Sacred
Rain Arrow - a young Apache warrior shooting his arrow towards the
heavens with the hope of carrying a prayer for rain to the Spirit
World.
During the Olympics, Allan Houser's Sacred
Rain Arrow was displayed at the Salt Lake City and County Building
where it welcomed athletes and officials from 80 countries. Phillip
Haozous sculpted a Sacred Rain Arrow maquette. 300 in bronze are
available for purchase.
Upon entering the 2002 Winter Olympics, athletes
from all over the world were welcomed by the powerfully moving, larger-than-life
bronze sculpture, Sacred Rain Arrow, created by one of the most important
American artists of the 20th century, the internationally respected
Master sculptor Allan Houser Haozous. A Warm Springs Chiricahua Apache,
Allan Houser was very proud of his heritage, captivatingly portrayed
in Sacred Rain Arrow, a sculpture of a young Apache warrior shooting
his arrow towards the heavens with the hope of carrying a prayer for
rain to the Spirit World.
Phillip M. Haozous, who accompanied his
father's sculptures to the Olympics, is one five sons born to Allan
and Anna Marie Houser. Phillip promotes his fathers legacy by sharing
his art with the public at the Allan Houser Compound, a 110-acre
area nestled in the sandy, softly rolling high desert dotted with
juniper, near Santa Fe in New Mexico and speaking throughout the
world. The Allan Houser Sculpture Garden was a collaborative project
between Phillip and his father, each piece thoughtfully positioned
in the beautiful open landscape with Santa Fe Mountains as a backdrop.
Besides bringing eighteen of his father's
powerfully moving sculptures to the Olympics, Phillip felt the world
should also know the very special man who created them by seeing
his image amongst his monumental sculptures. Inspired by that thought,
Phillip created a life-size bronze sculpture of his father titled,
Allan Houser Haozous 1914-1994. With Phillips natural talent, he
skillfully worked on the piece until it perfectly captured his father's
personality. He knew it was finished when given a smile and nod
of approval by his mother. The kind and warm demeanor emanating
from Phillip can also be felt by looking in the eyes of the statue
Phillip created of his father.
Raymond T. Grant, the artistic director
of the 2002 Olympic Arts Festival said "Allan Houser is singularly
one of those artists who embraced the three major elements of the
mission of our Cultural Olympiad. Those elements are to highlight
some of America's greatest contributions to the arts, to embrace
the West and its cultures and to celebrate Utah and its heritage."
Allan Houser was an artist-in-residence
and teacher at Utah's Inter-Mountain school in Brigham City, Utah
from 1951-1962.
Allan
Houser was born June 30, 1914 to Sam and Blossom Haozous. He was
the first Warm Springs Apache baby born in freedom after 27 years
of imprisonment, when the government finally released the Apaches
after Geronimo's death.
Allan Houser's father, Sam Haozous, was
an Apache warrior who fought for the freedom of his people alongside
Geronimo (his uncle), Cochise, Naiche and Victorio. He was part
of Geronimo's band who were taken prisoner when Geronimo surrendered
(under conditions the government subsequently failed to honor),
thus ending the "Indian wars."
Growing up working on the family farm
near Apache, Oklahoma, Allan Houser's passion for art started with
his drawings. His life as a respected artist began with his paintings,
which he first exhibited in 1939 at the World's Fair in New York
City. He then moved into a sculpting.
In 1962, the Houser family left Utah and
settled in Santa Fe, New Mexico. There he was a teacher and then
head of the sculpture department at the newly formed Institute of
American Indian Arts until 1975.
Alan Houser reached into his childhood
memories to create powerful and emotional portrayals of Native people,
transforming his deep feelings into extraordinary pieces of art
as illustrated in his life-size bronze, The Future (Chiricahua Apache
Family). The Future was dedicated in 1983, honoring the memory of
his parents and commemorating the 70th anniversary of the release
of the Apache prisoners of war from Fort Sill.
For over five decades, Allan Houser's sculptures of Native American
themes, have depicted the pride and dignity of Native people. Later
in his career, he created modern abstracts.
Alan Houser felt very strongly about human
dignity for all people, which is clearly apparent in his sculptures.
This is the first of several articles
on Allan Houser Haozous and his son, Phillip M. Haozous.
Click on the thumbnail image
to view a larger image.
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Prayer Song
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Prayer Song (close-up)
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Lament
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Lament (close-up)
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He Will be Home Soon
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Singing Heart
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Pueblo Legacy
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The Beginning
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As Long As the Water's Flow
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The Offering
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