That’s the Way I Like It Label Copy

Dylan Poblano

Zuni Pueblo, b. 1974

Solar System Necklace, 2002

Silver with various stones

“At that point in my career I was very inspired by the universe and planets and especially the planet Venus/ Goddess of love. I had a small model of the galaxy and was really inspired to incorporate it into a non wearable piece of jewelry as sculpture but to the discretion of the wearer. I have always envisioned my pieces being jewelry as sculpture. This was a sort of tribute to the September moon design/collection that has been so prevalent in my many years of designing jewelry and lapidary skills. At the time Ann Ritt was so inspired to see such new design aesthetics and use of materials juxtaposed with the metal work in a non conformal way, unorthodox.”

—Dylan Poblano, 2014

Bequest of Ann B. Ritt, 4690-64

Anita Fields

Osage/Creek, b. 1951

Chaos and Order #2, c. 2004

Ceramic

“The dress symbolizes a native woman’s search to find equity and meaning in the mysteries of life’s experiences. On the front top of the dress are words that are distorted. The words express a duality of thoughts. Some of the words are eloquent and poetic, like the tribal languages and creation stories of many indigenous nations; they resonate with emotion and reflect a harmonious world. Some of the words are negative, disturbing, and conflicting. — They reflect the realities associated with traumatizing historical events and how, as native people, we often times “wear” the effects of our collective past.

“The figure on the back is embossed with textures that suggest order, beauty and transformation. The figure represents an awakening and finding balance within a chaotic world.”

—Anita Fields, 2014

Bequest of Ann B. Ritt, 4690-11

Preston Singletary

Tlingit, b. 1963

Land Otter, 2002

Glass

“In my work I try to showcase the sculptural aspects of Northwest Coast art and I’m doing it in a new material. I’ve done it in technical prowess…it’s an intriguing sculptural form, and, of course, the symbolism for me, it ties into the mysticism of the Tlingit tribe.”

—Preston Singletary, 2012, in National Museum of the American Indian Magazine

“I try to honor the past, the culture that I am connected to and also make something new of it. I think it works….You will see other artists that are starting to work with new materials. It could be concrete. It could be steel. It could be, you know, glass. It could be anything, but to keep the stories and the symbolism alive and moving into the future.”

—Preston Singletary, 2012, in Western Art Collector

Bequest of Ann B. Ritt, 4690-4

Kenneth Begay

Navajo, 1913-1977

Tea set, 1968-1977

Silver, ironwood

Gift of the Max M and Carol W. Sandfield Philanthropic Fund of the Dallas Community Jewish Foundation, Recommended by Norman L. Sandfield, 4707-1-4

Kenneth Begay

Navajo, 1913-1977

Serving set, 1945

Silver, ironwood

Gift of Helen Cox Kersting, 4744-1-3

Ric Charlie

Navajo, b. 1959

Buckle, late 1990s

Silver, turquoise, lapis lazuli, coral

Anonymous donor, 4686-2

Paula Rasmus-Dede

Aleut, b. 1946

Pedaling My Inner Child, 2008

Commercial tricycle, glass beads

“When I was a girl there was no trike in my life. I had a ‘scooter’ made of 2×4’s, a cast-off clamp-on roller skate, and a piece of broom handle. This was my childhood means of locomotion until 6th grade, when I received a full size bike made from spare parts of various colors and wear patterns. That served me well during my teen years.

“As an artist, the opportunity to create my own tricycle spoke to me, not only as a symbol of childhood but as a labor of love. It became an opportunity to showcase several different and difficult beading techniques and styles, taking me over two years to complete. It gave my granddaughters something to wonder at, and occasionally ride. And it allowed me to remember my battered old scooter and bike, and the love behind the creation of those.”

—Paula Rasmus-Dede, 2013

Gift of the artist and John Q. Dede, 4749-1

Paula Rasmus-Dede

Aleut, b. 1946

Don’t Cry Lois Lane, 2006

Italian boots, glass beads

“I was in New York City in 2005 for the opening of the Changing Hands: Art without Reservations 2 exhibit at the Museum of Art and Design. One day of my trip was reserved for the quest to find a ‘perfect’ pair of boots to commemorate my visit and its experiences, which led me to the Freaks Lounge transvestite shoe store in SoHo (fabulous!), and to this pair of boots.

