Native American Arts and Entertainment

TAOS, N.M. – In 1906, while President Theodore Roosevelt was amassing lands to start the National Forest Service, his administration appropriated hundreds of thousands of acres belonging to Native Americans.

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – One artist chronicles contemporary Indian life and the absurdities of human nature. One learned as a child to speak through clay, and one is renowned as a master of pure form. Though distinct in style, form and content, these three contemporary masters of Pueblo ceramics share an ancient, unbroken heritage: A reverence for the Mother Clay.

WALPOLE ISLAND, Ontario – Pahdahsung Shognosh, Ojibwe, rushes home during his lunch hour to get in a few games of pool. The 19-year-old is the current Canadian Cue Sports 2010 Junior 9-Ball Champion and recently placed 25th at the World Junior 9-Ball Championship Tournament, held Nov. 27 – Dec. 3 at the Peppermill Resort Spa and Casino in Reno, Nev.

An anonymous donor who wanted his collection of Native cultural objects to go home has given 15 pieces that date at least to the early 1900s to Sealaska Heritage Institute.

PHOENIX – The Heard Museum recently celebrated a generous gift by one of its life trustees, former General Electric Company Vice Chairman Jack S. Parker. The 94-year-old made a legacy gift to the Heard Museum’s endowment through the Maie Bartlett Heard Society, the Heard’s planned giving program. Parker’s gift included a $1 million cash annuity, a $1.6 million art collection bequest and cash contributions which have been matched by GE over the years. His total giving to the Heard exceeds $3 million, and a gallery has been named in his honor.

WASHINGTON – The Smithsonian’s National Museum of the American Indian will open “R.C. Gorman: Early Prints and Drawings, 1966-1974,” an exhibition of 28 drawings and lithographs by internationally renowned Navajo artist R.C. Gorman Jan. 13, 2011. The exhibition will represent his early work with the female form and the Indian “madonnas” that later brought him global acclaim. The exhibition will remain on view in the second-level Sealaska Gallery through May 1, 2011.

NEW YORK – Actress Kimberly Norris Guerrero still gets recognized as Jerry’s girlfriend in “The Cigar Store Indian” episode from the “Seinfeld” sitcom. This time, as a best friend, she turns an unwished wedding into an extravaganza in “Algonquin,” a romantic comedy for the box office, being produced by New Life Entertainment International.

VANCOUVER, British Columbia – Carla D’Angelo, president and founder of Canadian eyewear company Claudia Alan Inc., is proud to share the news that Corrine Hunt is a 2011 National Aboriginal Achievement Award recipient. D’Angelo nominated Hunt for the award in the arts category.

Native Nations Institute recently announced the release of its first documentary film, “Ogaag bii azhe giiwewag: Return of the Red Lake Walleye.”

VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. – Felipe Rose, Lakota Sioux, is a famous 70s disco era icon and musician that has transgressed several decades along with his legendary group, The Village People. Since being part of the group and releasing hugely popular hits such as “Macho Man” and “Y.M.C.A.” Rose has continued to please audiences worldwide to the tune of selling 100 million albums in his career.

SYRACUSE, N.Y. – Take a journey through the life of the Haudenosaunee with the Everson Museum of Art’s lastest exhibit “Haudenosaunee: Elements.”

Rick Bartow’s sculpture “From the Mad River to the Little Salmon River, or The Responsibility of Raising a Child” is a precariously balanced series of images.

BILLINGS, Mont. (AP) – More than 150 years ago, a Crow warrior – a man honored by his Apsaalooke people and feared by his enemies – had his war exploits painted on a buffalo hide tanned by his proud wife.

WASHINGTON – Lisa Cheryl Thomas, a pianist and scholar who has made the music of a group of classical composers called Indianists her specialty, performed this summer at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of the American Indian and at the Kennedy Center.

PENDLETON, Ore. – The Pendleton Roundup is one of the premier Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association rodeos in the country, but also has an Indian Village, the biggest horse parade in the world, and Indian dancing in the arena between rodeo events, all part of the long tradition here between the cowboy world and Native Americans.

DENVER – When Denver Art Museum’s Native exhibits re-open to the public Jan. 23, 2011, they will present art across time rather than in blocs representing “historical” versus “contemporary” periods.

WORLEY, Idaho – The three comedians who make up Pow Wow Comedy Jam kept the crowd in almost continuous laughter during their 90 minute show at the Coeur d’Alene Casino Resort Hotel. It was easy to understand why they had been named the 2010 National Indian Gaming Association’s Entertainers of the Year.

ANADARKO, Okla. – Country music singer Buck Owens announced that all he needed to land a movie role was to “act naturally.” But with today’s technology requirements for a digital portfolio, it takes much more effort and training in order to land that first role than ever before. On top of this, many aspiring Native actors and actresses live miles away from Hollywood, yet still desire to appear on the Big Screen. What can be done for them?

VERMILLION, S.D. – During the height of political unrest in Indian country during the 1960s and ’70s, men such as Russell Means, Dennis Banks and Clyde and Vernon Bellecourt were the media-recognized leaders of Red Power, the grass roots movement marked by its activism and a resurgence of Indian cultural identity, pride and traditionalism.

BILLINGS, Mont. – Margaret Coel sat in a ballroom and watched intently as Tony Hillerman, the best-selling author of crime fiction novels that take place on the Navajo reservation, spoke about how he weaves his tales together.