This week kicks off the Contemporary Perspectives: A Series, a monthly program of curatorial talks and walks that broaden understanding and observations about not only Allan Houser’s work, but also contemporary issues facing American Indian artists and communities.
Wednesday, May 25 presents “Native Modernism” with Truman Lowe (Ho-Chunk)
- Curator and contemporary artist Truman Lowe explores the works of Allan Houser within the context of Native Modernism. Lowe was the first Curator of Contemporary Native Arts at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of the American Indian in Washington D.C., where he curated the inaugural exhibition, Native Modernism: the Art of Allan Houser and George Morrison in 2005.
Lowe recently retired from of the Sculpture Department at the University of Wisconsin-Madison to focus on his own artwork. Don’t miss his show in Gates Garden Court Gallery, Between the Real and the Imagined, May 19 – August 7, 2011.
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Truman Lowe, Mnemonic Study3, wood, wire and paper, 2011.
The Gardens hosts an unprecedented exhibition with new works created by contemporary artist Truman Lowe (Ho-Chunk) in Between the Real and the Imagined , May 19 – August 7, 2011, in Gates Garden Court Gallery. Meet the artist at the opening reception on May 26, 5:30 – 8 p.m.
Lowe creates a site-specific installation spanning the Lobby Court and Gates Garden Court Gallery, responding to the strong presence of water in the Gardens and reflecting the moving water motif recurrent throughout his career. Borrowing many of the themes and techniques inspired by the beadwork, split-plait basketry and canoe building of his childhood, he constructs sculptures and 2-dimensional objects out of natural materials. The effect of his work triggers the senses, evoking the sound of water, the smell of the forest floor and warmth of sunlight through the trees. Read more about this show in the Westword.
Lowe grew up in the Ho-Chunk community along the Black River in northern Wisconsin. He has
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In support of our 2011 exhibition, Native Roots | Modern Form: Plants, Peoples and the Art of Allan Houser, we have partnered with the International Institute for Indigenous Resource Management (IIIRM) to present a year-long film series highlighting indigenous voices and issues from around the world. Showing on Saturday, May 14 at 2:30 p.m.:
Allan Houser Haozous: The Lifetime Work of an American Master (1998) 54 min. Presented by Allan Houser Inc., Directed by Phil Lucas
Curator of Allan Houser, Inc., David Rettig will be available for a Q & A after the film.
Allan Houser working on "Breaking Camp During Wartime", a mural for the U.S. Department of the Interior in Washington D.C., c.1938. Photo courtesy of Allan Houser Foundation Archives.
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The Gardens and Denver Art Museum Douglas Society present “Unconquered: The Art of Allan Houser, American Master” lecture with W. Jackson Rushing, III, Ph.D on Wednesday, May 11, 2011. A book signing will follow the lecture.
Allan Houser, "Cerillos", 1993. Bronze. Courtesy of Allan Houser, Inc. Photo by: Peter Vitale.
Dr. Rushing is professor of Art History at the University of Oklahoma, and author of Allan Houser: An American Master, the first comprehensive study of the artist’s entire career. Dr. Rushing will speak on Houser and his significant contributions to the field of sculpture and Native American arts, placing Houser’s work in the context within 20th century art.
May 11, 2011, 6:30 p.m. at Denver Botanic Gardens in Mitchell Hall.
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Denver Botanic Gardens proudly presents Native Roots | Modern Form: Plants, Peoples and the Art of Allan Houser (May 1- November 13, 2011), a multidisciplinary appreciation of American Indian cultural and botanical heritage. Sculptures by world-renowned American Modernist Allan Houser (Warm Springs Chiricahua Apache, 1914-1994) inspire a look at the Gardens’ native plant collections and their Native American ethnobotanical uses. By bringing together the work of Allan Houser and ethnobotanical plants used by American Indian tribes, Denver Botanic Gardens aims to deepen visitors’ appreciation of Native arts and the value of plants in our daily lives.
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In support of our 2011 exhibition, Native Roots | Modern Form: Plants, Peoples & the Art of Allan Houser, we are partnering with the International Institute for Indigenous Resource Management (IIIRM) to present a year-long film series highlighting indigenous voices and issues from around the world.
Films are free to the public; a suggested donation of $5 supports public programming at IIIRM and Denver Botanic Gardens.
Showing April 19, 2011 at 7 p.m.: The Gift of Pachamama (El Regalo de la Pachamama), Director Toshifumi Matsushita. Bolivia/Japan, 2008. 102 minutes
In Quechua and Aymara with English subtitles. Family-friendly.
"Pachamama" Directed by Toshifumi Matsushita, 2008
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Denver International Airport presents Wild Harvest: Illustrating Ethnobotanicals featuring 32 botanical illustrations from the Botanical Art and Illustration Program at Denver Botanic Gardens and material culture from the University of Denver Museum of Anthropology. The installation explores ethnobotany, the relationship between people and their uses of plants.
(Populus tremuloides by Jan Boyd Haring)
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In support of our 2011 exhibition Native Roots|Modern Form: Plants, Peoples & the Art of Allan Houser, we have partnered with the International Institute for Indigenous Resource Management (IIIRM) to present a year-long film series highlighting indigenous voices and issues from around the world.
On Thursday, March 24, 2011, we present two films from modern-day storyteller and Director R.J. Joseph (Cree): Carriers of Culture and Peyote Man. Q&A with R.J. Joesph will follow the films.
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