From the Editors 35.4

Dear Ornament Reader,

 

Curator Diana Pardue of the Heard Museum in Phoenix, Arizona, contributes this issue’s cover feature in her article on Bolo Ties, Contemporary Neckwear of the West. The cover illustration of Jesse Monongye’s Grand Tetons bolo tie is accompanied within the article by examples from other noted artists: the late Michael Kabotie, Norbert Peshlakai, Lonn Parker, Charles Loloma, brothers Pat and Chris Pruitt, Verma Nequatewa, and husband/wife Yazzie Johnson and Gail Bird. Residing for a long time as an item of popular culture, you will discover how it gradually evolved to represent yet another facet of a contemporary artist’s repertoire.

First covered in 2003, this is the second Ornament feature on Carol Lee Shanks. It traces her creative trajectory over the years, yet is mindful of her consistently stable view that it is her job “to keep things interesting. And to put some beauty out in the world.” Another absorbing read is David Updike’s article on Baltimore-based artist Shana Kroiz. She forthrightly puts it out there regarding contemporary jewelry and some of its makers: “Art jewelers need to forget about the white walls and think about getting it on bodies and getting people wearing it, and getting people to interact with it. Wearing it doesn’t make it less important—it’s really what it’s about.”

We label Patrik Kusek as a Precious Metal Clay Maestro in his article. But this refers to not only his abilities as a maker in the medium but to his gifted ability to teach others. Studio life can be very isolating and teaching helps to break up Kusek’s routine. He evidently gravitated to it, as a natural extension of his experience in creating. Rio Grande, in Albuquerque, New Mexico, is among his favorite programs. As one of ten senior instructors, he teaches and leads certification workshops in precious metal clay.

Leslie Clark’s article on Folk Art of the Andes includes commentary from Latin American curator, Barbara Mauldin, who initiated the exhibition, currently on display at the Museum of International Folk Art in Santa Fe, New Mexico, in addition to writing a complete and incisive take of the region’s ethnography in a book accompanying the show. Its core premise is to demonstrate the legacy of cross-cultural adaptation and indigenous craft traditions combined with European artforms and techniques. Clark firmly believes that Mauldin has succeeded in both exhibition and book.

Three of our articles take place in this beautiful city nestled beneath the nearby Sangre de Cristo Mountains, such as a unique collectibles marketplace called Traveler’s Market. The Traveler’s Market has become a connoisseur’s destination throughout the year but especially in the summer months when thousands of visitors pour into Santa Fe for one event after another. This includes the ninth annual International Folk Art Market in July when one hundred eighty master artisans from across the globe gather on Museum Hill to present their wares.

If you are hungry for more to read, check out our articles on the 2012 Korea Bojagi Forum, a Q&A with W. Brad Pearson, the ISGB Twentieth Anniversary, Facèré Gallery’s A Feast of Beads, William Glasner, and of course, one of our most popular reads, Ornament News.

Thank you for being part of our world—one that is globally inspired and crafted in America, Ornament Magazine.

 

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