Ryan Moreno Si’al, Artist Talk & Exhibit Celebration

Ryan Moreno Si’al

Artist Talk/Exhibit Celebration

Saturday, May 24th, 11 am – 12 pm

This is a FREE Event

Ryan Moreno Si’al is an emerging visual artist from the Tohono O’odham Nation whose unique perspective evokes phantasmic echoes of time and space. Through light and careful consideration of spatial approaches, he explores the environments people both create and destroy. He thoughtfully delves into settings with a sense of emptiness and abandonment holding space for the viewer’s own reflections.

Ryan invites his viewers to engage with his work to find personal interpretations of the images that hold stories from the past and potentialities for the future. Rooted in his cultural and personal experiences, Ryan’s artistic perspective reflects his view of the world. Growing up between Chuk-Son (Tucson) and the Tohono O’odham Nation, Ryan draws from his influences from films and music to create his art, oftentimes reflecting on the relationship between humans and the natural world.

The series “Phantasm” speaks to stories of past lives left untold. The images provoke the imagination and invite one to contemplate what was, what is now, and what is possible in crafting the future together.

Currently, Ryan continues his artistic journey in Tucson, AZ. His work can be found at Ryanmoreno.art.

Ryan’s exhibit Phantasm will be on exhibit through November 30, 2025.

We hope you will join us to celebrate the work of Ryan Moreno Si’al.

His Amerind talk will be on Saturday at Amerind’s Fulton-Hayden Memorial Art Gallery.

Image: Playground, B&W Photograph, Ryan Moreno Si’al

America Meredith – Artist Talk & Exhibit Celebration

“Extremis Malis Extrema Remedia”, 2010, acrylic/canvas, America Meredith
America Meredith
Artist/Editor of First American Art Magazine
Artist Talk/Exhibit Celebration
Saturday, April 5, 11 am to noon, at Amerind
Artist, curator, art critic, and editor America Meredith (Cherokee Nation) is a celebrated contemporary artist of international stature. She is currently holding a mid-career retrospective at Amerind

Woman of Her Word: Art and Text of America Meredith. Come learn about her art and work as editor of the highly influential First American Art Magazine.

As an artist, she explores the intersections between language and image, between Native and non-Native cultures, and between humans and other living beings.

America Meredith earned her MFA from the San Francisco Art Institute and BFA from the University of Oklahoma. She has exhibited in the US, Canada, Europe, and Asia. She was the 2018 Sequoyah Fellow at Northeastern State University, won the 2018 Cherokee National Historical Society Contemporary Achievement Award, was a 2009 Artist Fellow of the National Museum of the American Indian, and won the Institute of American Indian Art’s Distinguished Alumni Award for Excellence in Contemporary Native American Arts.

Her Amerind talk will be on Saturday, April 5, 11 am to noon
at Amerind’s Fulton-Hayden Memorial Art Gallery

This is a FREE Event

(Detail of the painting) “St. Brendan: He Came, He Saw, He Went Back Home”, 2002, acrylic/canvas, America Meredith

Indigenous Art with Artist America Meredith

St. Brendan: He Came, He Saw, He Went Back Home, America Meredith, 2002, Acrylic/canvas

Indigenous Art with America Meredith (Cherokee Nation)

Artist/Editor of First American Art Magazine
Free Public Talk, Wednesday, April 2nd, 7-8 pm
at the Tucson Museum of Art, downtown Tucson
AND
Saturday, April 5, 11 am to noon, at Amerind
Artist, curator, art critic, and editor America Meredith (Cherokee Nation) is a celebrated contemporary artist of international stature. She is currently holding a mid-career retrospective at Amerind Woman of Her Word: Art and Text of America Meredith. Come learn about her art and work as editor of the highly influential First American Art Magazine.

As an artist, she explores the intersections between language and image, between Native and non-Native cultures, and between humans and other living beings.

America Meredith earned her MFA from the San Francisco Art Institute and BFA from the University of Oklahoma. She has exhibited in the US, Canada, Europe, and Asia. She was the 2018 Sequoyah Fellow at Northeastern State University, won the 2018 Cherokee National Historical Society Contemporary Achievement Award, was a 2009 Artist Fellow of the National Museum of the American Indian, and won the Institute of American Indian Art’s Distinguished Alumni Award for Excellence in Contemporary Native American Arts.

Her Tucson talk will be held on Wednesday, April 2, 7-8 pm, at
Tucson Museum of Art
140 North Main Street
Stonewall Foundation Community Room
in the Alice Chaiten Baker Center for Art Education

Her Amerind talk will be on Saturday, April 5, 11 am to noon
at Amerind’s Fulton-Hayden Memorial Art Gallery

We hope you will come and meet this celebrated contemporary artist and learn about her art and her work as editor of the highly influential First American Art Magazine on April 2nd.

