The Heard Museum has long been recognized as one of the premier institutions dedicated to Native American art and culture. Its Museum Shop is equally as notable, where high-quality art in a variety of mediums and styles is available to collectors. During the Heard Museum Guild Indian Fair & Market the shop welcomes top-tier artists to exhibit inside its walls as an extra treat for visitors exploring the outdoor booths.
A cuff by Mike Bird-Romero (Ohkay Owingeh).
For the 2022 edition, the 64th year of the market, six artists will set up around the shop to exhibit paintings, jewelry, sculpture and more. These artists are often not regular participants for the Fair & Market, or they are past booth exhibitors who are moving to new heights in their careers. Showcasing art this year are famed sculptor Doug Hyde (Nez Perce/Assiniboine/Chippewa), painter Karen Clarkson (Choctaw) and jewelers Denise Wallace (Chugach Sugpiaq/Alutiiq), Mike Bird-Romero (Ohkay Owingeh), Matagi Sorensen (Yavapai-Apache) and Ray Tracey (Navajo).
“This is an exclusive chance to see their work,” says Laura Cardinal, shop manager. “These artists are actually selling their work through the shop and they’re here all day. What’s special is they’re here Friday, Saturday and Sunday—and they get to sell during that Best of Show night.”
The Heard Museum Shop hosts high-caliber and emerging artists each year during the Indian Fair & Market.
This year the Best of Show event will happen on March 4, from 5:30 to 8 p.m., followed by the regular fair on March 5 and 6. Exhibiting in the shop is an unprecedented opportunity for the artists, since they have that early access to collectors before the Fair & Market opens to the public. Some of the artists selected are even crafting brand-new artwork that will be available just in time for the show, which makes it even more special since it’s almost an unveiling of this fresh artwork.
Sorensen, who will be exhibiting at the shop during the fair for the first time, is known for his contemporary jewelry that continues to reach new levels because he is always growing and challenging himself as an artist. His exhibit at the Heard happens just before his master’s thesis exhibition on April 1, which will show how he’s been experimenting with plant material, such as devil’s claw. His jewelry available at the Fair & Market, he believes, will coexist with the thesis series because he has been thinking about his work in new ways and the shift in the world has affected everything as well. There’s a sense of energy and reemergence, which has allowed him to be invigorated to continue creating and pushing boundaries.
Matagi Sorensen (Yavapai-Apache), sterling silver collar
“I’m coming out of hibernation and really working again,” Sorensen says. “Collectors should expect new pieces to come out, and for me to be bolder than I usually am with my work. It’s coming from a different place.”
Clarkson is also a new shop exhibitor, and she will be creating new paintings right up until the start of the fair. “I am currently working on five new pieces which will be publicly displayed for the first time,” says Clarkson.
“I think they are my best work so far and I can’t wait to show them. I will also be showing the painting [Wild Wild West of weaver Naiomi Glasses with her skateboard] which won the first Indigenous Collections Grand Award, presented by the Santa Fe Indian Market in September 2021. Another piece in the works will be a portrait of two children in a style reminiscent of Norman Rockwell. There will be paintings of ravens, small beaded and painted leather animal totems in frames, many originals paintings of women and children, and some enhanced unique reproductions on canvas.”
The bronze Intertribal Greeting, by Doug Hyde (Nez Perce/Assiniboine/Chippewa), sits in front of the Heard Museum’s Steele Auditorium.
Storytelling is important to Clarkson’s artwork, and it has become a way for her to translate her emotions. She explains, “When describing my art to others
I immediately begin by describing the feelings I have which inspire my paintings. I am constantly searching for a way to echo those feelings in my images. For some years now I have concentrated on reflecting these moments through the people I paint. To do this
I have made a conscious decision to paint contemporary Native women as they are in today’s world. I want to change the script from conceptions of weakness and victimhood to that of empowerment and strength. The best compliment I receive is when someone tells me my painting evokes the same response each time they look at it. If I can paint an image that reflects a deep feeling of respect and honor or love and gratitude, and it is seen by the viewer, I am fulfilled. This has become my drive and my passion.”
Thunderbird bolo tie by Ray Tracey (Navajo).
Wallace has exhibited her jewelry at the Heard Museum Shop for many years and will present a brand-new body of work during the fair. Her artwork can be described as “Southwest jewelry meets Alaskan Native culture” where she combines techniques of the Southwest with the imagery of Alaskan Native culture. These will include animals, landscapes and other subjects that are important to her heritage. “Everything about my homelands inspired me,” says Wallace, “The people, the wildlife and the stunning scenery.” Participating at the market allows her to meet collectors and share the stories and images of her people with the world.
Exhibiting in the shop for a second time, Tracey is looking forward to the quality of artwork as well as seeing old friends and making new ones. “I have been making jewelry since I was a kid. I learned my craft in summer school in Ganado, Arizona. My jewelry designs have a very contemporary feel while incorporating some traditional motifs into the body of my work. In this line of jewelry, I use the technique of multicolor inlay. I also do a tradition line of old style Navajo jewelry, which happens to be my favorite,” says Tracey.
A necklace by Denise Wallace (Chugach Sugpiaq/Alutiiq).
When preparing for any show Tracey always makes new designs and believes that having that sense of creativity continues to help his work grow. “When inspiration hits, I incorporate the design concept into each piece of jewelry. Even though I have made similar items in the past, creativity takes over and a new design concept unfolds from the old,” says Tracey. “In the wide scheme of things, jewelry doesn’t top the list of importance. But, it becomes important from the standpoint of creativity. Nothing was ever invented in this world that wasn’t thought of first. Thoughts are a creative process; transform those thoughts into something tangible and beauty is invented. This process is what is important.”
Tracey adds, “My sense of creativity is inspired by everything I hear (music), see and feel. I have always had a feeling of reverence to my main motif: the Eagle Feather. The reverence my people have given to feathers throughout generations of time has fascinated me. I make a wing feather and a tail feather which symbolizes power and guidance (spirit).”
Karen Clarkson (Choctaw), Wild Wild West, mixed media with oil on board, 24 x 24"
Working as a silversmith for nearly 45 years Bird-Romero creates jewelry that shows off his technical mastery and respect for the techniques and designs that have been used for centuries. He is a traditional craftsman focusing on old style pieces that have a bit of weight to them, and they are always of high quality and handcrafted. He says, “The way that they’re created, they’re heavier than most pieces of jewelry. I like the collector to know it has some weight of silver in it, and I don’t have too many modern tools. I create my own pieces and designs.”
One of the most notable of the shop exhibitors is Hyde whose sculpture is found all over the country including the bronze Intertribal Greeting, which sits at the front of the museum’s Steele Auditorium, just across from the shop welcoming those who visit. —
March 4-6, 2022
Heard Museum Shop Exhibitors
Heard Museum
2301 N. Central Avenue, Phoenix, AZ 85004
(602) 252-8840, www.heard.org
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