Indian Fair and Market, Heard Museum

53rd Annual Heard Muesem Guild, Indian Fair and Market, Phoenix, AZ  March 5 and 6 2011

Now from the lush surburban hillsides of La Habra California we travel east on interstate 10 across the vast desolate desert of california and across the great blue shimmering majestic colorado river.  Which takes us into the Grand Canyon state of Arizona and into a rocky lunar landscape littered with monolithic green cacti stretching their prickly limbs into the big blue arizona sky. 

Quartzsite a small little desert community, charming to say the least, but for the avid rock and gem collector a must see place, with gift shops specializing in earthy rock treasures large and small.  After a brief stop at a roadside outdoor market full of gems and natural eye candy, it was off and deeper into the arizona landscape, a few hours later small homes begin to scatter what seems to be an uninhabital enviornment, and soon just beyond the horizon, the downtown Phoenix landscape rises above the desert floor with rocky mountainsides caressing its metropolitan mirage. 

bronze sculpture on the museum grounds

This is the site for the Heard Museums annual indian fair and market, the museum which specializes in native american arts and culture, one of Phoenix's premier museums, has been promoting and coordinating this large scale show for 53 years, bringing native american artist from all parts of the U.S. to show and sell their spiritual heritage through their arts.  A wonderful show indeed which has a long list of programs ranging from native american dance, singing, music, food and indigenous art in a vast array of mediums.  This two day event host a little more than 500 artists and attracts 20 to 30 thousand visitors during the two day festival, a real smorgasborg of artist, collectors, buyers and of course, the curious and the appreciative in native american culture and art. 

downtown Phoenix, AZ

my booth and pottery on display

the museum grounds

people browsing around the festival

of course such events not only bring the native american art community together but friends and family, my Navajo family   from the left my aunt Rosely, Mom, auntie Rosemary, cousing Jonathan, and my Pops, never a dull moment

51st Annual Hillcrest Festival of Fine Arts

HillCrest Festival of Fine Arts

1st place ribbon in the clay and glass division

Up in the charming and lovely community hillside of La Habra Heights, California, sits the quaint, tranquil, spiritual and picturesque congressional church of Hillcrest.  Through out the course of the year the church's main agenda is to bring and share the holy word of God and his unmeasured love to the community and its surrounding areas, but there is one weekend in february that the church allows the spirit of creativity and indiviualist artistic spirit to encompass the church grounds, in the form of its annual Festival of fine arts.  Hillcrest has been a long supporter of the art community for 51 years now, and its always a pleasure and opportunity to show, sell and demonstrate my work, during this 2 day period.  

my demonstration table with my display in the background

"Transitions" a series of  plates mounted on a wood panel 

Demonstrators, demonstrating their work.

"Transistions" hangs proudly in one of the church's gallery rooms

the church grounds of hillcrest and the artshow

Palm Springs Art Festival

The Palms Springs Art Festival, Palms Springs, CA

Oh my friends it was a chilly, blustery, stormy, yet at times a sunny weekend in the desert that is home to such luminaries as Bob Hope, Gene Autry, Sonny Bono and everyone's favorite public station traveler Huel Howser.  During the presidents day weekend last month in February it was weekend with a variety of art festival in the palm springs area one being the Palm Springs Art Festival, located on the palm springs festival grounds near the airport just east of the intersection of Gene Autry Trail and Ramona Blvd. 

This annual juried event which featured 175 artists showing and selling a wide arrange of art in a wide arrange of mediums, is the focal point of this entry.  Having been selected by the events coordinator, during the Native American Art show at the Gene Atury National Center back in november of 2010, I was looking forward to showing and selling for the first time in Palm Springs word out on the streets is the Palm Springinites live a luxurious life style out in that california desert.  But let me tell you brothers and sisters, it was a tough show, sales were modest, the weather was a bit foul, crowds were sparce, but all in all it was a good time. Chatted and met a few of the other artists and spent my evenings at a charming little pub called the Palm Springs Tavern, a fine establishment indeed.  Being an outdoor event, luckily when it rained and it did, it rained during the evening and early morning hours, leaving the days partly cloudy with a chilly wind blowing through the festival grounds, not to mention the snow covered mountains were just spectacular.  However come to think of it when the sun shined its bright rays of light at times it actually became a bit warm.  All in all it was a decent show, it was organized and the staff were friendly and courteous, perhaps next year will be a better year, with better weather, but never a dull moment in the exciting world of art.