Author: FAAM Staff

The virtual exhibition, Masked Heroes: Facial Coverings by Native Artists, is organized by themes based on subject matter and materials. Masks in the Plant World theme either have plant imagery or showcase materials from plants, such as black ash or cedar basketry. Of course, the majority of masks in this show are made from cotton, a precontact crop from the American Southwest. Medicinal plants such as cedar/juniper and strawberries figure prominently in this category. Abstraction | Four-Leggeds | From the Water | Plant World | Two-Leggeds | Winged Beings

The virtual exhibition, Masked Heroes: Facial Coverings by Native Artists, is broken into themes based on subject matter. Masks in the From the Water category include images of water creatures or incorporate shells, such as dentalia harvested from the Pacific Ocean. Abstraction | Four-Leggeds | From the Water | Plant World | Two-Leggeds | Winged Beings

The virtual exhibition, Masked Heroes: Facial Coverings by Native Artists, is broken into themes based on subject matter. Four-Leggeds includes the mammals and an amphibian, many of which are culturally significant, especially the horse, bison, and canines. Abstraction | Four-Leggeds | From the Water | Plant World | Two-Leggeds | Winged Beings

The virtual exhibition, Masked Heroes: Facial Coverings by Native Artists, is broken into themes based on subject matter. Abstraction | Four-Leggeds | From the Water | Plant World | Two-Leggeds | Winged Beings

In response to the rapid shuttering of art galleries and museums to help slow the spread of COVID-19, First American Art Magazine launched a call for this virtual art exhibition. The Native art community has responded to this crisis with compassion, generosity, bravery, and hope. Through Masked Heroes, we want to celebrate the resilience of Indigenous peoples and help share the beauty that Native artists have created in the face of our shared crisis. Seventy-three artists responded to our call for entries with 125 masks. Due to the unexpected numbers of entries, they are divided by subject matters into the…

Santa Fe, NM – After a sustained nationwide search, the Southwestern Association for Indian Arts (SWAIA) board of directors chose Kimberly A. Peone (Colville/Eastern Cherokee) to serve as its new executive director. An enrolled member of the Confederated Tribes of the Colville Reservation, and an Eastern Band Cherokee descendant, Kim Peone is an who lives in Santa Fe. Peone’s father Richard (Eastern Band Cherokee), and mother Annabelle (Colville Confederated Tribes), met while attending the Institute of American Indian Arts (IAIA) in Santa Fe, and started a family. Peone was born in Santa Fe. An alumna of Eastern Washington University, Peone’s…

Issue No. 25, Winter 2020 Click here to purchase a digital copy for $7 from Issuu. To purchase a print copy, select your location: Locations US, New Mexico $9.74 USD US, other than NM $8.99 USD Canada $9.99 USD International $15.92 USD Features Mazinibaganjigan: Pictures Bitten on Bark by Adriana Greci Green, PhD, 18–23 Seminole, Quinault, and Quileute Sharing Arts and Cultures: A 3,500-Mile Journey by Jessica Osceola (Seminole Tribe of Florida), 24–29 One Nation’s Vision: How the Chickasaw Nation Creates Culture and Community through the Arts by Vicki Monks (Chickasaw), 30–35 Instruments of Passion: Collecting Native Art by RoseMary…

Masked Heroes: Facial Coverings by Native Artists We have received an astonishingly large number of fantastic entries from coast to coast. Judging is taking place right. Due to the overwhelming response and the editing and formating process taking longer than expected, this virtual art exhibition’s opening will be Tuesday, April 28, 2020. Apologies for the continued delay! This crisis is a time of sorrow and fear. Within this darkness is light—the generosity of artists turning their skills toward making masks for their friends and family but also for healthcare workers and other essential workers on the frontlines. This small art…

By Staci Golar Adrián Takano is a self-taught Mestizo artist who specializes in spectacular street art. Strolling around Puerto Vallarta, Jalisco, Mexico, where Takano lives, unsuspecting viewers are stopped in their tracks by his big, bold murals that adorn the town. The murals are a powerful mix of magical realism, Mesoamerican and Aridoamerican aesthetics, and vibrant color. Their subject matter almost always honors the strong cultural roots of Mexico via depictions of the Indigenous peoples, though other Indigenous peoples sometimes make an appearance in them, as well. Takano grew up in Mexico City and worked as a freelance illustrator there,…

By Staci Golar Beadwork first captured the imagination of Hollis Chitto (Mississippi Choctaw/Laguna and Isleta Pueblos) when he was a young child. Maynard White Owl Lavadour (Cayuse/Nez Perce), a Plateau artist revered for his beautiful, beaded creations, was a family friend and Chitto says he “fell in love” with Lavadour’s work. Not long after, Chitto taught himself how to bead by studying illustrations in a book and experimenting until he got it right. Now it is Chitto’s beadwork that is catching the attention of collectors, galleries, museums, and publications like Vogue magazine. Visually satisfying and dazzling all at the same…