Nouméa, New Caledonia

29 October 2008 – 8 February 2009

Opening Celebration October 28th, 2008

Tjibaou cultural Centre

www.adck.nc

‘the others’ or ‘les autres’ is the touring name of ‘the other APT‘, a multi-art form exhibition produced to coincide with and respond to the 5th Asia Pacific Triennial, with a similar focus – of art within the Asia-Pacific region. However, in the interest of protocol, best practice and inclusiveness, artworks were sought more locally, from Brisbane and beyond, to highlight the fact that Coastal areas have an interesting hybrid mix of artists, right here, right now, and are also in dialogue with the first people of Australia.

The primary curatorial premise of ‘the others / les autres‘ is to show works from Indigenous Australian Artists, and also show meaningful works from other Artists that may constitute them as a friend in culture and good visitor to this country, in meaningful dialogue and otherwise. In other words, Aboriginals actively engaging with each other, and those from other cultural backgrounds – Torres Strait Islander, Melanesian, Samoan, Maori, Japanese, Filipino and others from outside the Asia-Pacific Rim, providing a true survey, commenting on individual and shared experience. Naturally some of these works are collaborations – existing works, and also works produced especially for the other APT, but all really important discourse, culturally and historically towards the importance of place, ceremony, ritual, legend, identity, politics and mutual respect.

Opening Celebration 28 October, 2008 – from 6 to 8 pm

at the Tjibaou Cultural Centre, Nouméa

Address : Rue des Accords de Matignon, Tina

BP 378 – 98845 Nouméa Cedex

New Caledonia

Join us for an opening program from 6 pm featuring:

Aboriginal Didgeridoo Master Lez Bex Beckett, Performance Artist Ann Fuata, along with other Artists featured in the exhibition Madelyn Hodge, Chantal Fraser, Maia and Curator Jenny Fraser.

Critique:

“We all try to mediate the spaces in-between these binaries and I cannot help but imagine The Other APT in these terms. Mediating the social and cultural imaginaries of Indigeneity, it plots a landscape where tradition and disenfranchisement overlap and contradict each other and these inconsistencies intersect the exhibition’s themes of place, legend, identity, politics and mutual respect.”

Kylie Gaffney

The Other APT: An Exhibition of Other Perspectives

One of the nagging criticisms of Brisbane’s hugely successful Asia Pacific Triennale has been their handling of ‘the Aboriginal problem’ and finding a space for the Asian and Pacific within us; those local Australian societies of Asian and Pacific heritage who have had a long and deep relationship with our national identity; though often folded/secreted within. Finding a credible comfortable conceptual space and opportunity for local participation rather than artist heroes from major economic giants of the region has lingered as a quandary of what has otherwise been a major achievement.

Djon Mundine OAM – Indigenous Curator, Contemporary Art, Campbelltown Art Centre.

APT: Aboriginal People Try – ‘The other APT’

Artlink Magazine, March 2007

The catalogue accompanying the group exhibition features writings by Jenny Fraser, Gary Lee, Tauline Virtue and Djon Mundine.

For more information please visit:

http://www.geocities.com/theotherapt

Gallery Opening Times

9 am to 5 pm

Tuesday to Sunday. Closed on Monday.

Curator:

Jenny Fraser

Contact: dot_ayu@yahoo.com.au

If you happen to be in Ontario check out this exhibition:

Oh So Iroquois

Curated by Ryan Rice

Organized & Circulated by Ottawa Art Gallery

November 1, 2008 to January 4, 2009

Art Gallery of Peterborough, 2 Crescent St, Peterborough, ON.

www.agp.on.ca

Vince Bomberry, Hannah Claus, Ric Glazer Danay, Katsitsionni Fox, Ellen Gabriel, Jeffrey Gabriel, Louis Hall, Alex Jacobs, G. Peter Jemison, Peter B. Jones, Miriam Jordan & Julian Haladyn, Clifford Maracle, Alan Michelson, Shelley Niro, Melanie Printup Hope, Jolene Rickard, Greg Staats, Bear Thomas, Jeff Thomas, Samuel Thomas, Marie Watt.

