Spilyay Tymoo, Warm Springs, Oregon
April 25, 2018
Page 5
Artist mentor project to make traditional saddle
A urolyn Stwyer has two fields of
expertise: business and art.
Ms. Stwyer is the owner of the
Red Skye Trading Post at the Plaza.
She has a Masters of Business Ad-
ministration in Strategic Manage-
ment from University of Minne-
sota, and a Bachelors in Account-
ing from Marylhurst University.
Meanwhile, she creates tradi-
tional beadwork and paintings.
She’s been an artist for many years,
and now has the chance to pass
on her insights and knowledge—
some learned from her grand-
mother—to future generations.
The opportunity comes through
the Native Arts and Cultures Foun-
dation. One program of the foun-
dation is the Mentor Artist Fellow-
ship Award.
For 2018 the foundation made
just eight mentorship awards across
Indian Country in the Pacific
Northwest, Southwest and Upper
Midwest regions.
Ms. Stwyer is one of the recipi-
ents. She was chosen from the
more than 100 applicants. The
winners were named by a national
peer review panel of specialists in
Native Contemporary and Native
Traditional Arts.
This fellowship recognizes es-
tablished American Indian artists
who wish to mentor an emerging
Native artist. The apprenticeship
is for one year, and the mentor se-
lects his or her own emerging art-
ist.
In addition to a $30,000 mon-
etary award, the foundation sup-
ports program participants in de-
veloping their lesson plans and
mentorship goals. Ms. Stwyer al-
ready has experience in lesson plan-
ning, as she is the co-author of the
Indianpreneurship curriculum of
the Our Native American Business
Network, or ONABEN.
In the fellowship program each
mentor and apprentice will also
attend a two-day training and pro-
gram kick-off in Minneapolis.
The fellowships will culminate
in a joint mentor-apprentice art
project, demonstrating the power
of mentoring to promote Native
arts and cultural revitalization and
perpetuation. (See the artist’s state-
ment at right).
With Ms. Stwyer, of Celilo,
Aurolyn Stwyer
Wasco and Warm Springs heri-
tage, the Traditional Arts
mentorship fellowships go to:
Bryan Akipa, Sisseton
Wahpeton Sioux Tribe, flute carv-
ing, South Dakota.
Lily Hope, Tlingit, weaving,
Alaska.
Lisa Telford, Haida, weaving,
Washington.
Patrick William Kruse, Red
Cliff Band of Superior Chippewa
Indians, descendent of the Mille
Lacs Band of Ojibwe, birch bark
basket making, Minnesota.
The Contemporary Visual Arts
mentors are:
Jason Garcia, Santa Clara
Pueblo Tewa, printmaking, New
Mexico.
Kathleen Carlo Kendall,
Koywkon Athabascan, carving,
Alaska.
Will Wilson, citizen of the Na-
vajo Nation, photography, New
Mexico.
The Native Arts and Cultures
Foundation Mentor Artist Fellow-
ship is supported by individual
donors and regional funders com-
mitted to continuing Native arts
and cultures. The foundation is
grateful to Margaret A. Cargill Phi-
lanthropies; and to the James F.
and Marion L. Miller Foundation
for supporting the Oregon Men-
tor Artist Fellow.
The Native Arts and Cultures
Foundation’s mission is to pro-
mote the revitalization, apprecia-
tion and perpetuation of Ameri-
can Indian, Alaska Native and
Native Hawaiian arts and cultures
Example of
Ms. Stwyer’s
work: The Pro-
posal, painting
on
hide
(above). And
beaded bag at
left.
Courtesy photos
Statement by the artist
This is such an honor. I want
to thank the Museum at Warm
Springs executive director
Carol Leone for her support.
I now have a one-year
project to make the Plateau tra-
ditional horse saddle (two
horns), and the fully beaded
trappings for the horse.
My apprentice is Joie
Simtustus, the mother of Miss
Warm Springs. The horse rega-
lia will ultimately belong to
Thyrecia.
