Native American Blankets with Mark Sublette of Medicine Man Gallery
Native American Art magazine sits down with Mark Sublette, the owner of Medicine Man Gallery in Tucson, Arizona, to discuss weavings, particularly Navajo blankets.
Native American Antique Art Dealer Michael Bradford, Epi. 59, Host Dr. Mark Sublette
Native American antique art dealer Michael Bradford travels to Tucson, Arizona to sit down with host Mark Sublette and talk about his experiences traveling the country searching for and selling art and antiques. Michael discusses his time in the United States Navy and how a few life-changing moments turned a bull rider from a rodeo junky to a traveling antique expert. Family, native antiques, fine turquoise jewelry and the great art of barbeque are all topics on this episode of The Art Dealer Diaries.
Maynard Dixon's Paintings of Tucson Arizona
Maynard Dixon specialist Dr. Mark Sublette discuss Dixon's later life in Tucson Arizona. Beautiful examples of Maynard Dixon's Tucson paintings and watercolors are illustrated in this video along with Maynard Dixon's history of his Arizona years.
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Maynard Dixon's Paintings of Tucson Arizona
One of Tucson’s very best known artists was Maynard Dixon. A and Dixon was a wonderful artist that lived from 1875 to 1946. The last part of his life – from 1940 to 1946, he actually lived here in Tucson, Arizona. He lived in a wonderful little adobe home with his wife Edith Hamlin, and he painted some fantastic images of the Catalina Mountains and of saguaros. I wanted just to give you a little history about Maynard Dixon and Tucson, because it's really my favorite of his time frames, and it really is just because he lived here. It was outstanding what he did in this time frame, even though he had emphysema and his health was failing. The painting to my left (your right) is of the Catalina Mountains, and I love the way that he did this cottonwood. This is a very classic kind of Maynard Dixon-esque feel. The cottonwoods – a lot of people feel and myself included – he, Dixon, felt that this represented him; that he was this lone kind of individual struggling in the desert but yet flourishing. In fact, the first thing he did when he built his house in 1940, was he put a cottonwood right in front and watched it grow because it needed nurture and water, but yet it represented himself. The pieces in Tucson are generally of the lifestyle around this area. They can be rodeo shots; often, he did these little water colors of some of the tourists that had come to Arizona, and specifically Tucson, out at the Tanque Verde Guest Ranch. But, he also did these lovely pieces of saguaros and mountains with fast moving clouds and little adobe houses. It was a wonderful time frame for him artistically, even though medically he was failing. And by the time he got into 1946, he was really failing quite badly, and in fact, his last piece, which was a monumental work of art – a mural of, all things, the Grand Canyon – the hardest thing probably to paint. He actually had to have Edith and Buck Weaver help him finish this because he was so ill. They're great time frames – the Tucson pieces are generally done from 1940 to 1946. I love their looks. The palate is very subdued; he's at the point where he's really editing down to just the basics of what he likes. Tucson, Arizona. Maynard Dixon.
Art Dealer Diaries Season 2018 E 6, Moira Geoffrion host Mark Sublette
Moira Marti Geoffrion, has exhibited in more than 200 museums and galleries in the United States, European countries, Australia, and Russia. Moria received her BFA from Boston University School of Fine Arts and served in the Peace Corps Corps in Sierra Leone. Learn the struggles of being a woman heading two major art departments and the struggles of women in art during the 1960-80 period.
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Art Dealer Diaries Season 2018 E 2, Shonto Begay hosted by Mark Sublette
A professional artist since 1983, Shonto Begay, is one of the premier Native American Artists having been featured on the cover of Arizona Highways with more than ten children's books to his credit. His art has been shown in more than 50 shows in galleries and museums including The Wheelwright Museum of the American Indian in Santa Fe, the American Indian Contemporary Arts' museum in San Francisco and the Phoenix Art Museum. Shonto's work resides in the permanent collection of the Heard Museum, Phoenix, the Tucson Museum of Art, and the Museum of Northern Arizona to name a few.
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Native American Jewelry Signature Expert Bille Hougart Epi. 49 host Dr. Mark Sublette
Bill Hougart whose books on Native American Silversmith's and Mexican jewelry hallmarks are the gold standard for the industry. If you want to understand how Native American signatures and Mexican Hallmarks on jewelry started and the different types and dates of when these hallmarks began, this is a must listen to podcast.