Oh So Iroquois emphasizes the dynamism of both traditional and contemporary Iroquoian creative processes, presenting work that is deeply rooted in a cultural system of values and æsthetic qualities that permeate the social, political, spiritual, and economic infrastructure of Haudenosuanee society. Together, as members of the Iroquois Confederacy, artists continue to affirm and re-examine this collective art history through symbolism, narrative, colour, and contemporary and traditional media.

By featuring a broad range of art situated in relation to an Iroquois world view, this exhibition aims to challenge the long-standing pan-Indian classification of Native North American art, which pigeon-holes 500 distinct nations with one generic category.

Source

Dear Friends far and close,

THE COAST ORCHESTRA, the all-Native American Orchestra premieres this weekend in Washington D.C. at the National Gallery of Art on the mall. Sunday, November 9th at 6:30 PM

We are also premiering next week in NYC opening up the Margaret Mead Film and Video Festival at the American Museum of Natural History on Friday, November 14th at 7:00 PM

The orchestra is also going to be on NPR this week!

The piece is available to listen to online:

http://studio360.org/episodes/2008/11/07

(Look in the bottom right-hand corner)

It will also be airing across the country this weekend, check here for listings: http://studio360.org/listings.html

The Coast Orchestra will be performing the original score to Edward Curtis’s film from 1914 IN THE LAND OF THE HEAD HUNTERS alongside the film. The film has been newly restored and more information about the film is at: www.curtisfilm.rutgers.edu

(Photo: M Colon)

The Coast Orchestra is:

TIMOTHY LONG Conductor, New York

STEVEN ALVAREZ Percussion and Timpani, Alaska

GEORGE QUINCY Piano, New York

DAWN AVERY Cello, Maryland

LISA LONG Flute, Maryland

TIMOTHY ARCHAMBAULT Native Flute, Beijing

HEIDI SENUGETUK Violin 1, Alaska

LAURA ORTMAN Violin 2, New York

VINCE REDHOUSE Saxophone, Arizona

ELAINE BENAVIDES Oboe, New York

DON HARRY Tuba, New York

Tickets for the DC performance are free, but get there early for good seating! Please visit the National Gallery of Art website!

Tickets for the NYC performance are $10. Advance purchase is recommended as tickets may sell out. There is also tickets available for $45 for the performance and a reception with the film festival filmmakers if that interests you…but I would go for the $10 ones…because you know we’ll be making our own After-PARTAAAY!!! (Hahahaha!!!)

For tickets please click HERE.
Entrance for screenings is on 77th Street between Central Park West and Columbus Avenue. Take the B or C train to 81st Street – Museum of Natural History (B is weekdays only), or the 1 train to 79th Street. Bus: Take the M79, M7, M11, M86, M10, M104.

Ordering tickets by phone: Monday-Friday, 9 am – 5 pm; Saturday, 9am – 4 pm Have your credit card, membership category, and program codes ready when you call. American Express, Visa, MasterCard, and Discover are accepted. A service charge applies.

Please feel free to contact me on email or by phone if you have any questions. (347)416-2168. We have several rehearsals this weekend that have been going wonderfully!! Very impressive!!

Many, many thanks to everyone that has helped and supported us these past few months!! We are looking forward to this historic and spectacular occasion!!! VIVA LA MUSICA Y NATIVE AMERICA!!!!

Warmest wishes & love,

Laura Ortman

White Mountain Apache

Founder, The Coast Orchestra

Last year we attended a short film screening put together by film director/curator Raquel Chapa for the Association for American Indian Affairs at the National Museum of the American Indian. This year she is involved with the programming again but as a film maker. The screening will be held at Deluxe New York located at 435 Hudson St. (between LeRoy & Morton Sts.) start time – 7:00pm on November 13, 2008. That’s Thursday of next week, for you calendar challenged people.

This year’s line up:

Sikuma (On the Ice): Director Andrew Okpeaha MacLean (Inupiak)

Caleb’s Legacy: Director Raquel Chapa (Lipan Apache/Yaqui/Cherokee)

Ancestor Eyes: Director Kalani Queypo (Blackfeet/Hawaiian)

Horse You See: Director Melissa Henry (Navajo)

American Cowboys: Directors Cedric (Umatilla) and Tania Wildbill

The screening will begin after the meeting of the members.