Thank you to our sponsor:

Tucson Symphony event with Raven Chacon

Join us for an Amerind in Tucson event with the Tucson Symphony

Friday, February 21, 2025, 7:30 pm

Sunday, February 23, 2025, 2:00 pm with preconcert talk at 1:00pm

at Linda Ronstadt Music Hall: 260 S. Church Ave. Tucson, AZ. (NW corner of city block, next to Convention Center parking garage)

Tickets:  $14-$95 available through the Tucson Symphony 

Dvořák and the American Experience

with Ravon Chacon: Inscription

a TSO Co- Commission

Paul Huang, who left TSO audiences spellbound in 2022, returns to perform Dvořák’s Violin Concerto, originally written for the composer’s friend, violinist Joseph Joachim. The concerto is accompanied by two of Dvořák’s Slavonic Dances. Written originally for piano duo while he was still relatively unknown, it was these dances that helped Dvořák achieve notoriety. Dvořák came to the U.S. later in life and wrote the New World Symphony, inspired by African-American spirituals. The concert’s second half features works by American composers with very different backgrounds: a TSO co-commissioned work by Arizona-born Raven Chacon, a 2023 MacArthur Genius Grant awardee, and Still’s Symphony No. 1, known as the “Afro-American.” Chacon, a member of the Navajo Nation, draws on relationships between the western and indigenous communities while Still drew from popular African-American music.

Raven Chacon has mentored over 300 high school Native Composers as part of the annual Grand Canyon Music Festival. He also won the 2022 Pulitzer Prize for Music for “Voiceless Mass”.

William Grant Still was the first African American to have his symphony performed by a major orchestra. His daughter, Judith, lives in Flagstaff, Arizona.

Featured Performers
Program
  • Antonín Dvořák: Slavonic Dance, Op. 72, No. 2
  • Dvořák: Slavonic Dance, Op. 46, No. 8
  • Dvořák: Violin Concerto
  • Raven Chacon: Inscription TSO Co-Commission
  • William Grant Still: Symphony No. 1, “Afro-American”

Please note:

  • This concert is available as part of a Classic Series or Create Your Own Subscription.
  • Linda Ronstadt Music Hall has a clear bag policy. Read more about this venue
  • The Friday concert only will be presented in the Classics With a Twist format: there will be on-stage introductions to the music and your chance to ask questions of the artists in a post-concert Q&A.
  • Friday’s concert is expected to last approximately 2 hours, including intermission.
  • The Sunday concert only will be preceded by Concert Comments,a pre-concert talk, beginning at 1:00 p.m.

This concert and the Raven Chacon project is underwritten by Shirley Chann with additional support from Linda Staubitz and the Amerind Foundation.

Poetry Reading with Kimberly Blaeser

Join the Amerind in Tucson

Thursday, January 30, 2025, 7:00 pm

Tom Sanders Memorial Reading: Kimberly Blaeser (White Earth Nation)

at the University of Arizona Poetry Center

1508 E. Helen St., Tucson, AZ 85719

Cost: Free

Amerind is proud to be one of the sponsors of this event.

The Tom Sanders Memorial Reading is an annual presentation in the Poetry Center’s Reading and Lecture series. Established by the generosity of Tom’s friends in 2017, this event features writers who were former students at the University of Arizona, writers who were formerly or currently members of the University of Arizona faculty, writers with strong ties to Southern Arizona, or University of Arizona Press authors. This year, The Poetry Center is proud to present Kimberly Blaeser.

Kimberly Blaeser, poet, photographer, and scholar, is past Wisconsin Poet Laureate and founding director of Indigenous Nations Poets. She is the author of six poetry collections including Ancient Light, Copper Yearning, and Résister en dansant/Ikwe-niimi: Dancing Resistance. Her photographs and picto-poems have appeared in exhibits such as “Visualizing Sovereignty,” and “No More Stolen Sisters.”

An enrolled member of White Earth Nation, Blaeser is an Anishinaabe activist and environmentalist whose accolades include a Lifetime Achievement Award from Native Writers’ Circle of the Americas. Blaeser is an MFA faculty member at Institute of American Indian Arts and Professor Emerita at University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee.

In addition to the in-person reading, most Reading & Lecture Series events are streamed live on the poetry center’s website.

Her title, Ancient Light, Poems, published by Uof A Press, is now available at the Amerind Museum Store for $18. Call 520-586-3666 for a copy.

