We flew to Phoenix, AZ last weekend to attend my niece Janet's wedding. I love weddings. I love when family gathers for a celebration of love. And this one was truly a love story.
A side benefit to attending this wedding? Being introduced to the venue, Arizona's Heard Museum.
This museum is a 'living museum' dedicated to the heritage, culture and arts of native Americans. Not so much a history museum as an educated display of art, artifacts and culture. Really nice. I recommend it.
One of my favorite items in the collection was a fence built by Tony Jojola with Isleta and Rosemary Lonewolf. This installation of poles, glass and clay was representative of the Southwestern fences built with organic materials.
It started with dark blue and black and the color morphed along the length of the piece going lighter and lighter. A truly lovely variety of shapes, textures and colors. Photos don't do it justice.
There was an entire gallery of modern art and sculpture, which is not generally well represented in facilities that display native American art.
I wish my pictures could convey the COLOR used in some of these pieces. Although many of the fiber rugs and cloths were muted tones, lots of the canvases had bright, vibrant colors and tones. The juxtaposition of this energetic style alongside some of the ancient, traditional artworks was compelling.
A lot of local artisans were featured. Some even had videos of them creating their works along with explanations of the symbolism and meaning behind each piece of art.
This gallery had a soaring ceiling that featured a cross hatching pattern of wrought iron braces. I couldn't tell if it was structural or just decorative but either way, it was fascinating.
We were allowed to view the gallery, but it was after normal hours so the lights went off on a timer and our movements through the museum caused them to turn on as we approached. This huge, white space filled with modern sculpture and paintings was especially affecting.
A traditional surprise in The Heard Museum was an enormous collection of kachina dolls. All my life, I have seen examples of Hopi kachinas. My oldest sister has a few really interesting ones in her home.
But I've never seen this many in any one place before.
I tried to capture the number of figures in this case, but my camera was not up to the challenge. And this room went on and on. There were cases and cases this size, all filled with kachinas.
I'm not sure who collected these--if they were donated them to the Heard--or if this collection was amassed by the curators, but either way, it was a charming aggregation of spiritual objects. It represented hours and hours of painstaking work on the part of the artists.
The final surprise offered by the gorgeous Heard Museum was a fun gallery filled with a bolo tie collection. Since 2005, Chicagoan Norman L. Sandfield has acquired an amazing variety of bolo ties and has allowed his collection to be displayed at the Heard.
I was enchanted with the breadth of this display. All tribes of native craftsman had boards filled with examples of their stylized work. Pictures of actors and singers were displayed alongside bolos worn in film and on screen.
There were semi precious stones and a variety of materials all worked into neckware for cowboys. There were even a few that were made to look like flattened silver neckties.
So much fun. There were so many great examples, it was impossible to pick a single one that outshone the rest.
I've always liked bolo ties. I liked the idea of guys who lived in hot environments finding a way to replace three or four layers of fabric with a small lightweight leather strap. It just makes sense. But like so many other items of gear that have a common sense birth, the final products represent a vast array of artistic and creative jewelry that anyone would love.
From simple slides for boy scout scarves to highly intricate silver carvings that I couldn't imagine a man wearing for any length of time, this collection of bolo ties stunned the eye and warmed the heart.
It made me want to go out and buy one for DH. I wonder if he'd wear it with aplomb?
The Heard Museum--whether given a private viewing during a wedding reception, or surrounded by a teeming mass of school children on a field trip--would never disappoint. I feel the need to put it on my list and make a return visit next time I get out to Arizona. I'm sure I didn't see it all. How could I?
-- Sandee Wagner
A side benefit to attending this wedding? Being introduced to the venue, Arizona's Heard Museum.
One of my favorite items in the collection was a fence built by Tony Jojola with Isleta and Rosemary Lonewolf. This installation of poles, glass and clay was representative of the Southwestern fences built with organic materials.
It started with dark blue and black and the color morphed along the length of the piece going lighter and lighter. A truly lovely variety of shapes, textures and colors. Photos don't do it justice.
I wish my pictures could convey the COLOR used in some of these pieces. Although many of the fiber rugs and cloths were muted tones, lots of the canvases had bright, vibrant colors and tones. The juxtaposition of this energetic style alongside some of the ancient, traditional artworks was compelling.
A lot of local artisans were featured. Some even had videos of them creating their works along with explanations of the symbolism and meaning behind each piece of art.
This gallery had a soaring ceiling that featured a cross hatching pattern of wrought iron braces. I couldn't tell if it was structural or just decorative but either way, it was fascinating.
We were allowed to view the gallery, but it was after normal hours so the lights went off on a timer and our movements through the museum caused them to turn on as we approached. This huge, white space filled with modern sculpture and paintings was especially affecting.
A traditional surprise in The Heard Museum was an enormous collection of kachina dolls. All my life, I have seen examples of Hopi kachinas. My oldest sister has a few really interesting ones in her home.
But I've never seen this many in any one place before.
I tried to capture the number of figures in this case, but my camera was not up to the challenge. And this room went on and on. There were cases and cases this size, all filled with kachinas.
I'm not sure who collected these--if they were donated them to the Heard--or if this collection was amassed by the curators, but either way, it was a charming aggregation of spiritual objects. It represented hours and hours of painstaking work on the part of the artists.
I was enchanted with the breadth of this display. All tribes of native craftsman had boards filled with examples of their stylized work. Pictures of actors and singers were displayed alongside bolos worn in film and on screen.
There were semi precious stones and a variety of materials all worked into neckware for cowboys. There were even a few that were made to look like flattened silver neckties.
So much fun. There were so many great examples, it was impossible to pick a single one that outshone the rest.
From simple slides for boy scout scarves to highly intricate silver carvings that I couldn't imagine a man wearing for any length of time, this collection of bolo ties stunned the eye and warmed the heart.
It made me want to go out and buy one for DH. I wonder if he'd wear it with aplomb?
The Heard Museum--whether given a private viewing during a wedding reception, or surrounded by a teeming mass of school children on a field trip--would never disappoint. I feel the need to put it on my list and make a return visit next time I get out to Arizona. I'm sure I didn't see it all. How could I?
-- Sandee Wagner
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