Bring a Friend!

CASTING NOTICE FOR FIRST NATIONS (Native American or Native) MEN AND WOMEN
Artist Terrance Houle’s “Casting Call” is a new production being filmed in Toronto, Ontario. Auditions will be conducted by the artist.

Open casting call for First Nations, Native American, Métis, Half-breed, Quarter, Indian Princesses and Princes, Powwow Dancers, Powwow Drummers, 1/8th’s, Rez, City Indians, Aboriginals, Status, Non-Status, Red Indian people between 15 and 100, both male and female, Young, Middle-Aged and Elders. Acting experience a plus, but not necessary.

• Traditional, contemporary, bannock experience, Native war veterans, horse riding experience, an interest in bingo, war paint, Indian cars, regalia, black wigs are all assets but not necessary
• Any size and shape will be acceptable. We are looking for fit, big, small, tall, hunky, and beautiful, ugly, etc.
• Braided hair, long black or short will be acceptable
• Love of nature, animals and outdoors is a must
• Deep respect for Mother Earth
• Must know the Four Directions
• Owners of buckskin loin cloth, breach cloth and general hides a bonus
• Fluent in Native language and English
  

We are looking for Stony, Blackfoot, Cree, Ojibway, Dene, Navajo, Haida, Salish, Sioux, Métis, Crow, Pawnee, Micmac, Mohawk, Seneca, Algonquin, Inuit, Cayuga, Oneida (Etc.) or anyone of the like.

Must have experience as one of the above criteria.

Auditions will be for roles of Natives playing Non-Natives acting in Native roles. Book your spot now or come out for the open casting call!

Casting Dates and Location
Friday, October 17, 10am – 3pm (Auditions by appointment, spectators welcome)
Saturday, October 18, noon – 4pm (Open auditions, everyone welcome)

Trinity Square Video
401 Richmond St. West, Suite 376
Toronto, ON M5V 3A8
(416) 593-1332

To schedule an appointment for Friday, October 17, 2008, please contact Aubrey Reeves at Trinity Square Video. (416) 593-1332 or aubrey@trinitysquarevideo.com

Casting Call is a non-union interactive performance art project. Participation in the project is strictly volunteer.

National American Indian Heritage Month is celebrated every year in the month of November to honor and recognize the original peoples of this land. The first “American Indian Day” was declared by the State of New York in 1916, but a month long recognition of Native Americans was not achieved until 1990. In that year President George H.W. Bush signed a joint congressional resolution designating November 1990 as “National American Indian Heritage Month.” The American Indian Film Institute (AIFI) hopes to encourage the media to recognize National American Indian Heritage Month this year. Each year many ethnicities receive coverage nationally and internationally including Asian-Pacific Heritage, LGBT Pride, Latino, and Black Heritage Month. This year National American Indian Heritage Month should receive more recognition not because of the lack of media coverage but because of the importance of educating the public about the heritage, history, art, and traditions of the American Indian.
Since 1975, the American Indian Film Festival has displayed over 1000 films providing inspiration and support for Native film projects. We encourage Native/non-Native filmmakers to bring to the broader media culture the Native voices, viewpoints and stories that have been historically excluded from mainstream media; to develop Indian and non-Indian audiences for this work; and to advocate tirelessly for authentic representations of Indians in the media. The 33rd annual American Indian Film Festival, presented over nine days, will run Nov. 7-12 at the Landmark Embarcadero Center Cinema, One Embarcadero Center, Promenade Level; and conclude Nov. 13-15 at the Palace of Fine Arts,3301 Lyon St. @ Bay Street.The American Indian Film Festival will premiere over 80 new feature films, shorts, public service, music videos and documentaries of USA American Indian and Canada First Nation communities. Some highlights include: A special film and music tribute “Remembering Floyd Red Crow Westerman (1936-2007) on Nov. 13; AIFI’s Tribal Touring Program, a Native youth film workshop program supported by tribal host partners on Nov. 14; AIFI’s American Indian Motion Picture Awards Show which honors filmmakers, actors and showcases contemporary Native American talent, to be held on Saturday November 15, beginning at 6:00pm, at the Palace of Fine Arts