“The over-the-top camp, the garish 1960s colors, and the Roy Lichtensteinish cartoon art — all symbolized not only an Alaskan Native’s encounter with ‘Metropolis,’ but a freedom to express art with abandon, joy and a knowing wink. I placed the minimum of embellishment on the boots, as they speak for themselves as a uniquely American cultural artifact.”

—Paula Rasmus-Dede, 2013

Gift of the artist and John Q. Dede, 4749-2A,B

Fausto Fernandez

Mexican American, b. 1975

Demographic Fabric of America, 2009

Mixed media on canvas

“In my painting Demographic Fabric of America I portray the shield symbol of Ciudad Juarez, Mexico, in the center wrapped by the City of Phoenix logo and two stars of the Texas state symbol representing El Paso. The symbols are framed by a black decorative motif representing pride in my cultural background. The colors in the background represent the colors of the flag of the United States and Mexico one each side. Segments of maps are interwoven throughout, representing our need to define our physical terrain and declare our domain. Maps, like architectural drawings, sewing patterns and other diagrammatical works, are iconic materials in my work representing instructions that guide and sometimes dictate how we live and interact in the world, generally in support of my belief that we live in a society that functions by helping each other.

“My works are colorful mixed-media abstracts that include inkjet transfers and collage. I find interest in observing and understanding basic human actions influenced by culture, attitudes, emotions, value, ethics, genetics, hypnosis, persuasion, coercion and/or genetics that in return would help me understand my own behavior. The paintings include a mixture of blue prints, maps and instructional materials that I appropriate as social metaphors by including technology and nature. The technology is depicted by incorporating prints of tools, machines and aviation renderings. Nature is represented in conjunction with technology by adding floral elements and motifs to the paintings.”

—Fausto Fernandez, 2013

Gift of the artist, 4703-1

Harry Fonseca

Nisenan Maidu/Hawaiian/Portuguese, 1958-2006

Roxie — The Black Swan, 1984

Mixed media on canvas

“My Coyote paintings are, for me, the most contemporary statements I have made in regard to traditional beliefs and contemporary reality. In these I have taken a universal Indian image, Coyote, and have placed him in a contemporary setting.”

—Harry Fonseca, 1981 in Confluences of Tradition and Change

“I’m trying to create a bridge between the traditional Indian art and the contemporary world, the things that are hitting off you all the time, and Coyote can do it. Through him I can play with the whole idea of what’s real and unreal. A painting is unreal in itself. For me Coyote is a tool and a sense of freedom. He’s strongly traditional, but he’s always blowing tradition. That’s why he appeals to teenagers. He’ll slip you through, philosophically. In the Northwest he’s Raven, in Oklahoma he’s Hare, but it’s the same character. Anthropologists say he’s the Trickster.”

—Harry Fonseca, 1980

Gift of Rena and Paul Haveson, 4717-1

Shonto Begay

Navajo, b. 1954

Hunter’s Stalk, 1996

Acrylic on canvas

“I have always had a love for art. From a very young age, I found excitement in the experience of drawing. To recreate facets of my universe in varying degrees has always been my life’s adventure.

“My message is simple. Build bridges through the arts and stories of your culture, validate and share these visions and voices. Celebrate your personal identity through the arts. In my talks, I am as much a student as I am a teacher.”

—Shonto Begay, 2008 in a Medicine Man Gallery brochure

Gift of Paul and Karen Willeto, 4725-1

Colin Coonsis             You need the first paragraph in quotes.

Zuni Pueblo, b. 1981

Bracelets, 2010 and 2012

Silver, turquoise, mother of pearl, shell

The turquoise bracelet is called “water series” and stems from a series of bracelets I started making when I realized that I wanted to start doing pieces that challenge me more than the usual pair of earrings and pendants. The flow of water design signifies an inspired period through which I was making jewelry and “going with the flow” rather than be called upon by a buyer or collector to make jewelry according to their instructions. Growing up my mother and father always relied on “orders” passed down from the local trading post and would make a living making jewelry based on these “orders.” I found early on that I had a yearning to make jewelry according to my own design and without the limits of having being told what I should make by a buyer.
“The mother of pearl cuff was another stepping stone in which my jewelry became much more detailed. The inlay becomes smaller and smaller as my passion to create evolves. The mother of pearl cuff is in my “Pixels” style of inlay. It is an extension of my life’s journey as an artist and each tiny stone is a representation of the vastness of design and inspiration. I am never satisfied with my work and I am always striving to do better. ”

—Colin Coonsis, 2014

Gift of the Heard Museum Council and Bequest of William F. and Virginia C. Waterman, 4711-1 and 4666-90

