Currently on view at the Santa Fe Botanical Garden is the exhibition Elements of the Earth: Contemporary Native Sculpture.For one year, the exhibition highlights the large scultpural works of Native American artists, including Doug Hyde (Assiniboine/Nez Pearce/Chippewa), Tammy Garcia (Santa Clara Pueblo), Upton Ethelbah Jr. (Santa Clara Pueblo/White Mountain Apache), Kathleen Wall (Jemez Pueblo), Adrian Wall (Jemez Pueblo), Cliff Fragua (Jemez Pueblo) and Sean Flanagan (Taos Pueblo).
Upton Ethelbah Jr. (Greyshoes) (Santa Clara/White Mountain Apache), Shalako II, bronze
“We are continually amazed by the quality of the work being created in the region and throughout the Southwest,” says David A. Young, executive director of the SFBG, who co-curated the exhibition with Joshua Rose. “The organic quality and materials of this work makes it a perfect fit for the Botanical Garden, which is located on the ancestral homeland of the Tewa people and where we highlight the use of indigenous plants in the landscape.”
Doug Hyde (Assiniboine/Nez Pearce/Chippewa), Hopi Evening Butterfly
When looking at contemporary Indigenous sculpture being created in the Southwest, Young and Rose add that 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,” they say. “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.”
Upton Ethelbah Jr. (Greyshoes) (Santa Clara/White Mountain Apache), Kiva Woman II, bronze
Attendees are privy to impressive sculptural displays like Fragua’s works in stone, which were learned through the artist’s cultural and ancestral teachings. “Based on Native American themes, my work shows pride for the pueblo culture and a deep understanding of the inherent spirituality of the stone,” he notes. “I have chosen stone as my medium of expression because it is a combination of the basic elements of the earth. I feel the honesty and purity of this most basic of material permits me to express myself from the heart, and to express the spirit that Native people respect and revere as embodied in the stone.”
Doug Hyde (Assiniboine/Nez Pearce/Chippewa), People of the Red Tail Hawk, bronze
Also sculpting in stone is Ethelbah, also known as Greyshoes, who is inspired by the dances and ceremonies of the Native American tribes of the Southwest. “I capture the essence of my subjects in a stylized approach, rather than a realistic one,” he explains.
For his life-size bronze piece Shalako II, he shares that it was first sculpted in Portuguese marble at 34 inches high. “This piece is inspired by the Shalako ceremony, which is performed in December, and is one of the most important events in the Zuni religious calendar,” says the artist. “Six men wear wooden frames 10 feet tall covered with dance kilts, topped with masks of the face of Shalako—a deity or divine being. They dance throughout the night, embodying the spirits and visiting specific houses in the Zuni Pueblo…”
Elements of the Earth: Contemporary Native Sculpture features 15 pieces of sculpture around the Santa Fe Botanical Garden, and will close for viewing on May 30 of next year. —
Elements of the Earth: Contemporary Native Sculpture
Through May 30, 2025
Santa Fe Botanical Garden
715 Camino Lejo, Santa Fe, NM 87505
(505) 471-9103, www.santafebotanicalgarden.org
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