Los Angeles, 1975
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The Latest Happenings, 2022
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As might be expected, opportunities for exhibits and shows have diminished greatly. Many art venues are postponing events or exploring on-line show possibilities.
Children of the World, an ongoing project
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Neshkinukat Exhibit, 2022
January 22-March 5, 2022
Greenly Art Space,2698 Juniper Ave. #113, Signal Hill, California 90755
(by appointment only) OR via youtube Greenley Art Space
Greenly Art Space,2698 Juniper Ave. #113, Signal Hill, California 90755
(by appointment only) OR via youtube Greenley Art Space
Book Review on Amazon, 2022
I was honored to be asked to review a new book by KB Schaller, "Whatsoever the Sacrifice."
I was honored to be asked to review a new book by KB Schaller, "Whatsoever the Sacrifice."
It is Florida in the 1980s where a married Native American couple lives. They are still getting adjusted to each other’s needs and desires. Dina Youngblood (Cherokee/Seminole) works at a local rehab center while her husband, Aaron Burning Rain (Cherokee), an older man, is a preacher at a Christian Native American Church. Both struggle to overcome traumatic childhoods as they work on developing a long-lasting loving relationship.But this is really Dina’s story, a love story, told from her point of view through her narration of events, complete with Biblical quotes that are cogent to the circumstances at hand, and occasional flashbacks. At the heart of Dina’s dilemma is an issue from the past that takes her on a precarious journey with a former love from her childhood and often unsavory characters. Meanwhile, her husband has to deal with a traditional faction of his church that challenges his leadership and the direction the church is headed. The conflict is built on Natives being called to the Jesus Way. “God/Jesus is for everyone.” is Aaron’s mantra. What also causes some confusion among parishioners is Aaron’s friendship with Rabbi Dave.
Overarching is a network of both Native and non-Native characters that seek money and control through the misuse of Native girls. As Dina exclaims, “When money is in the mix, we can never be sure of who our friends are.”
Throughout the novel, there is an eddy of strained relationships among siblings, friends, and relatives, and mistrust that begin to play their roles in the lives of our protagonists. There are acts of betrayal, and jealousy along with feelings of regret, and loss.
The author has taken a clearheaded look at the forces of tradition vs non-traditional elements that can come between community members. This is an issue for many indigenous cultures today as they fashion what values to carry into modernity and how. I have to caution the reader to be patient. There were at least three suspenseful events where the consequences are not revealed until sometime later. In addition, there are many physical and psychological confrontations between Dina and the characters she meets. While the author has clearly defined these characters, I sometimes lost track of who was who, where, and why. Regardless, I was rooting for a good outcome for Dina.
A quote from Dina’s great-grandmother, Mama Hat, “nothing is beyond redemption,” establishes an important spirit of the novel. At the end of this story, Dina strives to overcome the regrets in her life, to forgive, and to create her own joy as she starts on a new path seeking happiness.
Critical Mixed Race Conference, 2022
This conference, a virtual event in 2022, is held yearly to allow people of mixed race to convene and discuss issues of concern to them. This year I submitted five images from my ongoing project related to individuals of African and Asia descent. The purpose of my project, which is ongoing, is to shed light on the increasing population of Asian ancestry in the USA (22 million), to highlight the increasing number of multiracial Americans (more than 10 million) and to examine the interesting stories of the more than 100.000 individuals of African/Asian heritage.
Las Laguna Art Gallery
Landscapes and Seascapes
Online Exhibition March 3-31, 2022
Hahn Stream