 

Mata Ortiz Show & Sale

Mata Ortiz Show & Sale

Friday, February 14, 2025 – Sunday, February 16, 2025

10 am – 4 pm each day

Featuring award-winning artists Laura Bugarini, Hector Gallegos Jr., and Ramiro Veloz

Come out to Amerind’s Mata Ortiz Show and Sale and meet Award-winning artists and potters Hector Gallegos Jr., Laura Bugarini, and Ramiro Veloz from Mata Ortiz, Chihuahua, Mexico. Talk with this husband-and-wife team (Hector and Laura) and learn about their work and collaborations. Also, meet Ramiro Veloz and see all the incredible work that these artists have created. The artists will conduct demonstrations and pottery firings (weather permitting). You will have the opportunity watch the creation and to add a unique piece to your collection.

Also, on Friday, February 14, from 10 am-4 pm and Saturday from 10 am-3 pm, we will have a book signing with Award-Winning Author Charmayne Samuelson for her new book, Mata Ortiz Poetry of the Clay. This full-color, bilingual book features 24 contemporary potters and original poetry by Charmayne Samuelson.
She will also have her best-selling biography, SPENCER MacCALLUM Memories-Mystique-Mata Ortiz, a biography of the anthropologist who jump-started the Mata Ortiz pottery movement after meeting potter, farmer, and cowboy Juan Quezada.

This event is included with regular Museum admission.

Mata Ortiz Pottery Show & Sale

Mata Ortiz Pottery Show & Sale

Friday – Sunday

November 29 – December 1, 2024

10 am – 4 pm

Please join us Thanksgiving weekend for a show and Sale of Mata Ortiz Pottery featuring Master potter Oralia Lopez who will be demonstrating her work. Oralia is a second-generation potter from Mata Ortiz who is known for her flawless intricate painted geometric designs.  Oralia will also be bringing a collection of ceramics from other select potters living and working in Mata Ortiz.

Also, on Friday from 11 am-4 pm and Saturday 10 am-3 pm, we will have a book signing with Award-Winning Author Charmayne Samuelson for her new Mata Ortiz book, “POETRY OF THE CLAY, POESÍA DEL BARRO” is a bilingual, full-color photo book featuring 24 Mata Ortiz potters and enhanced by poetry by author, Charmayne Samuelson. Hard-backed case laminate, glossy paper, with full-page layouts of the potters and pottery.

She will also be signing her best-selling biography of Spencer MacCallum.

This event is included with Museum admission.

The Power of Pastel- Exhibit Celebration & Plein Air Paint Out

Saturday, October 5th

9 a.m. to 12 p.m. Plein Air Paint Out

1-2 p.m. Exhibit Celebration

Come and join us on Saturday, October 5th, from 1-2 pm as we celebrate the exhibit The Power of Pastel. This juried show of Tucson Pastel Society artists is a snapshot of the region’s many talented pastel artists, the uniqueness of each artist, and the many styles in which they paint. Come and enjoy the art and meet the artists as we celebrate this show.

This exhibit runs through November 30, 2024.

The Tucson Pastel Society will also be having a Plein Air Paint Out on the Amerind grounds from 9-12. You are invited to bring your paints or pastels and join them in this Plein Air Paint Out. All mediums are welcome. The artists also enjoy visiting with the public as they paint. Come out and paint or just observe a painting in progress before the celebration.

For more information, visit their website: Tucson Pastel Society.

This event is included with Museum admission.

* Please note: If you want to plein air paint beyond the picnic area or Yucca Park by hiking out onto the trails, you must check in with the admissions desk before going out. Thank you.

Amerind’s Comcáac (Seri) Art Show & Sale

Comcáac (Seri) Art Show & Sale

Saturday & Sunday, October 26 & 27, 10am – 4pm 

Visit the Amerind and learn about the art and culture of the Comcáac (Seri) people of Sonora, Mexico. Meet the artists behind these unique creations of Comcáac basketry, wood carvings, necklaces, and other beautifully crafted works of art for sale.

The Seri people of the desert and the sea are known for their beautiful arts and crafts, which include a long history of basket weaving and more recently wood carving and other crafts.

This event is included with Museum admission.

Amerind Autumn Fest

Amerind’s Annual Autumn Fest

Saturday, October 19, 2024

10 am – 4 pm

$10 per vehicle

Join Amerind at our Annual Autumn Fest as we celebrate the history, culture, and arts of the Apache Community.

Rich in tradition, history, and culture, Apache teachers, artists, and singers will hold a day-long cultural celebration at the Amerind Museum in Dragoon, Arizona.

Autumn Fest will feature live performances by musician Matthew Andrae (Jicarilla Apache) accomplished guitarist and singer-songwriter.

