Fashion Leaders Bridge Cultural Divides at NOMAD Two Worlds

(Fashion designer Donna Karan, Australian Nyungar elder Dr. Richard Walley, and photographer Russell James pose on the red carpet during the NOMAD Two Worlds gallery premiere. James collaborated with many Australian, Native American, and Haitian artists to bring the L.A. collection to reality.)

Fashion Leaders Bridge Cultural Divides at NOMAD Two Worlds
(Adapted from an article by Katherine Peach/Special to LAist)

The fashion world merged with the deep cultural background of Australia's Indigenous heritage to create a show of modern music, art and fashion. The politically charged exhibit NOMAD: Two Worlds embodied the positive message of Reconciliation from the ashes of a tragic cultural devastation.

The collaborative exhibition focused on the cultural divide experienced by Australia’s Indigenous people, a reality witnessed by fashion photographer and Australian native Russell James. The exhibit featured art, music and film that James has worked with for more than a decade.

NOMAD has been on a world tour with the help of some powerful friends this time around. The event is presented by Richard Branson, the mogul of Virgin Airlines and V Australia his newest international airline. Fashion designer Donna Karan joined with URBAN ZEN Foundation, a charitable organization dedicated to the preservation and celebration of Indigenous cultures worldwide. And then Barbra Streisand showed up. A good friend of the fashion philanthropists, the songstress sent the gallery into a frenzy turning the hot spot night into the place to be.




James is best known for his provocative work capturing Victoria's Secret models backstage or his work for Sports Illustrated filming some of the most beautiful women in the world on glistening, sandy beaches. NOMAD in L.A. showcases many beautiful women, including Heidi Klum, Adriana Lima and Estella Warren in an underwater video, in sweeping landscapes accented with colorful tribal symbols representative of different spiritual beliefs.

The photographs are organic and vibrant while incorporating very modern elements. Australian, Native American and Haitian Indigenous artists, including Australian artist Clifton Bieundurry, have collaborated with James to create a set of hybrid art pieces, many which premiered in L.A. for the first time. The beauty of the pieces is a superficial jump from the engraved faces of Indigenous men of earlier collections.

NOMAD: Two Worlds started in 1999 in New York, the project took a pivotal turn when then Prime Minister Kevin Rudd apologized to Indigenous Australians for the mistreatment and genocide by the government endured for generations. The exhibition strives to embrace a long cultural history and move forward with the idea of recovery ad Reconciliation. James along with leaders from the Indigenous community joined with Will.i.am of the Black Eyed Peas, Hugh Jackman and Donna Karan to create the first collaborative effort in 2009.
Click here to read original article.

Heard Indian Market 2011 - Doug Miles & Susan Folwell

Blood & Dirt
Check out this cool Heard Market collaboration -

Santa Clara potter Susan Folwell and Apache/Akimel O’odham artist Douglas Miles (of Apache Skateboards) teamed up to create some truly unique collaborative work that experimentally combines street art with traditional Pueblo pottery.

Dubbed Blood and Dirt, the collab features Miles' signature aerosol artwork on Folwell's native clay pottery and further pushes the boundaries of contemporary Native American art. The result is gritty, graphic, and beautiful.

(Folwell and Miles' Stiletto)

(Folwell and Miles' Stiletto)

(Folwell and Miles' She Is Not You)

(Folwell's booth space at the Heard)

(Folwell and Miles' Blood n Dirt)

Click here to read more about the collaboration.

Donna Karan Collaborates with Australian Artist

(Nomad: Two Worlds photography exhibit)

Donna Karan does it again! -

Back in 2002, New York fashion giant Donna Karan collaborated with Cochiti fashion designer Virgil Ortiz to create garments that fused her tailoring with his pottery designs. Now, she has collaborated with artist Clifton Bieundurry, a Walmajarri artist from the central Kimberley region of Australia, on 10 one-of-a-kind batik-print cashmere-and-silk scarves.

(Donna Karan and Virgil Ortiz collaboration)

(Donna Karan/Clifton Bieundurry scarf)

The collaboration is part of a larger art exhibit called "Nomad: Two Worlds" which features the art of Australian photographer Russell James who partnered with Indigenous artists to create new works of art.

About the Nomad show, Karan said, "To experience the spirit of these people, to see and feel the craft and wisdom of their traditions, is to understand why we must bring their artistry to the world. We must illuminate, educate and raise awareness while cultures like this still exist."

The show is currently on display in Los Angeles, and Karan will speak in a panel discussion with UCLA professor Jessica Cattelino, and Richard Walley, a Noongar Indigenous Australian elder, on additional topics relating to the challenges faced by Native cultures in the modern world.

Some of the proceeds from sales will benefit Karan's UrbanZen foundation, which helps preserve Native cultures, among other endeavors.

