Women's worlds

This is quite a topic! But it's going to be short because I want to just focus on three women who happen to belong to the same family, all three incredible artists with their own distinctive style.

They were, and one is, from a pueblo in Northern New Mexico, they shared a passion for following their inspiration and thinking outside the box, far from the boundaries of their times, their culture, and the art world establishment.

The books -three, written by different women- that just recently launched in Santa Fe, are precious in that they each give an insight into the human as well as artist being, all immersed in the history of their respective times.

Can you guess who these extraordinary women are? Let me help you.
Pablita Velarde, her daughter Helen Hardin, and Helen's daughter Margarete Bagshaw.

Pablita Velarde and her father Herman

Helen Hardin

Margarete Bagshaw

Margarete has put an enormous amount of energy into the book project. She convinced other two special women to write a book each, and she herself wrote the third. Shelby Tisdale, who was until a few months ago the director of Santa Fe's Museum of Indian Arts & Culture/Laboratory of Anthropology, is an award winning author and an anthropologist specializing in the arts and cultures of the native people of the American West. She moved to Los Angeles to become the Vice President of Curatorial and Exhibitions at the Autry National Center. We miss her.

The second book is by Kate Nelson, an award winning journalist who found her home in New Mexico 23 years ago. She is the super active Marketing Manager at the New Mexico History Museum/Palace of the Governors.

The crown jewel of the whole project about the extraordinary artists' family, is the recently opened The Pablita Velarde Museum of Indian Women in the arts, in downtown Santa Fe.

Believe me, the books are worth your time and money! Great design too, and lots of pictures!
They open up a cornucopia of information, feelings, anecdotes, lifestyles, dreams, failures and successes, fears, culture clashes, love and death.

Enjoy!

Pueblo Ceremonial. Pablita Velarde

The Women. Helen Hardin

Messages. Margarete Bagshaw

Pause between canyons

The Southwest can be overwhelming.                                                                                                     Particularly if one wants to see it all in, say, 10 days. Each canyon, desert, rock spiral has a life of its own and requires time, concentration, dreams, and much more to then say "I've been there"! Imagine seeing Paris, Kathmandu, Brazzaville, and San Francisco in a week and going home trying to remember something about what you've seen. Kind of hard, right? Same for the Southwest, my friends.

But I'm being digressive. My story today is about finding a meaningful stop among the stunning canyons, without losing the focus on the area you are discovering. Usually, after a canyon, another one follows.





As an example,
between this (Canyonland)





and

                                          this (Monument Valley)

Not if you travel, for instance, from Moab, Utah, and Monument Valley, expanding over Utah and Arizona. There is a jewel that is easily missed. But it's seriously worth a turn off the main road.






This jewel is The Edge of the Cedars Museum. Here one finds an amazing collection of important artifacts excavated in the archaeology rich surrounding area or not very far from there, all belonging to the Ancient Puebloans civilization, once known as Anasazi. Effigy pottery, mugs, ladles and vessels are incredibly beautiful and very well preserved. It's the largest collection of its kind in the whole Four Corners area!

Two pieces caught my eye: almost intact "coverlets" i.e. turkey feathers blankets. Doesn't sound that astonishing? Just figure an Anasazi guy weaving in those days to make such a wonderful and useful piece.
It is hard to take a good picture of these blankets, so I post what I have, sorry!

This is the base on which the feathers were woven around

Around the museum there are some fantastic murals reproducing some of the most famous but hard to get to rock art with immense figure whose message we will never discover.

Not only the Edge of the Cedars has a collection to die for, but is dedicated to preserving and interpreting the prehistoric Ancestral Puebloan presence.

Plan to stay for a long time to read all the fascinating stories and findings about each object. You won't regret it.

It was exciting, OMG!

Every tour I lead offers me something new, something never experienced before. I can't tell you if I like seeing over and over again the places I love more than experiencing something totally new. I'd say both.

This time, thanks to the increasing drought  the float on the Colorado River was cancelled at the last minute for lack of, yes, water! Rocks and sand stuck out of the low river's water, it was so sad. But, this adventure was replaced with a true adventure! If I were alone I would never have gone, my word. But I had to, and I had to show how relaxed I was, hiding terror going through my whole body. I did it, and I'm happy I did.

We boarded three hummers and off onto the nearby rocky mountains, just beside Canyonlands National Park.
I realized there were no roads or trails to speak of. Where were we going to go? On the rocks themselves, of course!

See the firm grip of the driver? He was great, I knew he was reliable (it's his job, after all!) and I decided to trust him and relax. My companions in my hummer were between terrified and excited. We all tried to laugh...ehm...

After every steep climb unfortunately always followed a steep, VERY steep, downhill slope. Once at the top we were all wondering "what's next"...a fall into the Colorado River? But after a couple of these exercises we all relaxed and enjoyed the most incredible views surrounding us.