Autumn Borts-Medlock

Santa Clara Pueblo, b. 1967

Jar, 2002

Ceramic

Gift of Stephen and Lynda Nacht, 4742-7A,B

Autumn Borts-Medlock

Santa Clara Pueblo, b. 1967

Parrot Jar, 2008

Ceramic

Gift of Stephen and Lynda Nacht, 4742-8

Susan Folwell

Santa Clara Pueblo, b. 1970

Jar, 2005

Ceramic

“You need to make your own path with your own ideas. I love traditional pottery with its smooth surfaces, but I also like to break out and experiment with texture in conjunction with contemporary ideas, techniques, and materials — whatever grabs my fancy. You just do what you need to do to feel good about what you produce. I’m not sure my art qualifies as sophisticated, but it’s experimental and challenging.”

—Susan Folwell, 2013 in Indian Country Today

Gift of Stephen and Lynda Nacht, 4742-17

Virgil Ortiz

Cochiti Pueblo, b. 1969

Jar, 2008

Ceramic

“Art is in my blood. I helped my family make pottery, never really knowing it was an art form because it was always around. Most of the pottery I create is inspired by the older pieces made in the 1800s. I continue to use the clay for social commentary.

“It’s important to recognize that Pueblo communities are very much alive and have a level of vitality that speaks to generations of strength, persistence, brilliance and thriving energy.”

—Virgil Ortiz, 2012, from a King Gallery brochure Velocity

Gift of Stephen and Lynda Nacht, 4742-19

Nancy Youngblood

Santa Clara Pueblo, b. 1955

Jar, 1999

Ceramic

Gift of Stephen and Lynda Nacht, 4742-21 A,B

Lois Gutierrez-de la Cruz

Santa Clara Pueblo/Pojoaque Pueblo, b. 1948

Jar, 1978

Ceramic

This jar received the Best of Show Award at the 1978 Heard Museum Arts & Crafts Exhibit.

Gift of Robert and Donna Teegardin, 4722-1

Lois Gutierrezde la Cruz

Santa Clara Pueblo/Pojoaque Pueblo, b. 1948

Jar,

Ceramic

Anonymous Donor, 4739-4

Jody Naranjo

Santa Clara Pueblo, b. 1969

Jar, 2003

Ceramic

“Growing up in a family where the methods and traditions of Santa Clara pottery were so strong — and where there was so much pride in making pottery — you couldn’t help feeling that you needed to prove yourself, to find your own voice.

“For me, it’s always seemed like a natural evolution. My grandmother had her way of doing things. My mother had her way. And now I have my way. All of us work within the same tradition, but we each have our style, our own way of expressing ourselves.”

—Jody Naranjo, 2007 in Art: New Shape of Tradition

Gift of Stephen and Lynda Nacht, 4742-23

Christina Naranjo

Santa Clara Pueblo, 1891-1980

Jar, 1940s-50s

Ceramic

Gift of Galen and Wendy Zens

Preston Monongye

Mexican/Mission, 1927-1987

Bracelet, 1975-1978

Silver, turquoise, jet, coral

Gift of Roland and Ginny Wilson, 4730-1

Dan Namingha

Tewa-Hopi, b. 1950

Desert Bloom, 2004

Acrylic on canvas

“Nature has so much to give as far as light and shadows, the beauty of the land, the ruggedness of the land and the changes of the weather.”

—Dan Namingha, 2012 in the Heard Museum exhibit Namingha Family: Landscape, Form and Light

Gift of Stephen and Lynda Nacht, 4742-5

John Hoover

Aleut, 1919-2011

Anhinga Spirit, 1997

Cedar, paint

“The loons are spirit helpers to me. They have always been around me. As a child in Cordova, I remember their strange cries as they flew from the lake to the saltwater inlet and back each day. When we fished in Bristol Bay, the loons were there. They would come so close to the boat, all prettied up in their summer plumage. On Pickering Passage, where we live now, the loons return in the fall to stay for the winter.”

—John Hoover, 1998, in Native Peoples Magazine

“I have had no direct contact with spirits or Imnuas, as the Eskimos call them. I haven’t had visions or acquired a spirit helper as a shaman does, an animal or bird who can be called upon when needed to enter the land of souls or spirit world.

“Occasionally, though, I awake from a deep sleep with knowledge of someone or something’s spirit communicating with me; but I can never recall consciously anything of whatever it was that transpired subconsciously in my sleep. I do feel a presence, though, momentarily, on awakening.”

