Travelogue: Artistic inspiration in Santa Fe

I have just returned from spending a week in Santa Fe, New Mexico with my best artist buddy, Bridget Benton Carwyn.

Traveling is always an inspiration, but it is especially so when it is with another artist in an "art town" like Santa Fe.

Me an Bri at Bandelier

It seems fitting that this being Native American Heritage Month, I found myself immersed in an area of the country that is saturated with, if not authentically Southwest Native American culture, then at least the culturally appropriated version of it.

From the adobe-style buildings, to the textiles, to the silver and turquoise jewelry, regional Native American peoples have created the basis of the “Southwest” style.

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Museums Abound!

Santa Fe is chock full of museums. Now, I love museums. Wherever I go, I seek out museums, and can spend an almost distressingly long amount of time in them, reading every interpretive panel and label as I go.

Museums are different than when I was young (heck, everything is different than when I was young!) All educational materials were oriented from a white, male, European-oriented point of view. This has really shifted.

The Palace of the Governors

Case in point: The Palace of the Governors. (Don’t get too excited, it’s not much of a palace!) It was built in 1610 and served as a local seat of government for the Spanish empire, then for the United States territories. In 1901, it became a history museum.

Now, back in 2004, Jim and I visited Santa Fe and went to the Palace of the Governors. I remember seeing exhibits in the long, rambling adobe building situated on the main public square.

Since then, it has gone through a complete transformation. The block behind the Palace was razed and the New Mexico History Museum was built. The Palace is still a piece of the museum, but the bulk of the exhibits are in the new building.

There, I learned in great detail about the clash of three groups; Native Americans, the Spanish, and later the “Americans” (I wish to goodness I could call us “United Statesians”- far more accurate!)

Formerly, any atrocities and injustices caused by European expansion was glossed over and minimized. This time, it was all laid out clearly and objectively. Not only that, the agency and formidability of the various Native tribes was also clear to see.

Museum of Indian Arts and Culture

The Museum of Indian Arts and Culture (MIAC) is more than a collection of artifacts displayed with interpretation.  It is a museum that specifically communicates through the lens of Native Americans of the area.

Before the museum opened in 1987, an Indian Advisory Panel was formed to provide technical and cultural advice and approval of the objects displayed. The factual details and the philosophical interpretations are guided by these representatives. The outcome is that I, a European-facing outsider, can get a glimpse into the world of the Southwest Indian culture in a way that is immersive and multi-faceted.

Interpretive panel, Museum of Indian Arts and Culture

Father Sky, Mother Earth by Tony Abeyta 1995

Contemporary artwork is included along side of the historical objects, giving an even larger sense of it being a living experience, not a dry report.

The main permanent exhibit is called “Here, Now & Always” The title is appropriate, because it used to be that Native Americans were described in past tense, like they didn’t exist anymore.

Museum of Contemporary Native Arts

The Museum of Contemporary Native Arts (MoCNA), is the museum associated with the Institute of American Indian Arts (IAIA). This art school is meant for students to explore their cultural traditions and bring it into contemporary expression. 

A quote from their website: “IAIA is a place to embrace the past, enrich the present, and create the future, moving ahead to paths yet unexplored and undiscovered.”

Art of Indigenous Fashion, MoCNA

What have I learned?

I understand that what I am about to say is going to be a cliché, so please bear with me.

European culture is very compartmentalized. Emphasis on the individual, especially here in the US, is unusually important. On top of that, artists and art are seen as being apart from the rest of society, as being “special” and isolated.

Interpretive panel, Museum of Indian Arts and Culture

As I was immersed in and experienced what these museums were offering, two main themes emerged.

One, that for these Native American creators, communal identity is a part of what goes into every form of expression.

Two, that the things created and displayed were often regarded not as “objects,” but as living things with an energy of their own. 

One terrific exhibition at The Museum of Indian Arts and Culture is Grounded in Clay: The Spirit of Pueblo Pottery. The collection of pots and sculptures displayed are from diverse places and times, and were curated by a group of Native American potters, historians, and educators.

Grounded in Clay: The Spirit of Pueblo Pottery, MIAC

From their website: “Unlike exhibitions guided by Eurocentric timelines and Western concepts of art and history, Grounded in Clay’s focus on personal and community meaning emerges as a conversation expressed in prose, poetry, and the visual language of pottery.”

In one video, a potter said “Each pot has its own journey. Each pot has its memories.” (See video below)

It seems to me that the act of creation for many Native American artists is not merely an attempt at personal expression, but is an essential tool. A tool not only for cultural survival, but for their communities to thrive, and communicate who they are to the outside world.

Yes, but what about Moi?

I am beginning to realize my art is very ego driven. I don’t mean “ego” as in over confident or narcissistic. I mean I became attached to the identity of "artist" when I was a tiny child, because the people around me told me I was “talented.” It was a way for me to feel special and unique. Nothing wrong with that. Except that this desire to be seen as talented and “good” at art drives my decisions to this day. It separates me from my art. It separates me from myself.

What if I didn’t regard the art I create as “objects?”

What if I regarded each piece I made as a living thing?

What if I saw it as essential?

©lesliepetersonsapp Drawing, The Hanged Man

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