Alongside Santa Fe Indian Market, King Galleries hosts their show Legacy, boasting an exciting variety of new artworks. Eighteen prominent artists were selected to feature their masterpieces in pottery, painting, bronze, baskets and jewelry. The show serves as a “unique opportunity to meet the artists and see their most recent works,” says Charles King, gallery owner. The artist list includes Tammy Garcia (Santa Clara), Dolores Curran (Santa Clara), Jennifer Tafoya (Santa Clara), Chase Kawinhut Earles (Caddo), Jeremey Frey (Passamoquoddy), Mateo Romero (Cochiti), Al Qoyawayma (Hopi) and Les Namingha (Hopi-Tewa), among others.
Chase Kawinhut Earles (Caddo), Bantha and Buffalo Bottles, clay
“As SWAIA celebrates its centennial, we celebrate the extraordinary ‘legacy’ of Native arts in a variety of mediums,” King explains. “This show brings together young artists along with many of the most famous Native potters working today. It is not just an opportunity to see the best being made today, but to glimpse the future of Native art in the years to come.”
Al Qoyawayma (Hopi), Native clay (left); Steve Lucas (Hopi-Tewa), Native clay (right)
Pottery is at the forefront of the show, with astounding works like Earles’ Bantha and Buffalo effigy clay bottles, centered around the artist’s exploration of Indigenous futurism within his Caddo culture. “The [bottles] are the perfect companion pieces to express to people the old tradition of Caddos—creating ceramic vessels that are representations of the world around them,” he says. “The bison is made traditionally from hand dug clay, pit fired the old way and is an example of traditional Caddo effigy vessels, while the Bantha and Tusken rider are made with modern materials and methods like commercial clay and kiln firing. They are more playful and are put together like the toys we played with when we were young.”
Juan de la Cruz (Santa Clara), clay (left); Les Namingha (Hopi-Tewa), clay (right)
Earles also notes that these complimentary pieces show not only a “burgeoning of new materials moving forward (while keeping one foot firmly planted in our prehistoric past) but an expression of new ideas and adapting of pop culture into our narrative.”
For Namingha’s pottery, this year has been about expanding on themes of layering, which is influenced by street art. Much of his work involves color as a style element, and is clearly seen in his standout show piece—a jar with geometric Hopi design abstractions. “Much of my work involves utilizing a foundation of earth tones and juxtaposing it with a variety of palettes based on color theories utilized in modernist art,” he says. “The influence for the color theme of this jar is from ancient Greek pottery, which showcased primarily black and earth-toned colors.”
Jeremey Frey (Passamoquoddy), black ash and sweet grass basket
Qoyawayma also combines new techniques with traditional elements in a style he calls “neo-Sikyatki,” as his family is of the Coyote Clan from the ancient village Sikyatki (1300 to 1500) at First Mesa on the Hopi reservation. One of his show pieces, pictured here, actually has two designs on either side—both of great importance. “The primary side has the design I’ve termed ‘The Visitor,’ and is of traditional inspiration, raising a lot of questions as to who we were and our existence in the Americas perhaps for 10,000 to 20,000 years,” the artist explains. “The other side is a stylistic form of the ‘Tee-Door’—a more recent icon of pueblo culture that may have a much older history.”
These extraordinary works and many more will be available during the show at King Galleries, held on Friday, August 19, to perfectly compliment the other talents at this year’s Indian Market.
King Galleries
August 19, 3-5 p.m.
130 Lincoln Avenue, Suite D,
Santa Fe, NM 87501
(480) 440-3912, www.kinggalleries.com
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