It wasn't easy at all to take pictures, as you can well imagine. I tried, and here are some examples of my skills!

La Salle Mountains as a backdrop

Charming little cloud!

Finally we took a break and we all got out of our  vehicles. Surprise! We were in a spot that allowed to see the Colorado River! Spectacular!

All the women held hands thinking about Thelma and Louise!

Wondering around on what seemed to us the top of the world...almost

We were both sad and relieved when we saw "land" and knew we made it through a fantastic experience, proud, safe, happy, and willing to do it again.

Rocks speak

That touch of white left by the first snow of the season over Petrified Forest created a special atmosphere, everything was still, silent.

What would that petrified log from the Mesozoic era tell us if it could talk to us? Let's use our fantasy and listen!

To look v. to see

I have been absent from my "tales" for quite some time, but for a good reason. I spent two weeks around the Southwest with a group of 20 Italians! It was nice to speak my language helping my ideas with my hands! One can't speak Italian without knowing the use of one's hands; there are a variety of signs, not all very polite. But very useful!

It is at times disappointing to realize how some, luckily only a few, people travel. I think that they are only able to marvel in front of a stunning thing, and a well known one, but lose the nuances. We all know that a marvelous rock is, well, marvelous! But what about the beautiful land around it? The history and incredible geology that goes with it? What about the wind's song that surrounds us and whispers, and the colors and shapes?

this Delicate Arch

versus

this simple form

Or this Balanced Rock

versus

this

Are they afraid of emotions?

   

It's never too late!

If you like traveling, you enjoy discovering new cultures and meet new people, never hesitate! Today traveling can be comfortable and easy.

I just finished a fantastic seven day tour and only after my guests left I was informed that some of them were over 80. Wow! I never suspected anything!
We were on the go from early morning till after dinner and, frankly, I was pretty tired at the end of every day. I thought: oh well, I'm not so young anymore and I have to accept the changes my body is making sure I understand. Of course I tried my best to be energetic, vibrant and to never stop talking. It's not so difficult after all. One, because I really enjoy talking about what I love to people who want to listen; and two, because these places have such a long history, folklore and interesting people that it's hard to keep your mouth shut!

My guests were ready on time and never said no to a great dinner at the end of the day.

What I learned from this experience is that if you are a person with interests, curious about anything around you, enjoy the company of other human beings without necessarily picking your travel companions one by one, you are a perfect traveler. No matter your age.

I even saw that some of these more senior guests were never idle: yes!! if they had a few free minutes on the bus they would use their I-Pad to create images and draw what inspired them. OMG!!!

NEVER, EVER, EVER GIVE UP!

TRAVELS KEEP YOU YOUNG!



PS. I'm now the proud owner of an I-Pad. I went straight to the store at the end of the tour!

Moving stories from my tours

When I don't write a new tale it means I'm busy! This late summer and fall is proving to be one of my best ever! A lot of work, wonderful and warm weather, golden leaves coming out all over the places.

But I want to tell you some recent stories that touched my heart.

This morning while talking to a guide waiting to go with a group, she told me that last time she went on a bus tour she saw a frail man wrapped in blankets right on the front seat. She asked him if he needed anything and before she could continue the guy said, in a very assertive way "Madam, I'm 94, independent, and I know how to take care of myself". Period. The old guy started his tour in New York City! Good for him, enjoy life till the end, nothing can stop you, my friend!

Last month I had a small group of women from Ohio (the famous swing state..right?). One of them needed a wheelchair. I was worried for her because the terrain here is often very rough. To make a long story short, I always stayed back with her when the others were getting her wheelchair. I had the best time ever! In the five to ten minutes we were alone we became so close as we found how much we had in common. This wonderful person was 85 years old, with a wonderful attitude towards life, strong opinions about politics in this country, that I totally shared, and very funny as well. We are now friends on Facebook!

One day I was in a small frontier village, between Arizona and Mexico. I was walking around leaving my clients to roam on their own, when I saw a tiny woman sitting on the ground with a basket of oranges between her legs. I wanted one right away! So, I asked her how much they were. Her answer was, while she was gathering a dozen (!) in a paper bag "you are a guest who came here to visit us from far away. We like to honor people like you". And I couldn't give her any money.

Another time I was traveling for my own pleasure with a friend. On the side of the road we spotted an old lady that didn't look in good shape. She waved at us and we stopped. With sign language she asked to come on board. She was silent all the way, for about half an hour. We couldn't get one word out of her mouth. I kept talking to her wondering if she even understood one word of English. She was Navajo. I asked her if she was married. Suddenly a huge cute smile bloomed on her face and she said "no more. Men are not useful". end of the conversation.