Early Hopi Pottery: How to Identify Nampeyo Family Pottery
Learn how to identify and value early Hopi Nampeyo and family pottery. Dr. Mark Sublette owner of Medicine Man Gallery with 25 years experience gives you tips on what to look for when collecting Native American Nampeyo family pottery.
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Early Hopi Nampeyo Family Pottery
Hi, I'd like to talk to you about Nampeyo and her family. She's one of the very most important Pueblo potters from Hopi. In fact, we have a few examples of Nampeyo’s work. This is a piece, as well as this is a piece. Nampeyo was born in 1856 and died in 1942, and she really was the top potter in Hopi. In fact, people would come from all over the world just to visit and meet Nampeyo.
Nampeyo revised a style of pottery that was done in the 1400s, which is called Sikiyaki pottery, and this is an example of the pot that has this kind of small base and then very floating in. Sikiyaki pottery was found (it's still found) throughout Hopi and ruins, and during excavations she saw examples of this, and decided that she would revive it. And she was a very good, gifted potter, not only as a painter, but also as (a) maker of the pots, and she can make these very fine, flat Hopi pots, as well as the beautiful designs that would involve things like migration patterns.
This would be a migration pattern. This is done by her granddaughter, but she could also do things of birds, as well as design elements that would be almost abstract by today's standard. Now, Nampeyo had two gifted daughters too – Annie Healing, who was born in 1903 and then her daughter also was Fannie Nampeyo, which is this is a Fannie Nampeyo, and Fannie worked with Nampeyo when her vision started to go, as did Annie, and Annie died. When she (Annie) got older, her vision started to go as well, and her daughter started to help her, which was Rachel Nampeyo. And the famed potter Dexter Nampeyo is Rachel Nampeyo’s daughter. So, she's the granddaughter of Nampeyo.
In fact, the son of Dexter Nampeyo (which is this piece) is Dan Namingha. Dan Namingha (behind us) is a very famous painter and sculptor as well. The pots here are Fannie Nampeyo. This is an Elva Nampeyo, which was the daughter of Fannie. She died in 1985, and actually Fannie outlived her by a few years and (died in) 1987. The pottery of the Nampeyo family is very collectible. It has a unique design element, and if you can find this material, it's very collectible. For most of Nampeyo’s work, they were not signed. At this time signing really wasn't something that was done.
It wasn't until the late-mid 30s that she signed any of her Hopi pots, and they really weren't signed by her, they were done by Fannie, and they're usually very small pots, and they were done for the museum in northern Arizona. They had a show “Hopi pottery craftsman,” and they had to have pieces signed.
So, there are a few that are signed Nampeyo. They're usually worked with by Fannie and old lady Nampeyo, and they're valuable. But, really the earlier pots (something like this) would be much more valuable than the smaller signed pieces that were just from a small period of time. We have lots of these on our website and you can find them at medicinemangallery.com.
Native American Indian Jewelry: How to Identify Genuine Lander Turquoise in Indian Jewelry
Native American jewelry expert Dr. Mark Sublette of Medicine Man Gallery with 25 years experience in the Indian art business gives tips on how to identify genuine early turquoise in Navajo jewelry. Excellent tutorial for beginning to advanced collectors on the characteristics one looks for when buying Native American old pawn jewelry with turquoise.
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Native American Indian Jewelry: How to Identify Genuine Lander Turquoise in Indian Jewelry
Hi, today I want to talk to you about turquoise: this kind of stuff. Specific mines are very important to understand because this has a lot to do with how we, dealers, go about pricing things. When I look at a piece of jewelry, and it's brought in to me, one of the first things I do (if it has turquoise in it), is to take my loop out and really examine it. There are a lot of good reasons to do this.
One is that you can see cracks, or if it has matrix, you may see that there really isn't a crack, but it's just the line of the matrix, and this makes a big difference. A stone that's broken is not going to be worth as much, (than) if it's just a matrix fissure. So, look at it closely. If you don't have a loop, at least get it under good light.
The most (probably) valuable turquoise today is called Lander. Lander turquoise comes from Northern Nevada, and it is an amazing-looking turquoise. It has very dark, deep blue (almost to black), with lots of matrix. The problem is there's just not much of it. Lander was found (the original) mined in 1973 by two sisters, Rita Hapgood and her sister Marilyn. They took their two boys up, and they went out looking for turquoise. They heard there was turquoise in Nevada, and they wanted to go find themselves a mine.
