The time is drawing near to close the doors, and I wanted to give each of you a heartfelt thank you for all of your support of me and The Dancing Rabbit Gallery over the years. It has been an exciting major part of my life, and I have learned a tremendous amount about Native … Read More
Earlier this month, we spent a Monday morning watching the funeral procession for Queen Elizabeth II, and we were very touched by the tributes paid to this wonderful monarch. For her entire long life, she worked diligently to improve the lives of her people, and by extension the lives of everyone on the planet. But, … Read More
Most of us use Labor Day as the unofficial separator between hot summer days and the beginning of cooler fall. This past two years, with the pandemic lockdown and restrictions, many typical summer events went either postponed or virtual. It was, for almost everyone, very unsatisfying. This summer, Santa Fe saw the return of many … Read More
Dance is something that comes naturally to almost all of us – the swaying to rhythms and synchronizing with the music. But fundamentally, dance is a much deeper element of our lives. It is a mechanism to communicate stories and cultural values. Lacking written languages, the First Americans used dance to communicate from generation to … Read More
In June, a new Federal holiday was celebrated – Juneteenth. This was in remembrance of the freeing of slaves following the conclusion of the Civil War. There were numerous stories told in the news, as descendants of these enslaved peoples recalled the horrible conditions that existed prior to the Civil War. That brought to mind … Read More
One of our favorite things to do is get in the car and enjoy the stunning beauty of the American Southwest. The variety of scenery, the wildlife, the sweeping vista – everything about the American Southwest landscape is absolutely gorgeous. A young boy by the name of Ansel Adams was able to experience some of … Read More
The Institute for American Indian Arts (IAIA) is currently celebrating its 60th birthday, and the companion museum is concurrently celebrating its 50th birthday. IAIA started in 1962 on the grounds of the Santa Fe Indian School as an undergraduate program for Native American students interested in the arts. Today, IAIA occupies a state-of-the-art campus on … Read More
It is with a very, very heavy heart that I write this special edition of the Newsletter. A wonderful man, and an incredibly talented jeweler, Albert Lee, has passed away. Albert was born in 1980, making him a very young 41 years old. He passed away on the evening of April 12 in his hometown … Read More
In March, we had the opportunity to attend a presentation by Joy Harjo, the first Native American Poet Laureate. The presentation was offered by the New Mexico Museum of Art on a lovely Wednesday evening at the Museum’s historic Saint Francis Auditorium. We both love poetry, and were quite intrigued by the opportunity to hear … Read More
When we think of sculptures, particularly public works of art, we immediately think of large, imposing pieces of stone, metal, or wood. These are meant for public display, and are meant to convey messages or stories about the subject at hand. However, for the most part, these large sculptures don’t fit in our homes, so … Read More
Happy New Year, my dear friends and family! May you be blessed during the year with good tidings and joy! In mid-December, I had the opportunity to take a behind-the-scenes construction tour of the new exhibit area in the Museum of Indian Arts and Culture (MIAC) in Santa Fe. This exhibit, which is about five … Read More
As I write this, we have just finished our Thanksgiving dinner celebration and our attention is now turning to the traditional Holiday season. Thanksgiving is a uniquely American celebration, starting with the Native American tribes saving a starving colony of European immigrants. It has evolved into a time when we give thanks for the abundance … Read More
When tourists travel through the Santa Fe area, one stop is often to see the cliff dwellings at Bandelier National Monument. Run by the US Park Service, the cliff dwellings offer striking evidence of human habitation in the area going back over 11,000 years. These dwellings were created by the Ancestral Puebloans, the forefathers of … Read More
In the news, we often see stories of volcanic eruptions along the Pacific Ocean “Ring of Fire,” or in areas like the Big Island of Hawaii or Iceland, where active volcanoes continue to bring fiery magma to the surface and devastate the surrounding land. We don’t often hear about volcanoes in the American Southwest, as … Read More