Possible American Indian profiles:

Floyd Red Crow Westerman (1936- 2007): An accomplished singer/songwriter whose 1969 debut album “ Custer Died for Your Sins” earned critical acclaim. His recordings offer a probing analysis of European influences in Native American communities. In addition to several recordings of his own, Westerman has collaborated with Jackson Browne, Willie Nelson, Bonnie Raitt, Harry Belafonte, Joni Mitchell, Kris Kristofferson, and Buffy Sainte-Marie. He also was a human rights activist who performed with Sting in the rainforest benefits; and actor receiving world-wide attention and acclaim as “Ten Bears” in Kevin Costner’s Dances with Wolves.

Marshall McKay: Tribal Chairman of the Rumsey Band of Wintun Indians, has been a resident with the Tribe for over 20 years. He has served as a member of the Tribal Council since 1993. After serving terms as Treasurer and Secretary, McKay became the Tribal Chairman of the Rumsey Tribe in January of 2006.McKay also serves the Tribe as a member of the Fire Commission for the Rumsey Rancheria Fire Department and as President of the Yocha-De-He Preparatory School Board of Trustees. His leadership and commitment to education has been fundamental to the success of the Tribe in recent years. Mr. McKay currently serves as a member of the Board of Directors of the Cache Creek Casino Resort.

Mitchell Cypress: Tribal Chairman of the Seminole Tribe of Florida, presides over one of the most successful tribes in North America. For 16 years Cypress was a representative for his community and in 2003 was elected tribal chairman. In 2006, the Seminole Tribe of Florida purchased the Hard Rock Cafe chain of restaurants making a integral mark in the growing world of tribal gaming. Among Cypress’ priorities is to push for educational reforms within the tribe and encourage its youth to attend college.

Drew Hayden Taylor: award-winning playwright (with over 70 productions of his work), a journalist/columnist (with a column in five newspapers across the country), short-story writer, novelist, scriptwriter (The Beachcombers, North of Sixty etc.), librettist, and has worked on over 17 documentaries exploring the Native experience.

Georgina Lightning: First-time director with her feature film “ Older than America” brings a long track record of creative experience in the film industry as an actor, producer and acting coach. Lightning is also the cofounder of Tribal Alliance Productions, a production company committed to producing media that matters told from a native prospective.

Byron Moon: He is an actor, choreographer, dancer, playwright, and founder of the Coyote Arts Percussive Performance Association, a dance theatre company. He has made appearances in several well-known American and Canadian TV shows (such as MacGyver, North of 60, Stargate SG-1, Da Vinci’s Inquest, Highlander: The Series, and appeared on Walker, Texas Ranger, as well as several feature films. Some of his dance theatre pieces have included Possessed, Dancing voices and Voices, as well as Jonesing, an experimental video dance piece. He is also known for his choreography work on the documentary Echoes of the Sisters and the dance film Quest.

Andrew Okpeaha MacLean: An Inupiat filmmaker and playwright from Barrow, Alaska. In his hometown of Barrow Alaska, he co-founded the Inupiat Theater, the first theater company in the country dedicated to performing entirely in the indigenous Inupiaq language. His recent short work Sikumi/On the Ice is the first film to be written entirely in the Inupiaq language. The film premiered at the 2008 Sundance Film Festival where it won a Special Jury Prize in Short Filmmaking.

Kevin Red Star: This year’s poster artist, is an internationally acclaimed artist who draws from his Crow culture for his subjects — historical and modern. Raised in the language and ways of his Indian heritage, those early years imbued him with the Crow culture which is fully expressed in a real and heartfelt way in his art. His talent was recognized early and he had the opportunity to develop as he studied at the Institute of American Indian Art in New Mexico, the San Francisco Art Institute, Montana State University in Bozeman and Eastern Montana State in Billings. Marking his emergence as an artist, his paintings have received recognition and awards including First Prize and the Governor’s Choice at the Scottsdale National Indian Exhibition.