The story goes, is that they actually used a Ouija board (which said), “Go up the hill and start looking,” and they did, and then one of the kids found a little teeny stone with this beautiful brown-black kind of matrix, and that actually turned out to be Lander turquoise. It's also what we call a hat mine. A hat mine is a mine that is so small that you could throw your hat on it and cover the entire mine, and in this case, it really was.
There was only a hundred and eight pounds found of this turquoise, and it didn't start coming out till about 1974. Rita sold her mine claim to another group, who really knew how to go ahead and develop the mine, in 1974. So, between 1974 and 1977 (we’ll say) a lot of that great turquoise really got into the market.
So, one of the things you have to realize if somebody is telling you its Lander turquoise; remember there's a very small amount, and it probably isn't genuine Lander, unless you have a great provenance, or you have somebody who knows that it's Lander turquoise. If you have a dealer who’s been in the business and is going to guarantee it’s Lander, then that's fine – not a problem. You have pieces like (Charles Loloma did this) wonderful bracelet with a huge chunk of Lander.
It makes sense; he was a well-known artist, who could afford the turquoise, which was even expensive at that time. It's really been in the last ten years or even less (really in the last five years, I would say), that Lander has started to go up so much in value. People have really understood that this is a rare type of turquoise, and that it really has a great essence beyond just the jewelry.
So, it's important when you're looking at Native American jewelry, and if you think it is a stone of importance, that you do a little research, and if it's genuine Lander, well, you've hit the jackpot just like Rita Hapgood.
What To Expect In An Artist-Gallery Relationship
Tips on what to expect from a gallery artist relationship. Dr. Mark Sublette a gallery owner with 25 years experience gives you his take on what is expected from both the gallery owner and the artist. Important video for any artist to view before they contact galleries for representation.
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What To Expect In An Artist-Gallery Relationship
So, today I want to talk to you about if you're an artist and you've gotten into a gallery, or a gallery is interested in your work, and they're probably going to show you. What can you expect from the gallery, as an artist? I think this will help you understand that, as myself – a gallery owner, we have certain expectations from the artist, and there may be certain expectations you're looking for from us that really may or may not be realistic. First of all, if you're in a top-tier artist, and let's say, you're a beginning artist – beginning in the aspect that you've been painting for 10,000 hours. You've built your craft; you have a great resume, but this is really your first major gallery. Some of the things you can expect: 1) is the gallery should have an internet (site). They should be able to promote you in this fashion. If they don't have that, then you may want to ask, “why?” because any major gallery today really does have some type of internet presence, and you should have that and should be able to get up on it. 2) don't expect some big show for you right off the bat. It's just not going to happen. Unless you're a major artist that somehow jumped ship, and went from one gallery to the next. The gallery owner just isn’t going to provide, especially in today's market, a big, major show for you because you're unproven. First of all, he or she needs to be able to build up your clientele because right now they probably have very little, if any, clientele for your work because they haven't represented you. So, be patient. Generally, I don't offer any type of one-man or two-man show for an artist unless they've been on board for at least a couple of years, and quite frankly, some just don't ever get that opportunity. It's not that I don't like them; it's not that they're not good because they are good enough to get in my gallery, but it just isn't in the cards for that artists at this point in time. So, don't get frustrated. If this is a problem, or if you’re looking for this, you probably need to go to a smaller gallery, who really looks at you as their big fish. So, remember when you are getting into galleries, make sure it's a good fit for you. And as an artist, I think this is very important. For us and our gallery – it's like a family, and we don't have any contracts, which many galleries do. Many galleries will say, “Exclusive only in my state,” or “Any shows you do, I want a profit,” and they may make you sign a contract – a lot of them do. We personally do not. (it’s) kind of old school, but what we feel is that this is a relationship. If it's not working for the artists, they have the right to say, “I'm done.” If it's not working for me, I have the same option, just, “Let's part ways.” And that's happened; we have had that happen, and it's always been amicable because from the very beginning we make the statement: this is a two-way street. So, you need to feel very comfortable with the gallery and the gallery owner specifically that you're dealing with, because if you don't feel comfortable with them, it may not work out anyway. These are just a few tips that you need to understand when you're starting as an artist with a gallery. And if you can come on off with a very good understanding before you ever sell your first painting, you're going to be much happier.