—John Hoover, 1973

Gift of Maxine and Stuart Applebaum, 4738-6

Michael McCleve

Cherokee/Creek, 1946-1993

Ira’s Peace, 1985

Steel, paint

“By using this junk — I prefer to say found objects — I am taking the detritus of contemporary culture that has been cast aside, transcending it and giving it a rebirth as art.”

—Michael McCleve, 1983 in the Prescott Courier

“I work in a variety of different media, ranging from dry to wet and assorted combinations of unrelated types. I vary my surface materials as well, continually searching for new and unrelated types in order to broaden my own vocabulary of visual and tactile experiences.”

—Michael McCleve, 1977 in the Heard Museum’s Invitational Drawing Show

Gift of Ira Howard Levy and Stan Gurell, 4741-1

Margarete Bagshaw-Tindel

Santa Clara Pueblo, b. 1964

Juggling Chakras, 2006

Oil on panel

“I don’t see the world the way most people do. When I look around, I see the color, movement, and shape of something first. It takes a moment more for that initial impression to resolve into an object.”

—Margarete Bagshaw-Tindel, 2002 in a Blue Rain Gallery brochure

Gift of Stephen and Lynda Nacht, 4742-2

Jaune Quick-to-See Smith

Confederated Salish and Kootenai/French Cree/Shoshone, b. 1940

Indian Head Nickle, 1994

Mixed media on canvas

“The pictograhic painting and drawing style I have developed comes from a study of historical American Indian artifacts, rock petroglyphs/pictographs and paintings. Further, I look for references between the two worlds which seem to carry a similarity in aesthetic qualities.

“A Hunkpapa drum becomes a Rothko painting; ledger-book symbols become Cy Twombly; a Naskapi bag is Paul Klee; a Blackfoot robe, Agnes Martin; beadwork color is Joseph Albers; a parfleche is Frank Stella; design is Vasarely’s positive and negative space.

“Drawing these parallels between the historical Indian art world and that of the contemporary art world is an important support for my work. As I travel and lecture I encourage other Indian people to look at their historical tribal art in conjunction with their university training. There is a particular richness to speaking two languages and finding a vision that’s common to both.”

—Jaune Quick-to-See Smith, 1986 in Jaune Quick-to-See Smith: Speaking Two Languages

Gift of Lynne and Albion Fenderson, 4611-1

Darren Vigil Gray

Jicarilla Apache, b. 1959

Motherland of Basketmakers #16, 2011

Acrylic on canvas

“I think I’m concentrating more on just an age-old thing of how native peoples relate to the world, and how they’re closely bonded to nature, and to the earth, and to the land, and to the people.”

—Darren Vigil Gray, 1992 in Crosswinds

Gift of Maxine and Stuart Applebaum, 4738-1

Morris Robinson

Hopi Pueblo, 1900-1987

Box,

Silver, turquoise

Gift of Carolee Jenkins, 4716-9

Michael Dean Jenkins

Hopi Pueblo, b. 1959

Squash Katsina, 1997

Ceramic

Gift of Neil and Sarah Berman, 4750-10

Seferina Ortiz

Cochiti Pueblo, 1931-2007

Storyteller bear, 1980-99

Ceramic

Gift of Natalie Eigen, 4753-11

Marlowe Katoney

Navajo, b. 19

Eye of the Storm, 2013

Wool

Heard Museum Purchase, 4758-1

Velma Kee Craig

Navajo, b. 19

Textile, 2013

Wool

Heard Museum Purchase, 4759-1

Fritz Scholder

Luiseño, 1937-2005

Inside the Kiva, 1978

Acrylic on Canvas

“There are several different areas I want to explore before I leave my Indian series of paintings. I want to get across the dignity and grace of former times—straightforward portrayals of the old Indians, painted in unusual colors.”

—Fritz Scholder, 1970, in The Washington Post

“In the sixties, when I introduced subjects into my paintings like the Indian with beer can, Indians wrapped in American flags and the monster Indians, combined with my non-Indian background of Abstract Expressionism and Pop art, many so-called experts were threatened and the work became ‘controversial.’ I was surprised at the reaction, for all that I was trying to do was to approach a loaded subject (the American Indian) in real terms. In reacting against the romantic clichés of the old Taos School of painters, I found that the real subject was even more dramatic.”

—Fritz Scholder, 1978, in The Indian Trader

Gift of Susan and Dr. Deane Penn, 4765-1