| Contemplating Native American Art March, 2001 by Maja Tarateta In spite of stringent legal considerations, Native American art remains a top seller Last June, after toiling for 40 years as an advertising executive, Joe Zeller retired. Five months later, he opened River Trading Post in East Dundee, Ill., sparked by his intense appreciation of Native American art that developed during the several years he spent visiting Navajo country and the pueblos of the Southwest. In a building harking back to 1855, Zeller focuses primarily on high-end Navajo weavings and Pueblo pottery and also carries beaded items, artifacts created by the Plains people and sculptures by Jemez Pueblo artist Cliff Fragua. He also faces the "huge challenges in selling Native American art that are totally different from selling traditional art" he said. Legal Challenges The primary challenge, according to many involved in Native American art, from creators to curators, show directors to gallery owners, involves understanding and adhering to the laws governing the genre. One of the main laws, the Indian Arts and Crafts Act of 1990, strictly defines what can be termed "Native American art" in essence making it illegal to display or sell any art or craft in a manner that falsely suggests it is Indian-produced. Under the act, an Indian is defined as a member of any federal- or state-recognized Indian tribe or an individual certified as an Indian artisan by an Indian tribe. This "truth-in-advertising" law makes it illegal, for example, to sell or market items as "Indian jewelry" that are produced by someone who is not a member--or a certified artisan--of a recognized Indian tribe. Businesses that violate the act for the first time can face civil penalties or can be prosecuted and fined up to $1 million. Another law, the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act of 1990, primarily affects museums but can also influence galleries that deal in artifacts. It requires that museums must return all remains and artifacts to any tribe that requests them and can prove a "cultural affiliation" with the tribe from which they came. Said Zeller, "Selling an artifact that contains eagle feathers could put both the buyer and seller in jail. Selling an ancient pot that was recovered from public lands will produce the same result." Demand Continues to Grow These challenges, however, have not caused the public's interest in Native American art--whether jewelry, weavings, pottery, sculpture or paintings--or those items created in a Native American style to wane. Indeed, officials reportedly expect the new Smithsonian Institution's National Museum of the American Indian, scheduled to open late next year between the Capitol building and the National Air and Space Museum in Washington, D.C., to draw six million visitors annually. According to Thomas W. Sweeney (Citizen Potawatomi), director of public affairs, the museum "is dedicated to presenting the historical and contemporary cultures and cultural achievements of Native Americans in direct collaboration with these communities" Other established Indian art museums and festivals already draw large crowds. The Eiteljorg Indian Market, held each year since 1992 in Indianapolis, is an offshoot of the Eiteljorg Museum of American Indians and Western Art, which opened in 1989. According to Festival Manager Cynthia Schoolcraft, the Eiteljorg Market "helps bring the objects of the museum to life by showing that Native American art is not the art of the past but art that is being done presently and continues past traditions while at the same time expanding in new directions." All work shown at the market adheres to the Arts and Crafts Act and also must be original or a limited hand-produced reproduction. The festival maintains annual attendance of approximately 8,000 guests, with 120 to 130 artists showing and selling their work. As with most fine art purchasers, those who buy Native American art tend to be upscale professionals who fall into two distinct categories, said Zeller. "The first are the Native American art junkies who surround themselves with pottery, weavings, painting and sculpture. The second is the person who will use an exceptional weaving or pottery piece as an accent to a decor that is anything but Native American. In fact, my own opinion is that the greatest growth potential in this market is among those who use Native American art as an accent to their living environments" At Joan Cawley Gallery, a Southwestern and contemporary gallery in Arizona, owner Joan Cawley said she "sells American Indian art as part of the mainstream of American art and not as a separate entity" She said that this art moves well in the southwestern United States but has a market worldwide. "The images are American and are really part of the history of the North American continent," she said. "There is a romantic quality that surrounds the American Indian and his survival under the difficult circumstances in adjusting to the tremendous numbers of Europeans who poured into America." This conjures aspects of another challenge Zeller described. "It is vital that anybody selling Native American art have an understanding of Native American cultural values and understand the fine line that divides a symbiotic relationship with the artist and trespassing on age-old customs and beliefs," he said. Michael McCormick, owner of Michael McCormick's JD Challenger Studio/Gallery in Taos, N.M., agreed. "It's a sensitive issue" he said. "One hopes that whatever is offered is done with dignity, respect and honor." Bringing Native American Art to Galleries That said, gallery owners generally concur that Native American art can be incorporated into any gallery with the understanding that it is art--pure and simple--and not necessarily a separate entity. "For some people, it's a very sensitive issue," said McCormick, whose 4,000-square-foot gallery focuses on an eclectic array of artists as well as JD Challenger, who is not Native American but paints Native American subjects and themes. "For me, art is art, whatever that is" Zeller said he believes there are three keys to successfully marketing Native American art. "The first is to consider the piece itself. The beauty, the craftsmanship, the artist and the end product" he said. "The second is to consider that the object was created by a Native American person and reflects aspects of great cultures that were passed down through generations, far earlier than the first encounter with white people. Third is that Native American art can be beautifully and effectively integrated into just about any decor." Zeller further described sculpture as one of the easiest media to bridge the gap between a strictly Native American art gallery and a more traditional gallery. Additionally, a new breed of artists, both Native American and not, are blurring the boundaries of Native American art, not legally but in the minds of viewers. Many Indian artists are moving into realms that transcend what is "traditionally" considered Native American art. Examples include acclaimed artist John Nieto, who recently created "Olympic Power Suite," a series of three paintings for the Winter 2002 Olympic Games in Salt Lake City, and Kevin Red Star, who was educated at both the Institute of American Indian Art and the San Francisco Art Institute and who terms himself a "romanticist." These are just two artists of Native American descent whose work includes flat canvases and oils, acrylics and watercolors, media which are not often favored by more traditional Native American artists. Additionally, many non-Indian artists are incorporating the style, emotions and subject matter traditionally considered Native American into their works. Joseph T. Triano, who says he is "100 percent Italian" but "belongs to the family of man," is one such painter. While Triano described his work as having a strong Western flavor, for the past 10 years, his subject matter and style have been distinctly Native American-esque. In fact, his resume says he is "dedicated to presenting the story of the Native American through his paintings." "Every time I sit down to sketch or draw, it's what comes out," Triano said unapologetically. "I don't really have a choice. I'm very in-tune to what the spirit tells me to do" in portraying a certain feeling or emotion. Triano, who prefers to create his large-format (up to 50 by 40 inches plus framing) work in acrylics for the medium's color and luminosity possibilities, paints each of his pieces one at a time. "I like to concentrate and let it take me where it will take me," he said. "What I am painting is not detached from me. It is me." Although Cawley acknowledged that Native American art is "art by Native American Indians," she continued to say that, "through the years, many talented Anglo artists have painted the subject matter of the American Indian culture, especially portraiture of American Indians, and have become famous," she said. "There is a growth in the interest of American Indian art" Cawley said, "and I anticipate that this growth will continue." McCormick agreed, while offering the following caveat for those who would sell Native American art. "Market with dignity, class, sophistication, full disclosure and taste," he said. "Any business at best can be brutal, but that's how many of us feed our families. Compromise with heart and mind." |
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