eNewMexican

Carving a place in clay

MUSEUM OF INDIAN ARTS AND CULTURE 710 Camino Lejo, 505-476-1269, indianartsandculture.org

Jemez Pueblo artist Kathleen Wall sculpted her first storyteller at age 8. By the time she was 17, she was supporting herself selling her clay creations. But even as she sculpted figures reflecting her cherished heritage, she wanted her art to tell new and different stories.

A first step was to repurpose the shape of the storyteller, a seated woman or man whose lap holds a gaggle of smiling children. When Wall omitted the youngsters, the storyteller shifted into the smiling clown figure, Koshare, now her signature piece. Her whimsical Koshare clowns sit or stand, assuming poses that tell their own stories. She also paints landscapes with attached clay figures that appear to walk off the canvas. Her installation art incorporates multimedia elements, including video and photography, that focus on sociopolitical issues, such as indigenous farm and food practices. “By incorporating technology with tradition, I feel as though I’m bringing two worlds together,” she says.

Today her worlds seamlessly intersect in a new exhibit, A Place in Clay. It celebrates her selection as the Museum of Indian Arts and Culture’s 2020-21 Native Treasures Living Treasure, recognizing her outstanding contributions to Indigenous arts and culture. A Place in Clay welcomes visitors through May 16, 2022.

MUSEUM EXHIBITS

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https://enewmexican.pressreader.com/article/281629603165200

Santa Fe New Mexican