Opening: Art in the Garden: Elements of the Earth: Contemporary Native Sculpture

Elements of the Earth: Contemporary Native Sculpture opens at the Santa Fe Botanical Garden (SFBG) June 1, 2024, and includes some of the most important indigenous artists working in sculpture today. The artists selected to participate in this exhibition are Doug Hyde (Assiniboine, Nez Pearce, Chippewa), Tammy Garcia (Santa Clara), Upton Ethelbah Jr. (Santa Clara, White Mountain Apache), Kathleen Wall (Jemez), Adrian Wall (Jemez), Cliff Fragua (Jemez), and Sean Flanagan (Taos Pueblo).

When looking at the contemporary Indigenous sculpture being created in the Southwest, two main elements stand out: the medium and the subject matter. When it comes to life-sized monumental sculptural works, the art is either hand-carved in alabaster, limestone, stone, or marble or cast in bronze or metal.

The artists, on the other hand, move back and forth between working in both natural materials and cast bronze. Regardless, it is a labor-intensive hands-on creative process that requires an eye for design and the ability to render their subjects life-sized.

The subject matter for all these artists, who are still actively involved in the creative process, is drawn from their engagement in the ceremonial and social life of the communities where they live, and they draw inspiration from the cultural heritage of their people.