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Wednesday, April 26, 2017 The Nugget Newspaper, Sisters, Oregon
Master sculptor visiting Sisters
Master sculptor Cliff
Fragua will be in for a three-
day show this week.
Fragua lives as a tradi-
tional Towa on the Jemez
Pueblo of New Mexico.
The People refer to their
pueblo, recognized as a sov-
ereign nation, as Walatowa,
which translates to “This is
the place.” Cliff was born
on the pueblo in the mid
1950s, has spent most of his
life on it, and both his home
and large sculpting studio,
Singing Stone, are upon these
ancestral homelands.
The Jemez River begins
in the tall timber and high
plateaus of North Central
New Mexico, flows south
and carves out painted des-
ert walls along the way. This
results in stunning canyons,
which have inspired famous
artists such as Georgia
O’Keefe and Gustave
Baumann. At the south end
of Canon de Don Diego lies
the Jemez Pueblo, depen-
dent upon the seasonal Jemez
River. Though the elevation
is 5,500 feet, the environ-
ment outside the riverbed is
dryland country, low scrub
and brush.
The community of Jemez
Pueblo is mostly closed to
the public. There are no
overnight accommodations.
Dave’s Burgers, when it is
open, serves the only food in
town. On certain ceremonial
days, outsiders can attend
and observe, but even these
are no longer announced
due to the crowds that began
to overwhelm the events.
Though set in a gorgeous
location, rich with both a
deep history and strong cul-
ture that goes back at least
800 years, the Towa remain
a private people. This char-
acteristic serves them well
with regard to retaining their
identity and ways within the
current slide toward a more
homogenous, worldwide
culture.
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Make no mistake, how-
ever, Cliff’s been out and
about in the world. His
awareness ranges from small
villages in Italy, famous for
their marble, to major cit-
ies throughout the United
States. He attended the San
Francisco Art Institute while
also studying as a student
at the prestigious art school
for Native American youth
in Santa Fe, Institute of
American Indian Art. He’s
done shows in Chicago and
New York City. Besides
being a traditional individ-
ual among his people, he’s
a rather accomplished conga
drum player, recreational
weightlifter, and frequent
traveller.
Cliff’s a pretty good artist,
too.
Po’Pay is both the name
of a famous puebloan man
of the 1600s and a statue
that graces the U.S. Capitol
Building in Washington,
D.C. The man, a traditional
spiritual leader, led a revolt
against the Spanish intrud-
ers who had come to New
Mexico 80 years earlier, first
conquering and then enslav-
ing the Pueblo Peoples. The
revolt drove 2,000 Spanish
out of the region within
days of the August 13, 1680
uprising.
It was the most successful
resistance in history against
the Western world by any
of the indigenous peoples of
North America. Nearly 400
of the invaders — soldiers,
government officials, and
priests — were killed in the
first days before the exodus.
Po’Pay subsequently
became a legendary figure
among all Pueblo People.
The statue Po’Pay depicts
the man as he prepares for
the August 13 revolt. Though
the work was sculpted within
the traditions of classical
Greek marble statues, the
posture that Po’Pay strikes
is that of a thoughtful and
more humble individual. It
lacks the dramatic Greek
“heroic pose” that most
ancient Mediterrean statues
embody.
Po’Pay became the 100th
and final statue to be added
to the nation’s Capitol, rep-
resenting two from each
state. It is the only statue of
those one hundred carved by
a Native American. Though
Fragua has created many
sumptuous pieces of art in his
life, continues to make other
magnificent and monumental
sized pieces, Po’Pay will for-
ever be his signature work.
Fragua’s works range in
appearance from modern-
contemporary to indigenous
stylized to classical. He
works with stone from all
over the world. Cliff’s won
numerous awards for his
works and served on com-
mittees and foundations that
promote sensible, ethical
practices within the Native
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PHOTO PROVIDED
Sculptor Cliff Fragua will visit Sisters this week.
American art world.
Cliff Fragua will be in
Sisters for the 4th Friday Art
Walk on April 28; will give
a presentation on Saturday,
April 29; and a working
demonstration on April 30.
New works will be unveiled
during this weekend. All
appearances will take place
at Raven Makes Gallery,
located at 182 E. Hood Ave.