The Marion Art Center’s latest installation focuses and pays homage to Native American works of art. To accomplish that, Executive Director Jodi Stevens networked and found a trio of artists whose art bear that theme. From traditional Native American regalia to inspired portraits of chiefs and woodcarvings harkening totem poles, the MAC is once again sharing the wonders of artistic expression in all its magnificence.
When we visited the MAC, Stevens was putting the finishing touches for the exhibit in the two galleries where works done by Vincent Mancini, Makerjake aka Jacob Ginga, and Max Brown-Garcia are now on display.
The trio’s works of visual splendor complement one another in terms of theme and Native American art but also inform the visitor that this genre is alive and thriving in the 21st century. Each artist reaches into Native American culture seeking inspiration that has aided him in his journey to create pieces of art that feel both familiar and new.
Vincent Mancini tells of his first exposure to Native American culture when at a very young age his family attended annual powwows. He would become so enthralled by the people, the music and the regalia as to find himself years later still thinking about the events. “Those powwows touched me and stayed with me.” Now, albeit many years later, the artist creates pieces that honors the original inhabitants of these lands using new techniques as well as natural elements.
Mancini’s works incorporate the use of naturally molted feathers affixed to canvas, creating what may be described as feather mosaics but what he calls “feather delineation.” He is especially drawn to wild turkey feathers, whose iridescent feathers have become portraits of beloved and well-known Native Americans such as Geronimo and Chief Weetamoo.
To create his version of Geronimo, Mancini used the subtle color and tonal variations of the feathers, painstakingly gluing 1-inch-square feather tiles to a canvas. The process took more than six months, he said. After years of perfecting the technique of using feathers to create art, his portraits demonstrate how powerfully shading can depict muscle tone and facial features not with conventional paints, pastels or charcoals but from the colors imbued in the feathers.
“I’ve always been an outdoor person,” Mancini shared, and from the many hours he immersed himself in outdoor pursuits he would always collect feathers found along the way. But it would be the wild turkey feathers that provide the basis of many for his creations.
On the first-floor gallery upon entering the space that initially greets MAC visitors is Geronimo, a large canvas covered in shades of brown, gray, black and ivory created from hundreds of tiny, hand-cut feathers placed with precision. “I wanted it to look like pixels on a TV screen,” Mancini explained. And while that is the end result, the clarity of the image leaves no room for guesswork – it is clearly Geronimo.
Although he is not himself of Native American heritage, Mancini pushes the viewer to think about stereotypes and that our collective expectations of Native American culture should continue to evolve and be supportive.
Makerjake does have Native American DNA and feels deeply connected to those ancestorial roots through his mother and grandfather. His DNA also is saturated with talent in beadwork and the making of regalia. So it isn’t surprising that, while he feels as if his feet are planted in two worlds, “Native American and colonial,” he draws primary inspiration from tribal themes.
That is not to say Makerjake’s work isn’t contemporary. Using three-dimensional laser programs and tools, Makerjake creates a fusion of street art mixed with indigenous themes. There are lizards, fish and faces that are reminiscent of totem-pole carvings now reimagined. Many of his pieces give the sense of woodblock carvings and prints, a creative style he said he is going to continue to explore.
Of the works on exhibit, Makerjake said, “The layered wooden pieces have evolved over time.” He calls them pieces of “visual storytelling.”
The third artist, Max Brown-Garcia, shares his interpretation of traditional regalia. Feathered headpieces, along with bustles and implements, add a rich layer of heritage and skill in the making of ceremonial costumes and associated pieces. He explained that eagle feathers, claws and other animal elements can be obtained through registration with the U.S. Department of Fish and Wildlife, which distributes materials to Native Americans for such important creative and religious pursuits.
Brown-Garcia is new to the art world in terms of displaying his crafts, but he has been creating wearable art for many years. He shared that he is fully enjoying the opportunity presented through this show and where it may lead. He said he would pursue other exhibition venues in the future and possibly the concept of creating decorative works.
Talent in Native American crafting runs through Brown-Garcia’s family. “My mother is well known for her beadwork.” He also credited his mother, Nancy Brown-Garcia, for getting him interested in learning how to make male regalia pieces. He is a member of the Narragansett tribe and believes, as his ancestors believed, “these gifts are not ours.” They belong to everyone.
This MAC show can easily be called one of the best yet. Full of color, singularly unique in imagery, and reaching deeply into the united spirit and visual poetry we all need. One feels a reverence in every corner and every space in the galleries, a reverence for nature and for humankind – a reverence emitting from the art itself.
A full, in-person artists’ reception is planned for Friday, February 25, from 5:00pm to 7:00pm. The gallery is open on Thursday through Saturday between 10:00am and 2:00pm. The exhibit Exploring Native American Culture: Art, Craft and Inspiration runs from now through March 25.
Marion Art Center
By Marilou Newell