TribalArtery
VOL. TWO, NO. SIX, JULY 2002
Welcome to Tribal Artery, a periodic newsletter that will come out as often as we have something to say or some news to report. You have received this issue because you have expressed an interest in tribal art. If you wish to unsubscribe, see the instruction at the end of this newsletter. We expect that we will publish every month or so. Of course, we will rely on your comments as we go. We have decided, after much experimentation, not to include images in our newsletter and not to send a separate attachment with images. Instead, we will include hyperlinks to various pages on the Web site.
SAD NEWS FROM DOWNUNDER
It is always sad to start off our newsletter with sad news. Nonetheless, we are sorry to report that one of the foremost painters of the contemporary Aboriginal desert art movement passed away at the end of June in Alice Springs. Out of respect for his family’s wishes and Aboriginal tradition, we will not mention his name here. He was born in 1932 at Napperby Station in Australia's Northern Territory. He was the first Aboriginal artist to achieve a truly international reputation. His paintings have sold at auction and in private transactions for tens of thousands of dollars. His work is represented in collections around the world. He also gave us a daughter, Gabriella, who carries forward his legacy with outstanding work of her own. To see an example of his work click here. To see examples of Gabriella's work, click here.
The major Navajo folk art show, "Navajo-jo-jo," opened at the physical gallery on Sanibel on July 3rd, just in time for the big Fourth of July weekend. The timing was important because many of the carvings included have patriotic themes, from chickens painted with a flag theme to a flag-toting, motorcycling Navajo woman. For a slew of examples of this delightful, fun-loving work, you are invited to visit the Navajo Gallery.
MORE TOP DRAWER FETISH CARVINGS ON SITE
For some reason that isn’t worth going into, it has taken a long time for us to put up some of our high-end fetish carvings by such popular artists as Jeff Tsalabutie, Gibbs Othole and Dee Edaakie. We have posted them – along with a lot of other well-carved but more affordable pieces – in the Fetish Carvings Gallery. For the uninitiated, Zuni artists have been carving fetish creatures for years, starting with a tradition that believed that in pre-history lightening struck certain animals, freezing their strength in stones that looked like the original creature. Six of these animals were vested with protective powers over the six directions: eagle, bear, mountain line, wolf, badger and mole. Now, these and other animal effigies are fashioned by the extraordinary skills of superb Zuni, Navajo, Isleta and Cochiti carvers. For examples of how the protectors of the six directions are portrayed in what is called "directional sets," take a look at this example.
COMING ATTRACTION: "FLIGHTS OF FANCY"
Next month’s gallery show will feature birds in the myths and stories of tribal culture in Africa, Australia, Native America and the Arctic. It promises to be an interesting view of the similarities in the portrayal of these winged creatures in the art of societies that are separated by thousands of miles. An example of an African bird can be seen here. For an example in Arctic carving, look at this beauty.
THE HEAT IS ON IN SOUTHWEST FLORIDA. BUT ISLAND BREEZES ARE COOL. COME SEE US ON SANIBEL TO see OUR EXHIBITS IN PERSON.
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Copyright 2002 Aboriginals: Art of the First Person