Maynard Dixon Drawings and Paintings: How to Identify an Authentic Signature
Maynard Dixon used many different signatures during his lifetime including MD, Maynard Dixon, Dixon, and a Thunderbird stamp. This video shows you the earlies Maynard Dixon signatures as well as how to identify Maynard Dixon's hand in drawings by Maynard Dixon expert Dr. Mark Sublette
Big Blend Radio Interview: Mark Sublette & Victoria Chick discuss Arizona Artists
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Conversation focusing artists known for painting the Sonoran desert and its iconic saguaro cacti, featuring: Mark Sublette - Medicine Man Gallery and Maynard Dixon Museum in Tucson, Arizona, and, Victoria Chick – Silver City, New Mexico-based contemporary figurative artist and early 19th/20th century print collector. Read Victoria's article on the subject, here:
Indian baskets, pictorial elements and price structure for Native American basketry
Tips on how to identify pictorial elements in Native American art. Dr. Mark Sublette Native American art specialist explains what are pictorial elements and how they can affect the value of Indian art. Examples of horses and dogs in Apache baskets.
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Indian baskets, pictorial elements and price structure for Native American basketry
Pictorial elements. These are very important in not only basketry, but (also) pottery and really anything in the art world, because anything that allows us as the viewers to feel a humanity, which things like this pictorial do (this is dogs and happens to be horses and I'll explain why it is) it adds to the value. So, anything that has that amorphic or interesting look to it – it could be letters or a flag or something, that adds a humanity to the piece. That, to me, is a pictorial element – something that adds to it; makes it a folk-art kind of piece, as well as just a beautiful piece. Now, when we talk about Apache baskets, often, they'll have these figurative elements in them. In this case, we have horses and dogs. So, they all look the same probably, but there's a difference and here's one of the little keys that I'm going to give you today: how to tell a horse from a dog in an Apache basket. The horses, in this case, are the ones around the edge; the larger elements. Those particular pieces – their tail is down. Downward means that it's a horse. If it's upwards, like the ones in the center of the white, that's a dog. It doesn't really affect the price whether it's a dog or a horse, unless you're a dog or a horse lover. But, it's important to know, as this shows that you have knowledge about what you're buying and selling. If your dealer doesn't understand that or doesn't know that, then you may want to think, “Well, maybe they don't know as much as I do.” The other thing that you want to look for in pictorial elements is if they have a lot of different things. This can really increase value. Sometimes you'll see ollas that have numerous images of humans on horses with spears. These things can bring a lot of money. A piece like that was a wonderful olla (that) sold a few years back for over a hundred thousand and it was only a 12-inch basket. It was the pictorial elements that really added to the value and the interest, and as a buyer and as a seller, you want to remember those things, and look for those pictorial elements. That's your tip of the day.
Victoria Roberts Stars and Stripes Forever
“I have always loved the imagery of the American Flag, so creating them, as part of my artistic expression was inevitable. It started with my wanting to shed light on monetary corruption, so I made flags with advertising materials, yardsticks and bottle caps, showing the logos of different companies on each flag. By the 4th piece I started adding other elements, I embedded 3 dimensional stars into that flag as if they were falling off, then the idea of adding a written phrase came to me. Every flag I make will express a different concept or observation, and I'm excited to be asked to do this show Stars and Stripes Forever with my flags as the focus. Art is a journey, it’s an ever-evolving process, I never know where it will take me next.” -Victoria Roberts
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Indians, Corn, and the American West: Maynard Dixon’s New Deal Mural for the Dept. of the Interior
Erika Doss discusses the complexities surrounding government-funded art projects during the 1930s and how American Artist Maynard Dixon negotiated with New Deal tastemakers in his depiction of modern American Indians and the American West. In 1937, the Treasury Department’s Section of Painting and Sculpture, a New Deal arts program, commissioned a two-panel mural for the Bureau of Indian Affairs offices in the Main Interior Building. Dixon was asked to depict ‘themes taken from the activities’ of the BIA. Following the lecture, visitors are invited to view Dixon’s Indian and Soldier and Indian and Teacher murals in the Main Interior Building.
Erika Doss, Chair and Professor in the Department of American Studies at the University of Notre Dame, has authored publications including; Benton, Pollock, and the Politics of Modernism: From Regionalism to Abstract Expressionism (1991), Spirit Poles and Flying Pigs: Public Art and Cultural Democracy in American Communities (1995). Her latest work, Memorial Mania: Self, Nation, and the Culture of Commemoration in Contemporary America will be published by the University of Chicago Press in 2010.