|
|
 |
|
|
Native American Indian News Headlines Insert Page
|
Cherokee museum plans major NC expansion |
|
|
Creek man feted at the Smithsonian for art,
skateboarding |
|
|
Neb. museum opens beadwork exhibit |
villages/native/ AP Daily_News Headlines.asp
|
|
|
|
 Native
American Village News
By The Associated Press
Cherokee museum plans major NC expansion
By The Associated Press
CHEROKEE, N.C. (AP) - The Museum of
the Cherokee Indian is well on its way to raising enough money for an
expansion in the North Carolina mountains.
The Asheville Citizen-Times reported
Monday that the Cherokee Preservation Foundation has raised nearly $2
million. The Foundation will match any additional donations.
A planned public reading room and
digital library will bring archives and research materials from the
Smithsonian, the National Archives and other collections to the Cherokee
museum.
Students, academics and tribe members
will have easy access to material they now have to travel to Washington
D.C. to get. The facility will also include an 8,500-square-foot
education and research wing with classrooms, an art studio and
performance area.
___
On the Net:
Cherokee Museum: http://www.cherokeemuseum.org/index.htm
___
Information from: The Asheville
Citizen-Times,
http://www.citizen-times.com
Creek man feted at the Smithsonian for art,
skateboarding
By AUTUMN LEE
The Daily Telegram
ADRIAN, Mich. (AP) - An Adrian man's
passions for skateboarding, art and Native American culture have come
together as part of an exhibition at the Smithsonian Institution's
National Museum of the American Indian in Washington.
Todd Harder, who is of Creek
heritage, was to head to the museum on the National Mall July 1 for a
reception and performances scheduled for the July 4 weekend for the
"Ramp It Up: Skateboard Culture in Native America'' exhibition.
The exhibition has 28 objects and 45
images, including rare archival photographs, film of Native American
skaters and skate decks from Native companies and contemporary artists,
according to a news release.
Harder, 44, is a co-owner of Red
Paint Printing, a silk screening and embroidery company in Adrian. He
has been skateboarding for more than 30 years.
In the mid-1970s, he started
collecting skateboards because of the Native American themes on some of
them.
He then started seeing a need at some
of the powwows, as there were a lot of kids skating.
So he started Native Skates, a
skateboard manufacturing company, in 2004.
"I wanted them to get good equipment
and (be able to) afford it,'' he said.
He began putting Native American art
on the skateboards so the kids had something to identify with
culturally, he said.
"One of the bad things we have on the
reservations is that there is not a lot of outreach to help inspire the
youth,'' he said. "We're trying to inspire them in more than the
sport.''
Graphic designers, filmmakers and
photographers are just a few of the creative professions Harder said are
part of the sport.
"I probably have the largest
collection of skateboards with Native American themed artwork on them,''
he said.
Some of the skateboards showcase his
own creations. Some are embellished using a transfer design that Harder
made on a computer while others are hand-painted. Others are from Native
American artists who have done Native American designs and some are from
other companies.
Skateboards are more difficult to
silkscreen than shirts, Harder said, as drying time is needed between
applications. Designs that use more colors can be a five- or six-day
process.
Harder already has some of his
artwork at the museum. The exhibit opened on June 12 and will be
available for viewing until Sept. 13.
"Skateboarding is getting really big
on reservations,'' he said. "The Smithsonian recognized this (and was)
working with us on the All Nations Skate Jam, a national contest for the
Native kids.''
The skate jam occurred the last week
of April in Albuquerque, N.M.
The event brought to the Smithsonian
representatives' eyes how big of a sport this is getting to be for the
Native American kids, he said.
Betsy Gordon, a project manager for
the NMAI and the curator for the exhibition, said, "Todd is a central
part of the show. ... (The exhibition) has at least four or maybe five
Native skateboards that he has produced.''
Gordon said Harder's skate decks are
"extremely educational.'' One has a traditional medicine wheel in the
center.
The skate decks are a good way to
catch people's attention and teach them about Native American heritage
and culture, she said.
Gordon said the exhibition was
started because she became interested in the Native American skateboard
culture when she was doing an exhibition in 2007 and discovered a film
by Dustinn Craig, of White Mountain Apache and Navajo heritage, called,
"4-Wheel War Pony.''
"I was captivated by skateboards
taking the place of horses in Native culture,'' she said.
By getting to know Craig better,
Gordon learned about various skateboard companies. She said she was very
impressed by the companies and the graphics they were producing.
"It became a fascinating story for
me, and I thought it would be an interesting story for a museum,'' she
said.
Gordon said the museum would have two
skate demonstrations each day for the exhibition's Native Skate Jam on
July 3-5. A half-pipe ramp will be built at the end of next week for the
multi-day event. At least seven Native American skaters, ranging from
ages 7 to 20, will be there representing four Native American
communities.
___
Information from: The Daily Telegram,
http://www.lenconnect.com
Neb. museum opens beadwork exhibit
By The Associated
Press
LINCOLN, Neb. (AP)
- An exhibit at the Great Plains Art Museum in Lincoln highlights the
design, technical artistry and historical relevance of beadwork from
American Indians of the Plains.
The exhibition runs
through the end of August.
It includes
paintings and sculptures from permanent collections and new works from a
contemporary artisan, Mark Awakuni-Swetland of the University of
Nebraska-Lincoln.
Experts say tribal
beadwork varied by tradition, society, art, religion, economic
conditions, environment and influences from other cultures.
___
On the Net:
Great Plains Art
Museum:
http://www.unl.edu/plains/gallery/gallery.shtmlhttp://www.twincities.com
Also of Interest
[Back to Top]
[Back
to Native American Village Home]
[Add
Native American Village to Your IE Favorites]
|