We will have help from
other family members for this
major project.
It is unfortunate that our
Plateau traditional saddle has
become a dying art, and I would
like to teach the next genera-
tion how to make one.
We will attend a meeting at
through grant making, convening
and advocacy.
To date, the foundation
has supported a total of 295
awards for Native artists, organi-
Heart of Oregon Youth Corps recruiting for summer workers
Young people 15-18 years
of age can now apply for the
Central Oregon Youth Conser-
vation Corps.
This is an opportunity for
youth to gain job skills, learn
about natural resources, im-
A first for tribes
at Supreme Court
With the U.S. Supreme
Court taking up its third Indian
law case of this term, tribes are
welcoming what appears to be
a historic development.
Tobi Merritt Edwards
Young, a citizen of the
Chickasaw Nation, will be
serving as a clerk to Justice
Neil Gorsuch. It’s believed she
is the first citizen of a tribe in
such a role in the high court’s
220-year-plus history.
The fact that Young was
hired by Gorsuch, who is the
newest member of the court,
is also significant. Tribes across
the nation were among the
jurist’s strongest supporters as
he went through the confirma-
tion process last year.
“As far as anyone President
Trump could have nominated,”
said John EchoHawk, execu-
tive director of the Native
American Rights Fund, “I don’t
think he could have come up
with anybody much better than
Judge Gorsuch.”
prove public lands and earn
money this summer.
The program runs from June
25 through August 16.
Youth will work nine hours a
day Monday through Thursday.
Crews meet daily all around
Central Oregon including
Warm Springs and Madras.
Applications must be re-
ceived by May 1, and are avail-
able online at:
heartoforegon.org
St. Paul, Minnesota in a few
weeks to meet with other art-
ists, as well as meet other art
funders.
My contract has a require-
ment for me and Joie to give
monthly progress reports, along
with updates on our Facebook
page.
We’re interested in working
with the Museum of Warm
Springs staff for the 2019
schedule, to let our community
know about this opportunity to
preser ve our tradition, the
making of the Plateau tradi-
tional saddle.
We also have an active
Warm Springs Artisans Coop-
erative, Twananawit, a non-
profit, with the Warm Springs
Community Action Team.
Aurolyn Stwyer
zations, and advocacy efforts in
32 states and the District of
Columbia. For more see:
nativeartsandcultures.org
Warm Springs Culture and
Heritage Language is looking
for volunteers to help chap-
erone, coach, judge and as-
sist at the 2018 Language
Bowl on May 24 at the
Wildhorse Resort. To learn
more call Culture and Heri-
tage at 541-553-3290.
Navajo
painter
visiting
region
Navajo painter Jason
Parrish will be in Sisters for
the Art Stroll this weekend,
April 27-29.
Mr. Parrish’s works were
recently juried into the in-
ternationally acclaimed
Drawing and Watercolor
Gala of the Grand Palais
in Paris, France.
The artist was raised on
a ranch in the heart of the
Navajo Nation. He is flu-
ent in English, Navajo and
French.
Two of the works shown
in Paris will be on display
for this show in Oregon.
Jason became interested
in the world when he began
reading his grandmother’s
encyclopedias, even before
entering grade school.
He eventually graduated
from the University of New
Mexico with a degree in
History.
Ceremonial Run by
Jason Parrish.
Eight years ago, while
working at the homestead
ranch and as a bank man-
ager in Gallup, Jason began
painting as a meditative re-
laxation exercise.
His paintings demonstrate
images of the Navajo, their
livestock, plants, and activi-
ties in exacting outlines, cre-
ating spaces that he then fills
with pure color tones.
The scenes in his works
are ultra contemporary, yet
they are without abstraction
or ambiguity.
There will be an artist re-
ception this Friday, April 27,
from 4 -7 p.m. at the Raven
Makes Gallery, 182 E. Hood
Ave., Sisters.
Jason will then give a pre-
sentation on Navajo origins
at 2 p.m. on Saturday.
All events hosted by the
Raven Makes Gallery.