Apache Chronicle

(Lynnette Haozous as Lozen in: "Apache Chronicle")

Need some mid-week badass inspiration? Check out this upcoming experimental documentary about the life and art of five strong Native women, who are also talented artists and skateboarders affiliated with Apache Skateboards. Starring Melissa Cody, Razelle Benally, Rebekah Miles, Lynnette Haozous, and Tasha Hastings, this doc is produced and directed By Nanna Dalunde in collaboration with Douglas Miles of Apache Skateboards. Here's the trailer:

Heard Indian Market 2011 - Indian Ink II

Indian Ink II

Thomas "Breeze" Marcus and Douglas Miles opened their co-curated show, Indian Ink II, during the Heard Indian Market weekend.

Indian Ink II was held at Pravus Gallery in downtown Phoenix and highlighted a number of emerging Native artists whose works "push out and ascend above the boundaries of stereotypical, traditional, and 'contemporary' Native American art." Almost every piece included in the show stuck with the black-and-white graphic palette, but there were a few well-placed punches of color (in particular, Melissa Cody's awesome Navajo weavings).

The opening reception featured a live collaborative mural installation by Marcus, Miles, and Lalo Cota. The opening was also catered by chef Mario (didn't catch his last name) who made gourmet Indian tacos and other delicious eats.

This post isn't directly related to fashion, but many of the Indian Ink artists collaborate to create Native streetwear, so they're definitely on my radar:


(Textiles by Melissa Cody)


(Art by Rebekah Miles)

(Mural in progress)


(Doug Miles)


(Rattles by Thomas Marcus)


(Razelle Benally and Thomas Marcus streaming live, and shot by Karl Duncan)


(Melissa Cody)


(Micah Wesley)


(Lalo Cota)


(Yatika Fields)

Melissa Cody: Weaving Street Art

I'm in Arizona now, gearing up for the 53rd Annual Heard Indian Market and I came across this article about awesome Navajo weaver Melissa Cody:

("The Edge of No Water" by Melissa Cody. Image courtesy of Melissa Cody)

Weaver Melissa Cody on Native Rugs, New Style, and the Heard's 53rd Annual Indian Market
By Jessica VanZalen

​This Saturday and Sunday, the Heard Museum will host it's 53rd Annual Guild Indian Fair and Market, which showcases modern and traditional forms of American Indian art and culture.

The event features work from more than 700 of the nation's upcoming and established artists who create one-of-a-kind jewelry, pottery, textiles, and more.

Flagstaff artist Melissa Cody, previous winner of the event's Conrad House Award, will be in attendance this year with her bright woven rugs.

Cody says participating at the Heard's events with her woven rugs is a family tradition and allows her to celebrate a passion she's had since grade school.

Now 27, Cody is more comfortable experimenting with new color and designs that she says pushes the definition of what "traditional" native art means.

With her youth and eye for design, Cody hopes to change stereotypes attached to the art of weaving. "There has always been a cliché about who Navajo weavers are," Cody says. "A lot of people think it's just elders who produce it."


("Dopamine Regression" by Melissa Cody. Image courtesy of Melissa Cody)

Cody bends traditional weaving aesthetics by using street art as an inspiration, which is demonstrated in both the bold palette and subject."I put more contemporary art into my work and because I'm so much younger, I can get away with it more," she says.

Cody has participated in the Heard's annual event since she was 18 and praises it as a unique venue to showcase all that is happening in the native art world by "bridging the gap between traditional and contemporary."


The market and fair is on March 5 and 6 from 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m at The Heard Museum, 2301 N. Central Ave. in Phoenix. For more information, visit the Heard Museum website.

Changing the Face: Celebrated Female Fashion Designers and Textiles Artists

Changing the Face: Celebrated Female Fashion Designers and Textiles Artists

(SANTA FE, NM) Native Modern: Contemporary Native Art and Design Exhibit Series is a collaborative project between Legends Santa Fe and Southwestern Association for Indian Arts (SWAIA). SWAIA and Legends Santa Fe seeks distinctive and previously untested ways of bringing Native artists together from across cultures, media and themes. The shows, like Indian Market, are at once traditional and brimming with innovative ideas. The result is the presentation of Native art unlike anything else in Santa Fe.

The fifth and final show of the collaboration will feature celebrated female fashion designers and textile artists including:

•Melissa Cody (Dine)
•Amber Gunn Gauthier (Ho-Chunk Nation/ Menominee Nation)
•Patricia Michaels (Taos Pueblo)
•Penny Singer (Dine)

The work of these accomplished artists represent the transition and adaption of Native imagery with traditional textile and weaving methods into contemporary Fashion. Patricia Michaels, for example, is the 2010 winner of the Santa Fe Indian Market's Textiles Classification. Competing against traditional Native textiles, her winning piece signaled the ever-expanding possibilities of this ancient art form. Collectively, these visionary textile artists represent the very best in the genre.

The Native Modern: Contemporary Native Art and Design Exhibit Series at Legends Santa Fe is a bold and unmatched collaboration. With SWAIA's evolution continuing to redefine the parameters of Native art, paired with one of Santa Fe's premiere and most adventurous galleries, the Native Modern Series has set the standard for the presentation, promotion and possibilities in contemporary Native art.

Who: Legends Santa Fe and the Southwestern Association for Indian Arts (SWAIA)
What: Native Modern: Contemporary Native Art and Design Exhibit Series presents "Changing the Face: Celebrated Female Fashion Designers and Textiles Artists"
Where: Legends Gallery: 143 Lincoln Ave. Santa Fe, NM (505) 983-5639
When: Friday, November 5, 2010 6 p.m. to 8 p.m.
How Much: Free

For more information or interview requests, please contact
Gabe Gomez, (505) 983-5220 or ggomez@swaia.org