Lost Hills (Yokut) 10.19.16, from the Power Series, 2016
Lewis deSoto
Cahuilla, Born 1954, Panoramic photograph, Gift of Loren G. Lipson, M.D., Autry Museum of the American West. 2018.56.1.1-.2
artist bio about the Power series
it is we who have drained the aquifers that stored water for a million years — without water there is no life. We are nearing the end of the fourth world.”
—Frank LaPena
The importance of the environment and the interconnectedness of the world and humans is one tenet of Native American belief systems. These beliefs are rarely static and are shared intertribally. California Indian artists have often addressed ecological concerns and provide us, the viewer, unique insights into their world through their individual lense.
The Best Things in Life are Not Free, 1989
Brian D. Tripp
Karuk, Born 1945, Mixed-media collage with abalone shell, Humboldt State University Collection (Photo by Josh Tousey)
In this massive collage, Brian Tripp uses the language of basket design to evoke a world of abstract figures and ceremonial regalia, along with an embedded message of activism. The work’s title about the weight of responsibility is reminiscent of a line from one of Tripp’s poems: “What I know is what I owe.”
Much of the artist’s work addresses issues of American Indian sovereignty and land rights. Tripp has been at the center of the Northwestern California resurgence of ceremony since the late 1960s. In 2018 he was recognized with a Living Heritage Award from the Alliance for California Traditional Arts.
Treasure Island, 2017
Tony Abeyta
Navajo, Born 1965, Mixed media on canvas, Gift of Loren. G. Lipson, M.D., Crocker Art Museum (photo courtesy of Sam and Alfreda Maloof Foundation for Arts and Crafts)
Descended from an artistic family, Tony Abeyta’s childhood art experiences were largely connected to his parents, who were both involved with art: Abeyta’s mother pursued ceramics, and his father was a nationally renowned Navajo painter. The artist created this mixed-media painting while working in a studio on Treasure Island in the San Francisco Bay. Its composition takes its form from an abstracted Yeibichai Dancer mask, used in Diné ceremonies to maintain balance and harmony. Within the work are a view of the Transamerica Pyramid and numerous words and phrases that point to the artist’s California connections.
Lost Hills (Yokut) 10.19.16, from the Power Series, 2016
Lewis deSoto
Cahuilla, Born 1954, Panoramic photograph, Gift of Loren G. Lipson, M.D., Autry Museum of the American West. 2018.56.1.1-.2
artist bio about the Power series
Even Where the Ancestors Live, undated
L.frank
Tongva/Acjachemen, Born 1952, Acrylic on canvas, Courtesy of the artist
In this painting a triumphant Coyote, dressed in ceremonial regalia, stands on top of the world. In the crowded landscape below we see reminders of today’s culture, such as a gun firing bullets, a spouting oil rig, a laptop computer, a fast-food cheeseburger, airplanes, and a traffic jam. Everything else is awash in garish red, white, and blue. To the left, there is a U.S. flag atop a skyscraper, embedded with teeth and decorated with a dollar sign, suggesting the insatiable hunger of greed and consumer culture, and disregard for Native lands and the environment.
Diablo Canyon, 1980s
George Blake
Hupa/Yurok, Born 1944, Mixed media: including ceramic; straw; deer sinew; beaded cap, Courtesy of the artist (photo courtesy of Matt Patterson)
The electricity-generating Diablo Canyon Power Plant near San Luis Obispo is California’s only operational nuclear power plant. It was completed in 1973 less than a mile from an earthquake fault, and it remains controversial because of its vulnerable location. This sculpture of a human skull wearing a beaded cap with the Diablo Canyon PG&E logo points to the facility’s potential for a nuclear meltdown and the disastrous impact it would have.
Blake’s use of sinew and glass beads in this work shows his commitment to using traditional materials. He received a National Endowment for the Arts National Heritage Award for his revival of traditional arts, including Northwestern California’s sinew-backed bow.
Rain, Circa 1968
Linda Lomahaftewa
Hopi/Choctaw, Born 1947, Acrylic on canvas, Collection of Frank LaPena (Photo by Jesse A. Bravo)
This painting illustrates the relationship between the land and the sky, as colorful drops of rain nourish the landscape below. A visual commentary on California’s drought- and fire-prone land, this work also references growth and renewal.
Lomahaftewa lived in Los Angeles as a child and relocated to Northern California to attend the San Francisco Art Institute. She held teaching positions at Sonoma State University and the University of California, Berkeley, before accepting a position at Santa Fe’s Institute of American Indian Arts, where she taught for 40 years.
Earth’s Tears of Rebirthing, 2010
Lyn Risling
Hupa/Karuk/Yurok, Born 1950, Acrylic on canvas, Gift of Dr. Loren G. Lipson, M.D., Autry Museum of the American West. 2018.9.1
In this painting, images of environmental devastation include a parched earth of tree stumps, fish skeletons, and a deer skull. The eyes are embedded into the land and sky, suggesting these forms are both sentient and ever watchful. By depicting an ecological apocalypse, the artist conveys a message found in many Native American stories - that it is human beings that have the responsibility to the save the Earth.
Lyn Risling is a respected singer and was instrumental in the revitalization of the Flower Dance, a ceremony recognizing a girl’s transition into womanhood.
My Dog Spot Hat, 1982
Richard Glazer Danay
Caughnawaga Mohawk, Born 1942, Oil on organic polymer hardhat, Courtesy of the artist
Richard Glazer Danay is best known for his artistic “hard hats.” In these works, the storied history of Mohawk ironworkers, who constructed many of New York’s skyscrapers, are referenced. The artist mixes “high and low art,” from Michelangelo’s Sistine ceiling to the Coco-Cola brand, bringing a Pop Art feeling to the works. Although born in Brooklyn, Danay grew up and built his career in California. For decades, he was an influential teacher at schools such as California State University, Long Beach and the University of California, Riverside.
When I Remember I See Red: American Indian Art and Activism in California was organized by the Crocker Art Museum, Sacramento, CA, with support from the United Auburn Indian Community. This presentation at the Autry has been made possible in part by a major grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities.
Any views, findings, conclusions, or recommendations expressed in this exhibition do not necessarily represent those of the National Endowment for the Humanities.
The Autry Museum of the American West acknowledges the Gabrielino/Tongva peoples as the traditional land caretakers of Tovaangar (the Los Angeles basin and So. Channel Islands). We recognize that the Autry Museum and its campuses are located on the traditional lands of Gabrielino/Tongva peoples and we pay our respects to the Honuukvetam (Ancestors), ‘Ahiihirom (Elders) and ‘Eyoohiinkem (our relatives/relations) past, present and emerging.
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