Mother Earth has completed another journey around the sun, and the Year of The Dancing Rabbit has come to a close. We thank each of you for celebrating our 40th birthday with us, and hope that you enjoyed some of the festivities that we prepared for you.
Birthdays are a time of reflection on the past, and we have done quite a bit of that this year. When my parents started The Dancing Rabbit Gallery in 1980, they spoke often of education and inspiration, bringing the fabulous artistic talents of Native Americans of the Southwest to the world. They wanted to shine a bright light on the culture, the heritage, and the amazing skills of Native Americans.
I have tried hard to live up to the high standards set for me by my parents, and also the standards that I believe are important to adequately elevate Native American artists to the level they so rightly deserve. Michael and I have spent countless hours traveling through the Southwest, developing deep relationships with Native American artists and their families, learning their stories and scratching the surface of their cultures, and being immersed in the beauty of their world.
Birthdays are also a time of looking forward to the future, and Michael and I have done quite a bit of that this year, particularly given the constraints place on our travels due to the pandemic. We celebrated our formal birthday in May with a big party and 40 days of giveaways, and we took a big leap in October by moving from our lifelong Texas home to a new house in Santa Fe. It is wonderful that so many of you – both fans and collectors of Native American art as well as Native American artists – warmly welcomed us to our new home. Our Gallery space is still in the process of being arranged, but we already have moved forward with some of our new ideas and new approaches for the coming years.
For many of us, the year 2020 was “the year that wasn’t.” Businesses and schools were shut down, and fairs and markets didn’t happen except in a limited online fashion. Everyone went through some degree of hardship, none more so than Native American artists who depend on selling their art to take care of their families. We heard many, many stories of wonderful people who stepped up and aided these artists with purchases, even though they may have been in financial difficulties themselves. By reaching out a hand to help those in more distress, we showed our true nature as one big family of compassionate humans.
Each new year brings a new set of opportunities. Rather than marking time and waiting for another year to pass us by, let’s seize this new year and make something special of it. Our legacies in this world will be known by the deeds we have done and the lives we have touched. For me, the year 2021 begins a new chapter in the life of The Dancing Rabbit Gallery – the adventures of living in Santa Fe and spending even more time traveling throughout the Southwest. I hope to build new relationships and deepen the ones that I already have. I hope to touch some hearts by sharing with them the engaging stories of Native American artists and their cultures.
So my question to each of you is simple. How will you add to your legacy this coming year? A random act of kindness to a stranger? A cheerful “good morning” to a neighbor? It doesn’t have to be a big gesture, and it doesn’t have to be known to anyone but yourself. It will enrich your soul, and it may help others add to their legacies as well.
With those thoughts in mind, make a difference in 2021. Let’s get this party started, everyone!