Greenly Art Space was awarded the “Living Cultures Grant” from the Alliance for California Traditional Arts (ACTA) for its project focused on Native American traditional arts.
The space will partner with Neshkinukat, a Native American artist collective, to facilitate a series of panel discussions with Native artists titled “Native American Artists: Traditional, Contemporary and Beyond.”
The series will focus on traditional Native art forms like beadwork, pottery, gourd art, basketry and visual and oral storytelling. Panels will include Native American artists from a range of tribal backgrounds.
“We are honored to receive this grant and excited about the way this project will further the impact of Native American artists,” Greenly Art Space Director Kimberly Hocking said.
Neshkinukat leader and panel moderator Kat High, who will work with Greenly Art Space on the series, is a Native Californian of Hupa descent. Throughout her career, she has worked with the Haramokngna American Indian Cultural Center, the Satwiwa American Indian Cultural Center, the Autry National Center and the Antelope Valley Indian Museum.
“This will be an opportunity to have Native artists share their experience and struggles to retain that connection, with that spirit, and reinforce it in our youth,” High said. “The five topics chosen […] reflect the continued connection to the land, to the culture, and to the traditions of these artists-both urban and rural. The methods of passing on these arts reflects adaptation to relocation and the challenges of our modern world.”
The panels will take place on the following dates:
- “Pottery” will feature the work of Carina King, Rowan Harrison, Maree Cheatham, and Ana Rodriguez. This first event will take place via Zoom on Sept. 19 at 11 a.m.
- “Gourds” on Oct. 24 at 11 a.m. via Zoom
- ”Basketry” on Nov. 7 at 11 a.m. via Zoom
- “Beadwork” on Nov. 21 at 11 a.m. via Zoom
- “Storytelling” on Dec. 19 at 11 a.m. via Zoom
“For hundreds of years Indigenous people of North America have been experimenting with clay, utilizing its substance, for beauty and function,” Native sculptor Rowan Harrison said. His work is a combination of ceramic, metal and wood materials, the combination of which, he said, establishes “a balance between Mother Earth and industrialization.”
Greenly Art Space will also hold an exhibition of selected artwork from the panel participants, which will open on Jan. 22, 2022.
In a statement, Greenly Art Space said they and the Neshkinukat collective hope to “inspire the next generation of Native American artists/culture-bearers to learn traditional arts and connections to their homeland,” as well as to encourage the continued use of these traditions “that are believed to hold the Native American world together.”
Free tickets for panel discussions are available on greenlyartspace.org.
