia.edu Image: Jody Folwell, Santa Clara Pueblo/Kha’p’o Owingeh, born 1942. T’ah p-ah sa’ wae (Dad’s Fish), circa 2000. Clay, paint, 13 x 11 in (33 x 27.9 cm). Collection of Jody Folwell, Santa Clara, N.M., Photo by Addison Doty. © Jody Folwell
echoes Selections from the Wheelwright Museum's Permanent Collection FEBRUARY 8 – JUNE 7, 2025 For over fifty years, the Wheelwright Museum has presented the work of emerging and established Native American artists. Echoes delves into the museum’s permanent collection to invite our visitors to witness the depth and reach of this commitment to honor Native voices through art.
MEMO TO THE MOTHER Bob Haozous’s Messages to Mother Earth
FEBRUARY 8, 2025 – JANUARY 10, 2026 ALSO ON VIEW Carved Stories by Mavasta Honyouti Pablita’s Wardrobe: Family + Fashion For more details, visit wheelwright.org Images: Emmi Whitehorse, b. 1957 (Diné), Detail of Witch Seed I, #1147, 1997. Oil, chalk, paper on canvas. Collection of the Wheelwright Museum.
505.982.4636 wheelwright.org
PO Box 5153, Santa Fe, NM 87502 702 Camino Lejo, Santa Fe, NM 87505
APR 5 – M AY 1 0 Experience one of the country’s most prestigious Native art shows, and support Native artists in the heart of Cherokee Nation. The Gallery at Cherokee Springs Plaza 3377 Cherokee Springs Road Tahlequah, OK 74464 Gallery hours: 10 a.m. – 4 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday.
“Burial Ceremony: The Four Souls of the Cherokee Being” John Henry Gloyne
2024 BEST OF SHOW
issue no. 46, summer 2025
DEPARTMENTS
FEATURES
Recent Developments By Staci Golar and America Meredith (Cherokee Nation)
13
The Artist Who Reconstructed Maya Blue By Mark Viales
26
Seven Directions By Hunter C. Old Elk
21
Maya vs. Mayan By Mark Viales
34
Art+Lit | Eddie Chuculate: Muscogee/Cherokee Novelist & Journalist By Matthew Ryan Smith, PhD
102
Tlingit Button Blankets: Tailoring Cultural Change By Kariel Galbraith (Tlingit)
36
58
Art+Lit | Dan Beaver (Muscogee) 105 By America Meredith (Cherokee Nation)
Riding the Waves of History: How Installation Art Reclaims and Indigenizes Space By Sarah Anne Stolte
Calendar 109
REVIEWS Exhibition Reviews
82
Film Review
97
Music Review
99
Book Review
To Weave with Grass: 44 A Precious Wild Resource By Nadia Jackinsky-Sethi, PhD (Alutiiq) 50
ARTIST PROFILES 58
100
Dakota Mace: Diné Interdisciplinary Artist By Heidi K. Brandow (Diné/Kānaka Maoli)
Martha Gorman Schultz (Diné, 1931–2025) By Christy Hanson (Diné)
106
Jared Nally: Myaamia Textile Artist By Christy Hanson (Diné)
64
Jaune Quick-to-See Smith (Salish-Kootenai/Métis/ Shoshone, 1940–2025) By Andrea L. Ferber, PhD
107
Melissa Peter-Paul: Mi'kmaw Quill Artist By Matthew Ryan Smith, PhD
70
76
Lillie T. Taylor (Diné, 1931–2024) By America Meredith (Cherokee Nation)
108
Jonathan Thunder: Red Lake Band Ojibwe Painter, Animator & Filmmaker By Sheila Regan
64
MEMORIALS
70
cover Melissa Peter-Paul (Mi'kmaw), Epekwitk Kitpu, 2022, porcupine quills, birchbark, sweetgrass.
76
Epekwitk is the Mi'kmawi'simk term for Prince Edward Island. Kitpu is “eagle.”