Public talks about Apache history from scholars:

Jeff Haozous (Fort Sill Apache) will present the following talks:
“Geronimo’s Road — the removal and ruination of the Chiricahua Apache Tribe”
11:45-12:45 Lecture in the Art Gallery
“Cochise’s Trees — the restoration and return of Chiricahua Apache people”
1:00-2:00 Lecture in the Art Gallery

Marcus C. Macktima,PhD (San Carlos Apache) will present the following talks:

“Civilizing” the Peoples: San Carlos Apache History, 1872-1900″ 

10:30-11:30 Lecture in Art Gallery

Prior to the colloquially named, “Apache Wars,” in the late nineteenth century, the Apachean peoples in Arizona Territory underwent a series of changes to their culture and hierarchies. The placement of Apachean peoples on reservations in the White Mountains and at the San Carlos Agency after the Camp Grant Massacre in 1871, fostered an environment where the federal government replaced the societal structures of the peoples and transformed the people into one that grew reliant on the government for all of their basic needs. Removals of Indigenous peoples throughout Arizona to the San Carlos Reservation altered the local community into a conglomerated peoples that proved problematic for all those involved. Moreover, the discovery of precious natural resources motivated Arizona officials to petition government entities to force a relinquishment of reservation territory for the benefit of the territory. The inclusion of all removed peoples on the reservation in determining such a change to reservation territory proved that the perception of identity was rooted in “reservation” politics, and also provided a means for government agents to accomplish its goals in developing a civilized American West. These changes and experiences primed the reservation for a moment in the 20th century that solidified the modern understanding of the San Carlos Reservation.

“Modernity as a Justification: The Coolidge Dam and Indian Reorganization, 1900-1930s”

2:15-3:15 Lecture in Art Gallery

As Arizona Territory moved into the 20th century, so did the Apachean peoples. The changes brought to the reservation in the 19th century, culminated in further diminishment of the Apachean identity. Furthermore, perceptions of the “San Carlos Indian” stemming from the previously fought “Apache Wars” made the peoples “expendable” in the eyes of the new settler government as water rights and issues for both settlers and the O’odham peoples in Central Arizona came to the forefront. The creation of the Coolidge Dam on the reservation, justified by Carl T. Hayden as a necessity to assist the O’odham people, hindered the ranching and farming capabilities of the San Carlos “Indians.” By the 1930s, the peoples underwent a significant change as they incorporated the Indian Reorganization Act into their new tribal government. Debates on its implications and implementations caused a political upheaval, and upon the establishment of the San Carlos Constitution, the peoples officially recognized all peoples on the reservation, including those removed to the reservation, as “Apache.”

We will have artist booths from various Indigenous artists who will be showing and selling their work, including: Oliver Enjady, paintings, Ishkoten Dougi, paintings/prints, Aaron Freeland, paintings/prints, Jicarilla Apache baskets by Rowena Mora, Jacinda & Adrian Atencio, Beadwork, pottery by Shelden Nunez-Velarde, Jewelry by Matagi Sorensen, Talrick Enjady, paintings/drawings,  Jordan Torres, paintings/prints/metalwork, Leonard Boyd, paintings/sculpture, Randy “Sabba” Sabaque, prints, Roger Sosakete Perkins, paintings/pottery/digital art, Eric & Charlotta Greenstone, jewelry/horsehair pottery, Veronica & Ernest Benally, jewelry, Maria Arvayo, paintings,  Gerry Quotskuyva, paintings/carvings,and last years people choice winners, Priscilla Tacheney, photography, John Suazo, sculpture, Arnold & Karlene Goodluck, jewelry and others!

  • Artist demonstrations in Apache basket weaving by Rowena Mora.
  • Amerind Artist in Residence Akilah Martinez will be showing her latest digital art.
  • Join us for a special free basket-making activity designed for kids. This event offers a unique opportunity for young participants to learn about Apache culture and engage in the timeless art of basketry. Come and discover the beauty and significance of Apache baskets through a hands-on activity.
  • Enjoy two new museum exhibits during Autumn Fest; Museum entry is included with vehicle entry.
  • non-profit booth  Nde’ Bike’eya’ Chiricahua Apache Land Trust

Food: by Shirley’s Native Food and La Unica Mexican Food.

Autumn Fest is Saturday, October 19, from 10:00 am until 4:00 pm at the Amerind Museum in Dragoon, AZ. $10 per vehicle.

Please be aware the Amerind Hiking Trails will be closed on October 19th during Autumn Fest. Thank you for your understanding.

Please note if you are interested in coming with a group on a chartered bus from Tohono Chul, visit: https://tohonochul.org/event/amerind-autumn-fest/ for more details.