On the road

Sometimes I really think that human beings are wonderful creatures!

Not to be missed

"It's About Time: 14,000 Years of Art in New Mexico" exhibition is now, until January 2014, at the New Mexico Museum of Art, in Santa Fe. It celebrates the Statehood Centennial.
The collection of objects, artifacts, photographs, and paintings is masterful. Thank you Joe Traugott for giving us such a magnificent exhibition!

I'm not an art critic, nor an expert, just passionate about everything New Mexico. I can tell you that this is an experience that brings all your senses alive! Here you meet the most intriguing artists who became famous in different years and are now part of history, the history of art. You can enjoy the variety of pots produced over the centuries to our days, and appreciate the expressions of Native, Hispanic, and European Americans. These 120 works of art help us understand the region's diverse and rich cultures, something one doesn't easily find elsewhere.

The book "New Mexico Art through Time" it's worth the $50. Become a Museums of New Mexico Foundation' member and you save 10% and tax!

Gallup Black-on-White Bowl from Chetro Ketl , circa 1000–1125 CE

A superb example of contemporary ceramist Rick Dillingham

Clovis Point, circa 13,650 – 12,800 BP

My Indian Market

I had to go one more time to the market. I forgot to see some friends and artists I love. But before I went to El Museo Cultural and the show was really exciting. On top of all the precious pieces from around the world, Folk Art and my beloved Memory Pots, there was an exhibition of Tad Dale's collection of shields, amazing!

Tad Dale's private shields collection

Despite the heat I ran through the booths on the Plaza, with each booth number written on my palm, and met with Mary L.Tafoya. This was a special "memory lane" thing: I bought her first piece, a pin, some ten years ago when she had her first market experience! She is a lovely woman from Kewa Pueblo (ex Santo Domingo) and an incredible innovator. No one does what she does, a unique style. Kind of inspired to the old mosaic designs of the Ancestral Puebloans and to the "depression" necklaces, but with a contemporary twist.

Mary L.Tafoya

On the music stand there were phenomenal Hopi and Acoma dancers and musicians with marvelous costumes, dancing beautifully. Other dancers were coming to the stand for the next dance and, despite the crowd, I was able to capture some images.

Dancers from Hopi

Dancers from Acoma

 

Street scenes

I also met for the first time a very talented fashion designer, Penny Singer, who was half asleet in the back of her booth, dead tired! I bet! How can they talk to all the people who stop by, ask questions, and want to know about their art? It's exhausting!

Flowers with pots in the background

This wonderful birth day ended on my little terrace on the roof of my casita sipping tea and savoring fresh muffins my friend Marina had just got out of her oven! With us were some emerald green hummingbird happily getting some more food before the night. The source are some flowers I especially planted for them, they are wonderful creatures!

There he is!

The End

PS. My favorite artist, Raymond Sequaptewa, had some pendants to die for, what do you think?

The 91st birthday of Santa Fe Indian Market

It's August in Santa Fe, therefore it's Indian Market! For me, every year it's like a pilgrimage, a sacred day dedicated to all the wonderful Native artists from around the country. After 22 years of walking through the booths in and around the Plaza I enjoy finding my friends at the same spots and discovering their new creations and, at the same time, going back to the first visits when everything was so new to me!

Keri Ataumbi talking about her new ocean-inspired jewelry

With more energies than I have now, I was able to walk for two days, over and over, trying to read through each and every piece, learning about the works, the lands of origin, and how the artists were inspired to create their specific pieces. Pot after pot, katsina after katsina, not to mention all the jewelry...it was overwhelming!

Indian Market always falls on or near my birthday, another reason to be happy! We all get old, so let's celebrate!

Hard to find someone here!

The last few markets I was with clients. A different way to experience this event. Very intense with the talking and running around but also exciting to see how my guests react...and buy!

Last year...running to corral everybody!

This year I managed my calendar in order to have the market just for myself, and it worked out. What a morning: on the Plaza at 6.30 (the best time for several reasons: it's cool, it's fairly empty, and a lot of fun), most booths still waiting for the artists, a great breakfast at Plaza Restaurant at 9, then on the road again until 12.30. I will be back tomorrow to learn how the market went for my friends.

I have a game I like playing: spot the newcomers and buy what I think it's a new treasure! I'm happy to say that I discovered many such treasures who then became very famous!

This year was a bit different than usual: no drumming at the music stand, more tidy without the non-market vendors all over, easier to explore.

The creativity and the quality is stunning! I discovered new shapes, creative bracelets, fantastic beadwork...can't name everything. For sure, a high-quality market showing improvements in every aspect.

Arviso's booth, the most knowledgeable about turquoise

Pat Pruitt, the king of contemporary

What a treat to feel at home there.