The Cultural Leadership of Native American Modern Artists

by Camilla Shelton

My trip to Santa Fe to attend the Annual Santa Fe Indian Market far exceeded any expectations I had for the trip. Not only was I able to see the Market, visit the many museums in the area, but I also was able to fit in a few trips into the surrounding countryside. I was thrilled at the amount of information that was constantly at my fingertips. I felt that I was able to better get an appreciation for the culture as I found out more about Allan Houser, the Native sculptor who had so intrigued me. At the museums I picked up information and wrote notes for many of the exhibits I saw. Most relevant to my specific focus was the Museum of American Indian Arts and Culture that had an exhibit following the life cycle of a Native person both from the past and the present. The juxtaposition of traditional artifacts and modern day objects, such as a cradle board beside a car seat, was a clear example of how representation of native people has evolved to show how the culture is still alive and embraces the changes that have occurred. Next door to the museum is the Laboratory of Anthropology where a librarian eagerly helped me find resources about Allan Houser. At the Indian Market I was able to see firsthand examples of Native art from traditional crafts to modern interpretations of Native culture. The atmosphere of the Market in and of itself was an experience that overwhelmed me with how vibrant and resilient Native culture is, and how after years of struggle people are coming together to support and honor that culture.

On Sunday, I traveled a half hour from the Market being held at the downtown Plaza to attend the open house at Allan Houser’s sculpture garden. Annually at Indian Market the Allan Houser compound is open to the public. I was able to freely walk about the sculpture garden, visit the foundry and the archives, and attended a lecture by David Rettig, Curator of Allan Houser Corporate Collections. I had contacted Melinda, who works at the archives, prior to my visit and she gave me a whole packet of information. In addition, to being able to see so much of the compound that is normally closed to the public, I had the pleasure of sitting down next to Mrs. Houser herself. Being able to talk a bit with the wife of the sculptor was beyond anything I could have ever dreamt of. Looking out over the garden she told me that there were stories behind each of the pieces, stories of Houser’s Chirchua Apache heritage that he tried to capture in his work. The day I spent at the Houser compound helped me get valuable information, which I more fully appreciated since I had been submerged in the cultural context of Indian Market.

At this point I am still working to complete my final paper from my research. I have been continually trying to work to narrow its focus to something more manageable. At this point, I am working to support the thesis that shows how Allan Houser’s life provides an example of cultural leadership because his work provided a catalyst for a transformation in Native expression and identity. However, the problem of having too much information or ideas to communicate from this experience is a great problem to have. I plan on finding ways to put all the information I have gathered to use. I have submitted an article about the Indian Market to CNU’s Limelight magazine, which should appear in the first issue coming out soon. During my time in Santa Fe I generally found it easier to gain the type of experience and information I needed easier than I had anticipated. Yet, the one area that was not as fruitful was in getting more information from the artists at the market. Locals warned me to get to the market early, so I arrived just before it opened at 7 a.m. Saturday and was able to talk a little with a few of the artists. But for these brief conversations, I was unable to conduct any substantial interviews because the Market becomes so crowded for the rest of the time with the over 80,000 visitors that come into Santa Fe to see the Market. Yet, I was able to get an unexpected discussion with one of the most prominent scholars of Native American art and culture, Bruce Bernstein, before he managed to disappear into the crowds after the opening ceremony.

I knew that going to Santa Fe, seeing the Indian Market, and visiting the sculpture garden would be experiences that I could not have gained from the books I was researching while sitting in a dorm on the East coast. However, I could not have imagined how much I would truly gain from visiting Santa Fe in person. From the moment I stepped off the plane I was learning about Allan Houser in ways I would never have been able to in any other place in the world. At Bandelier National Monument I climbed up inside an ancient pueblo (see photo) carved into the rock face of a cliff and looked out onto the kivas his ancestors had arranged below. At the Market I saw young Native artists present radically modern interpretations of their heritage. In the smooth lines of their sculpture I saw his progeny. Amongst the modernist paintings in the Institute of American Indian Arts I saw the continuation of the development of a reclaimed Native identity that flowed from his dedication to the integrity of his personal artistic vision. Finally, standing in his sculpture garden staring at the proud faces of the Native people he had depicted, set out majestically against the brown earth and expansive blue sky, I was for an instant able to glimpse the artist himself.

Obviously, this experience was indispensable in helping me gain insight into Native American art and culture. Being able to see the museum collections in Santa Fe and the current work of artists at the Market allowed me to see firsthand how arts and crafts have evolved within the Native culture. The abundant visual evidence in Santa Fe of the transformation of artistic expression is the most relevant information I gathered that helps me add to the research about these trends. After having seen the terrain and natural beauty that have so importantly shaped Native culture and inspired their art, I feel that I now have the beginning foundations to discuss the relationship between those elements and their art. I also feel that I have the basis to begin to discuss how the study of Leadership relates to the work of Allan Houser, because I have seen firsthand the cultural change evident in the variety of art shown at Indian Market. Before the trip I always felt as though I had no authority or right to be discussing the work of Allan Houser in relation to Native culture, because my own experiences were so far removed from his culture. Now, I feel that I have a humble foundation of experience that helps me more clearly relate to the research and writing I do here.

Through this project I have sought to gain a better understanding of the cultural survival of the American Indian. I have sought to show the work of Allan Houser as an important catalyst of the renewal of Native self-identity through the impact of his independent artistic vision. Being at Indian Market and seeing Allan Houser’s sculpture garden are experiences that have been indispensable to my ability to be able to write about their significance in the context of modern Native culture.

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