State of the Arts

State of the Arts: September 11, 2012 Archive

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A Naskapi hunting coat with a French flair

Posted at 9:27 AM on September 11, 2012 by Marianne Combs (3 Comments)
Filed under: Culture, Fashion, Museums

As someone who gets wander the halls of the Minneapolis Institute of Arts on a regular basis, I've got to say, the Native American Art galleries just keep looking better and better.

Associate Curator Joe Horse Capture says, thanks to a generous donation from MIA trustee and former Target CEO Bob Uhlrich, the MIA has been able to add several outstanding pieces to its collection.

As we look overall at regional museums that are our peers, the quality of our collection is rising and we're working our way to the top. There are certain areas of our collection that I look forward to expanding, but certainly in the past few years key acquisitions have dramatically increased the quality of our collection.

One of those recent acquisitions is a Naskapi hunting coat which Horse Capture believes dates back to the mid-18th Century (he's waiting on the results of pigment tests to confirm this).

Hunting-coat_0823.jpg
Naskapi - or Innu - hunting coat
Image courtesy of the Minneapolis Institute of Arts

The Naskapi, also known as the Innu, are traditionally located in Canada's Quebec and Newfoundland/Labrador provinces. Horse Capture says this type of coat was worn by a man hunting caribou, which was considered a holy occupation. Traditional beliefs held that the Lord of the Caribou sent animals from the sacred mountain for hunters to harvest.

The hunter would have a sacred vision in which he would dream specific designs, which he would then share with his wife. She would interpret these designs and embellish them on a coat. This beautifully decorated coat would be worn while he was hunting. This would please the soul of the caribou, so when the caribou was harvested, his soul would go back to the mountain, so the Lord of the Caribou would release more for the people.

In other words, a failure to respect the caribou would mean fewer caribou for the Naskapi people in the future.(Editor's note: see comments)

Hunting-coat_detail.jpg
Naskapi women would incorporate designs their husband saw in dreams into the designs of hunting coats.
Image courtesy of the Minneapolis Institute of Arts

Once the hunting season was over, the coat's sacred power would fade and the coats were often traded or sold to the French, in exchange for French garments such as the "Justaucorps." Horse Capture says you can see the influence of French style on this particular hunting coat.

The French had already been in the area for years. As this type of coat (justaucorps) was traded with the Naskapi, the women began using it as inspiration for their own garments.

Hunting-coat_2.jpg
As Native Americans and French settlers traded, Naskapi women began incorporating French fashion elements into their own work.
Image courtesy of the Minneapolis Institute of Arts

Horse Capture says of the 60 or so similar hunting coats in collections around the world, this is the finest example to appear on the market in the past ten years.

(3 Comments)

On 9/11, Franconia remembers Michael Richards

Posted at 1:01 PM on September 11, 2012 by Marianne Combs (1 Comments)
Filed under: People, Public Art, Sculpture

Today the folks at Franconia Sculpture Park are remembering a great artist and good friend who died in the attacks on the World Trade Center 11 years ago today.

RichardsMemorial.jpg
Image courtesy Franconia Sculpture Park

The public is invited tonight to the dedication the permanent installation of the late artist Michael Richards' sculpture "Are You Down?"

Richards was born in Brooklyn, New York and raised in Kingston, Jamaica. Franconia Artistic Director John Hock says Richards was an internationally recognized artist in the midst of a promising career.

In 2000, Michael received an FSP/Jerome Fellowship at Franconia Sculpture Park. During his residency he created the sculpture "Are You Down?" It's a multi-layered artwork that raises awareness of the Tuskegee Airmen's impact on World War II and the history of achieving civil rights for African-Americans.

After working at Franconia, Michael was selected as artist-in-residence for 'World Views', Lower Manhattan Cultural Council's residency program in the World Trade Center. Michael was working in his studio during the September 11, 2001 attacks on the World Trade Center.

RichardsMemorial3A.jpg
Michael Richards, standing next to his work "Tar Baby vs. St. Sebastian"; many of Richards' works were inspired by the Tuskegee Airmen
Image: The Studio Museum in Harlem

Hock says that while Richards was working on the original "Are You Down?" - which is made of fiberglass resin - he mentioned that he eventually wanted to cast it in bronze, but he never got the chance. In the years since his death the resin sculpture - still at Franconia - began to deteriorate.

In order to honor Michael Richards's life and legacy, the staff and Board of Directors at Franconia Sculpture Park have discussed ways to make the artwork permanently on display at the park. Rubber molds were taken off of the original work in order for it to be recreated in bronze, which is an archival material. Hundreds of hours of volunteer time went into restoring "Are You Down?". The East Central Regional Arts Council provided two grants of $15,000 each to help fund the project and we launched a Kickstarter project to raise the additional $14,603 to help with the remaining costs and installation.

RichardsMemorial1A.jpg
In "Are You Down?" three parachutists who have fallen from the sky sit disconsolate on the ground in what appear to be puddles of tar.
Image courtesy Franconia Sculpture Park

"Are You Down?" is composed of three life-sized human figures, cast from Richards' own face and body. They represent three downed aviators from the all-black Tuskegee Airmen's Squadron of the Second World War. Hock says the work speaks not only of the exhilaration of flight but also of the dreams of freedom that have crashed to the ground.

During his tragically short career, Richards' work challenged oppression and addressed issues of social injustice. Are You Down? is a multi-layered sculpture that raises awareness of the Tuskegee Airmen's impact on World War II and the history of achieving civil rights for African Americans. The sculpture not only memorializes and preserves Richards' artistic legacy, but also carries with it the weight of this pivotal moment in U.S. history.

This is the first permanent installation at Franconia Sculpture Park. Normally the park's exhibition is constantly changing. However Hock says Richards' death was significant both for the immediate community and the country, and merits this remembrance.

(1 Comments)
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