NATIVE ARTS

Animating Our Voices

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Our events and projects create space for cultural arts and lifeways to catalyze cultural revitalization, community renewal, public education and healing. We provide opportunities for Native communities to animate our voices, engaging in intergenerational, traditionally grounded, immersion experiences such as carving and weaving workshops, internships, youth programs, media trainings, Indigenous agricultural science and art exhibits. These gatherings foster community connection and storytelling, traditional artistic expressions, Native science practices and diverse Indigenous worldviews through integrative practice.

 
Art by Jhon Jairo Valencia, commissioned for our seed packets

Art by John Jairo Valencia, commissioned for our seed packets

Through our work in Native Arts, we:

Provide spaces and resources to produce, conserve and distribute art created by and for Native communities

Produce and distribute art works with Native voices & vision

Facilitate arts collaborations, training, and education with Native communities and individuals

Embody holistic Indigenous ways of being by integrating art into all our lifeways

 

 Virtual Exhibits

 
 

 Art Collaborations

Institutional and organizational collaborators

 
Ka Haka 2019 was hosted by The Cultural Conservancy and Te Ara Poutama - the Faculty of Māori & Indigenous Development at Auckland University of Technology (AUT), with support from Ngā Pae o te Māramatanga (University of Auckland). Cover art by …

Ka Haka 2019 was hosted by The Cultural Conservancy and Te Ara Poutama - the Faculty of Māori & Indigenous Development at Auckland University of Technology (AUT), with support from Ngā Pae o te Māramatanga (University of Auckland). Cover art by Joanne Barker.

Art forms

  • carving

  • basketweaving

  • canoe making

  • painting

  • songs

  • music

  • storytelling

  • performance

  • dance

  • audiovisual

Long-time collaborator and master carver Wikuki Kingi (Maori) of Pou Kapua Creations in front of his Moku sculpture

Long-time collaborator and master carver Wikuki Kingi (Maori) of Pou Kapua Creations in front of his Moku sculpture

Indigenous artist collaborators

Art by Jackie Fawn commissioned by The Cultural Conservancy to honor teachers Kathy Wallace and Diana Almendariz

Art by Jackie Fawn commissioned by The Cultural Conservancy to honor teachers Kathy Wallace and Diana Almendariz

Artist Collaborations

For decades, we have been partnering with individual Indigenous artists to support their work creating art, training community and youth in specific traditional and new art skills, creating and curating spaces for creation and distribution, and documenting their work.

Mana of the Trees - Tonu Shane and Koa Stevens

Currently, we are collaborating closely with father and son artists Tonu Shane and Koa Stevens, with whom we have been working since 1997. Find out more about our history and our latest collaborative project, Mana of the Trees:

 
Tonu Shane and Koa Stevens, long-time partners of TCC and artists in- and out-of-residence, with the Healing Pole that was installed in the Bronx Zoo

Tonu Shane and Koa Stevens, long-time partners of TCC and artists in- and out-of-residence, with the Healing Pole that was installed in the Bronx Zoo

 

Guardians of the Waters - Canoe Revitalization

 

Pacific Canoe and Navigation Projects

Historic traditional Polynesian 72-foot double hulled vaka, Haunui, sails past Alcatraz in the SF Bay in 2011, taking part of the Pacific Voyagers, Te Mana o Te Moana expedition and World Tribe Canoe Project. TCC helped coordinate the visit to the L…

Historic traditional Polynesian 72-foot double hulled vaka, Haunui, sails past Alcatraz in the SF Bay in 2011, taking part of the Pacific Voyagers, Te Mana o Te Moana expedition and World Tribe Canoe Project. TCC helped coordinate the visit to the Lake Tahoe Paddle Festival. Photo by Mark Hoffman

Maori partner Wikuki Kingi with carved paddle and spear gifted to the Washoe tribe at Lake Tahoe in 2011

Maori partner Wikuki Kingi with carved paddle and spear gifted to the Washoe tribe at Lake Tahoe in 2011

 

Native California Canoe Projects

L Frank and youth group in front of the historic Tongva Tiiat plank canoe TCC sponsored at the California Academy of Sciences

L Frank and youth group in front of the historic Tongva Tiiat plank canoe TCC sponsored at the California Academy of Sciences

Tule reeds, traditional material for Native Californian boat-making

Tule boat and dugout canoe at Bioneers Canoe Ceremony in 2012, led by TCC

Tule boat and dugout canoe at Bioneers Canoe Ceremony in 2012, led by TCC

 
 
 

 The Sculpture Garden of Native Science and Learning

The Cultural Conservancy is collaborating with The Native American Academy to create the Sculpture Garden of Native Science and Learning, which will establish a living 3-dimensional library, a place dedicated to the study of Native science within its own worldview, and following traditional practices, protocols and values. Instead of creating a library composed of books, because Indigenous knowledge is carried in symbol, glyph and form, this will be a library of multimedia sculptures and artworks.

 
Nu-chal-nuth pole by Joe Martin, a key collaborator in this project

Nu-chal-nuth pole by Joe Martin, a key collaborator in this project

View Rose Imai’s The Children’s Series and purchase prints - all proceeds will go towards building the Sculpture Garden of Native Science and Learning

 

 Basketweaving

We have collaborated for decades with basketweavers and basketweaver organizations, such as the California Indian Basketweavers Association

 
Coiled basket tray holding miniature feather basket, by Redbird Ed Willie (Pomo and Wailaki)

Coiled basket tray holding miniature feather basket, by Redbird Ed Willie (Pomo and Wailaki)

Native Californian tule twined basket with clamshell beads by Diana Almendariz (Maidu/Wintun), given as gift to Aymara community museum in Santiago de Okola, Bolivia as part of a tule weaving gift exchange

Native Californian tule twined basket with clamshell beads by Diana Almendariz (Maidu/Wintun), given as gift to Aymara community museum in Santiago de Okola, Bolivia as part of a tule weaving gift exchange

Basket and soaproot brush made by Julia Parker (Kashaya Pomo)

Basket and soaproot brush made by Julia Parker (Kashaya Pomo)

Youth participants of Guardians of the Waters program weave tule baskets

Youth participants of Guardians of the Waters program weave tule baskets

 

Image credits:
Photos by Mateo Hinojosa, L Frank Manriquez, Melissa K. Nelson, Nícola Wagenberg
Photo Tryptich left to right: Wikuki Kingi holds his sculpture, Eddie Madril teaches hoop dancing
Photo of Haunui vaka in front of Alcatraz by Mark Hoffman
Sculpture featured in banner by Dempsey Bob
Sculpture in banner of pomo canoe by Redbird Ed Willie
Drawing in Guardians of the Waters Exhibit button by Jhon Jairo Valencia
Basket featured in Knowledge of Place Exhibit button by Robin Rorick
Miniature canoe and rider with basket sculpture by George “Pordy” Blake