There's two main reasons why I love Donna Karan. First, she collaborates with Indigenous artists and she names them. She doesn't do a generic "oh I'm inspired by the beautiful cultures of Native Americans." She collaborates with individuals, and she gives them credit. Secondly, she supports various programs and organizations that benefit Indigenous peoples. Many non-Native designers profit greatly from their Native-inspired collections, yet they never give back. They continue the colonial legacy of profitting from the packaging and selling of Native cultures. I hope other non-Native designers will follow Karan's lead.

Click here to read more.

The West is Dead Partners with Native Tribes

Ethical denim brand, The West is Dead, has turned its attention to land preservation and the restoration of the bison to the American West.

Produced in Los Angeles, The West is Dead was begun by Kaelen McCrane and Will Cheng. The brand has partnered with 53 Native American tribes to bring back the stock of bison to normal levels. The label will partner each year with organizations who they feel embody their beliefs and goals in protecting and restoring 'the wild west' by donating a percentage of their profits to these organizations, but also by creating public awareness.

The West is Dead focuses on the highest available quality of fabrics and hardware that are also earth-friendly.

Click here to read more.

Patricia Michaels at SWAIA/Legends Show

Changing the Face: Celebrated Female Fashion Designers and Textiles Artists

The fifth and final show of the collaboration between Legends Santa Fe and Southwestern Association for Indian Arts (SWAIA) featured celebrated female fashion designers and textile artists including Patricia Michaels (Taos Pueblo).

Michaels was the unanimous 2010 winner of the Santa Fe Indian Market's Textiles Classification. Competing against traditional Native textiles, her winning piece signals the ever-expanding possibilities of the ancient art of adornment.

Michaels explained, “Every garment that I make, the fabric and the cut of the garment tells a story. And that’s how I feel Native people can give back to the rest of the world… to share their stories with people in the outside world. Some people do it through pottery, or painting, or jewelry. For me, I just thought, well, somebody can wear it. They can feel [these stories] on their skin.”

(All images below are of Patricia Michaels' fashion designs shot during the Legends/SWAIA event, and are courtesy of Jessica R. Metcalfe and Keith Grosbeck, with special thanks to Michaels and her models):






To read more about Patricia Michaels, check out my designer profile on her, and visit her website.

Also, if you're in the neighborhood, be sure to check out the upcoming Legends show featuring the jewelry of Colin Coonsis (Zuni/Navajo), which opens on November 26, 2010:

Apache Skateboards Teams Up With Volcom

Doug Miles and Apache Skateboards produce some of the freshest of the fresh when it comes to Native streetwear. Apache Skateboards’ latest collaboration is with Volcom to create a new line of clothing for the Fall 2010 Stone-Age Collection.

Colin Provost, Aaron Suski, and Felipe Ortiz trekked out to "Hell's 40 Acres" – a.k.a the San Carlos Apache reservation to shoot photographs for the fall catalogue. Check out these two videos (one released by Volcom, the other was shot and edited by Razelle Benally) for an exciting sneak peek of the collection. Watch here:


Video Shot and Edited by Razelle Benally. Copyright 2009 Red Brigade Films.


Inspired by and designed for skateboarding. Volcom Stone-Age products are only available at select locations. Volcom.com/Stoneage



Check out more about Apache Skateboards on their website or on MySpace or Facebook.

Artist Profile | Breeze and Un3ek

The Heard Museum Indian Art Market is always a fantastic event - I've gone every year since 2005 (that's 6 years in a row!) and I have no intentions of stopping - I love it! It's the second largest Indian Art Market (next to the SWAIA market in Santa Fe in August), but, I think, it's the most creative.

I hope to post some post-Heard Market artist profiles on this thing in the near future, and my first is a profile of my friend Thomas Marcus, aka Breeze.

Along with several other Native/Indigenous artists, Breeze shared some of his artwork at the Protect Ya Neck art show at Barsmith in Phoenix this past weekend.

I snapped a pic of this collaboration, and he explained it on his blog :

This month Tyson Powless of Un3ek Sy5tems and I have worked together to create this new image of Geronimo holding an Ak-47, with a sunburst halo around Geronimo and the assault rifle. The title of the image is "Sacred Soldiers". It symbolizes the intensity that so many people possess deep down in their soul and bones. It also is a tribute to those who have gone on, who at one point in their lives, were fighting for their land and people. As Indigenous peoples (all over the world), we are all proud of where we come from, and at the same time we still defend and fight for our people, and cultural identity, and right to exist in so many forms. -"Our Existence is our Resistance"

Silk screen prints. Hand printed black ink on white Stonehenge archival paper. 22" x 30". Series of 24. Each one is signed and numbered by both artists. $60 each unframed. ***For additional pricing info on framing and out of state shipping please email housebroken285@yahoo.com*** A limited number of black ink on white T's are available also. $20 each. $5 for shipping and handling.