FIRST AMERICAN ART MAGAZINE NO. 46, SPRING 2025 | 7
issue no. 46, spring 2025 ISSN 2333-5548 (Print) • ISSN 2333-5556 (Digital) Publishing Editor: America Meredith (Cherokee Nation) Literary Editor: Matthew Ryan Smith, PhD (Euro-Canadian) Contributing Editor: Stacy Pratt, PhD (Mvskoke) Advertising Representative: Barbara Harjo Circulation Manager: Amy D. Bergseth, PhD Copy Editors: Rosa Cays (Chicana) with Christy Hanson (Diné) and Angela C. Villa (Chicana) Proofreaders: Rosa Cays (Chicana), Travis D. Day, Staci Golar, Christy Hanson (Diné), and Angela C. Villa (Chicana) Layout & Design: America Meredith (Cherokee Nation) Social Media: Staci Golar, America Meredith (Cherokee Nation), and Jackie Sevier (Northern Arapaho) Interns: Liam Hart and Abby Mikalauskas
Regional Representatives
Great Basin: Melissa Melero-Moose (Northern Paiute/Modoc) Great Plains: Jackie Sevier (Northern Arapaho) Northeast: Kelly Church (Gun Lake Pottawatomi/Ottawa/Ojibwe) Northwest: Nadia Jackinsky-Sethi, PhD (Alutiiq) Southeast: Michole Eldred (Catawba/Eastern Cherokee descent) Southwest: Holly Coonsis (Zuni) and RoseMary Diaz (Santa Clara Pueblo)
Advisory Council
Miranda Belarde-Lewis, PhD (Zuni/Tlingit) Roy Boney Jr. (Cherokee Nation) Emily Haozous, PhD, RN (Chiricahua Fort Sill Apache) Linda Lomahaftewa, Hon. DHum (Hopi/Choctaw) Tatiana Lomahaftewa-Singer (Hopi/Choctaw) Leah Mata Fragua (yak tityu tityu yak tiłhini Chumash) Anya Montiel, PhD (Mestiza/Tohono O'odham descent) Denise Neil, PhD (Delaware Tribe/Cherokee Nation) Neebinnaukzhik Southall (Rama Chippewa) Mary Jo Watson, PhD (Seminole Nation) India Rael Young, PhD
Advertising Representative
Barbara Harjo, barbara@firstamericanartmagazine.com International distribution is by Disticor Magazine Distribution Services.
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EDITOR’S GREETING
A
D VICE FOR OVERCOMING our current political situation repeats several core themes: rebuild social connection, especially in your immediate local community; support civic institutions; and support artistic and literary expressions. By taking better care of yourself, physically, emotionally, mentally, and spiritually, you help build a stronger local community. During the pandemic, we were advised to stay home, but right now, we have the opposite advice: Go out and connect. I appreciate the marching orders to get out and engage with my local community more, in person. Previously I’ve relied on the excuse that I’m too busy and have too much work to do, but I’ve learned, and likely you have as well, that taking breaks and recharging actually makes you more productive in the long run. Art institutions are a great place to do this, and they need us. Many museums haven’t recovered their visitor numbers since the pandemic, so they have tried to better reflect and better serve the community. They host yoga sessions or workshops. For those being frugal, many arts institutions offer monthly free days for community members. Likewise, opening receptions and commercial galleries are free for the public to visit. Another way to build (or rebuild) a connection to your community is to find your local mutual aid society and join. After hearing about and following the Red Dirt Collective in Norman, I finally made it to their community meeting and was able to contribute to one of their Mutual Aid Fairs. Kathy Haney (Seminole/Muscogee/Shawnee/ Delaware/Kickapoo) offered a basket
above America Meredith (Cherokee Nation), Apple-Shaped Basket, 2024, commercial reed prepared by Kathy Haney (Seminole/Muscogee/ Shawnee/Delaware/Kickapoo), 6 × 51/2 × 51/2 in.
weaving class, so I participated and found weaving to be deeply satisfying. I’m excited that the Jacobson House Native Art Center finally, after almost a decade, has an executive director, Beto Divino (Chickasaw/Seminole/ Muscogee/Chicano), and I’m grateful he and E.J. Sweetly (Comanche) allowed me to start a monthly open arts and craft session at the Jacobson for a low-stress gathering people can drop by if they want. I often feel like a complete dork and dread going out alone, especially when I don’t know anyone, but art events are ones where it’s completely fine to go solo. It’s fine to not fit in— that’s often encouraged!
Of course, not everyone is able to attend events in person. Virtual gatherings are another way to connect, and many venues live stream artists’ talks, especially in the Native art world, where many interested people live in far-flung and remote locations. Years ago, when asked if a particular Cherokee dance was a sacred dance or a social dance, Ryan Mackey (Cherokee Nation/Muscogee/Delaware/Natchez) replied, “The social is the sacred.” If there’s a chance to participate, and you are able, say yes. Go to the talk, the workshop, the opening. We need each other. —America Meredith (Cherokee Nation)
FIRST AMERICAN ART MAGAZINE NO. 46, SPRING 2025 | 9
The Persistent Genius of Indigenous Art Now on view IMAGE: Fritz Scholder (Luiseño), Indian 1776 (detail), 1978. Oil paint on canvas; 68 in x 54 in. Denver Art Museum: Gift of Stanley Asrael, in memory of his wife, Evelyn, 2023.540. © Estate of Fritz Scholder Sustained! The Persistent Genius of Indigenous Art is organized by the Denver Art Museum. Support is provided by the donors to the Annual Fund Leadership Campaign and the residents who support the Scientific and Cultural Facilities District (SCFD). Promotional support is provided by 5280 Magazine and CBS Colorado.