Drew LaCapa: He believes his humor is not discriminatory because everyone is worthy of being teased regardless of ethnicity or religion. Drew has broadened his stage act from hosting pageants and parades to performing stand-up comedy at casinos, schools and conventions throughout Indian country. His act personifies the hardships of Native people in this century. Drew’s physical antics complete with costumes create a unique and hilarious image of indigenous people in present America.

Michael Spears: a multi-talented actor, hand drum player and singer. Michael’s film credits include an earlier role as the child character Otter, in the Academy-Award-winning 1990 film Dances with Wolves, a major role as “Dog Star” in the 2005 Steven Spielberg’s Into the West and 2007 Michael Linn film “Imprint”.

Tantoo Cardinal: An award-winning Metis actress, who turned her political activism into an acting career that has included roles on television and film including “Dances With Wolves” “Where the Rivers Flow North”, “Legends of the Fall”, “Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman”, and “North of 60”.

Cindy Benitez
Public Relations
American Indian Film Institute
email: publicrelations@aifisf.com
www.aifisf.com

*Notice the Great Cherokilmer is nowhere on this list of potential American Indians the press should consider covering. tsk tsk.

There may be chaos in South Ossetia, a looming, uber-dramatic US presidential election on the horizon, and a female Vice-Presidential candidate with a love for guns and Yup’ik Indians, but the only politics I want to talk about are from 2006.

Today Jack Abramoff was sentenced to four years in a federal prison. Little Jack was convicted in 2006 on charges of fraud, conspiracy to bribe public officials, tax-evasion and all-around naughtiness in connection with a defrauding scheme to dupe casino-rich Indian tribes and encourage former congressional staffers to violate a one-year lobbying ban. In addition to his jail time, the former Capitol Hill power-lobbyist was also ordered to pay $23 million in restitution to his former tribal clients. Is there a payment plan involved with this, I wonder? It better not involve wire transfers, because Jack cannot be trusted with those. In fairness to Abramoff, his public apology and address to the judge did seem genuinely contrite. But then again, what other choice did he have? One doesn’t expect him to appear in court wearing a ten-gallon hat and laughing like Yosemite Sam with $1000 Choctaw poker chips spilling from his pockets. That would be really awesome, but I’d hardly expect it.

There is one thing to thank Abramoff for; (other than some really good Daily Show episodes) his tentacled scandal led to a massive investigation on lobbying practices in a then GOP-governed House and Senate.

[Dolores Jackson, a member of the Saginaw Chippewa, and apparently the only Indian that Abramoff didn't rip off. Or maybe she's on his payroll.  p.s. I want that t-shirt]

McClatchy Newspapers states that “when Abramoff pleaded guilty in 2006, as many as half a dozen lawmakers, including former Republican House Majority Leader Tom DeLay (love him!) of Texas and Rep. John Doolittle of California, were said to be under scrutiny for their dealings with his former lobbying firm, Greenberg Traurig. Prosecutors have convicted 10 people, including five former congressional staffers, former Interior Deputy Secretary Steven Griles, former Justice Department lawyer Robert Coughlin and former Rep. Bob Ney of Ohio.”

This shakedown, a direct result of Abramoff’s seedy lobbying practices, resulted in the complete turnover of Congress in the 2006 election year. Granted, the Democrats now in office haven’t done much of anything and some of them have probably been hitting on underage House pages, but at lease they get to fill those fancy seats instead of some easily-swayed-by-free-golf-trips Republican, right? (I should probably visit factcheck.org before stating any of the latter.)

Anyway, in the fall of 2006, NAICA did an overzealous (and probably misinformed) exposé on the adventures of Little Jack and his friends on Capitol Hill. It is very long, grammatically incorrect at times, and much too campy. But it does have ridiculously Photoshopped pictures, which is something the Washington Post has really been dropping the ball on recently. Check it out!

A Fine Example of Chinese and Native American Art, by John Lurie

Featuring: polyglot artist John Lurie, The director of Primera Comuniòn Daniel Eduvijes Carrera, an essay by Australian New Media artist and curator Jenny Fraser, and a trip through Western Spirit, a chat with Melissa Henry, and a review of the Great Bear Chief – Val Kilmer’s relatively new cd Sessions with Mick Rossi.

[www.thenaica.org]