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Courtney
Leonard and Jeff Sippel work on prints for the Art in Embassies
program. Courtesy Jason S. Ordaz/IAIA
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In an effort to broaden international understanding of the contemporary
Native art experience, the Institute of American Indian Arts recently
collaborated with the U.S. Department of State's Office of Art in
Embassies to produce a limited edition print series showcasing the
art of IAIA alumni.
Fifty prints will be created10 from each artistto
be placed in U.S. Embassies, Consulates, and Ambassador's residences
around the world. The prints will be created from original art by
master printers Jeff Sippel and Don Messac.
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Don
Messec working on the prints. (Courtesy Jason S. Ordaz/IAIA)
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"For five decades, Art in Embassies (AIE) has played a leading
role in U.S. public diplomacy through a focused mission of cross-cultural
dialogue and understanding through the visual arts and dynamic artist
exchange," reads a press release about the program.
Since 2005, AIE has installed more than 58 permanent art collections
in U.S. diplomatic facilities around the world.
"Art in Embassies cultivates relationships that transcend boundaries,
building trust, mutual respect and understanding among peoples,"
said U.S. Secretary of State John Forbes Kerry. "It is a fulcrum
of America's global leadership as we continue to work for freedom,
human rights and peace around the world."
IAIA alumni artists chosen for this program include: Tony Abeyta,
Navajo; Crystal Worl, Tlingit/Athabascan; Jeff Kahm, Plains Cree;
Courtney Leonard, Shinnecock; and Dan Namingha, Tewa-Hopi.
Abeyta currently works in mixed media painting. He started his
studies at IAIA and is a New York University graduate. "There exists
a rhythm in the land where I was born. I spend a lot of time deciphering
the light, the cascades of mesas into canyon, the marriage between
earth and sky, and the light as it constantly changes... I am beckoned
to remember it and then to paint it," he said in the release.
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Tony
Abeyta "Infinite Wisdom," hand-printed multi photo-plate lithography.
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Worl was raised in Alaska, where she was introduced to traditional
arts, practices, and storytelling. She earned her BFA in Studio
Arts from IAIA. She now lives in Juneau, and works in kiln-cast
glass, printmaking, and painting.
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Crystal
Worl "Into Water," hand-printed combination of photo-plate
lithography with hand built waterless lithography plates.
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Born in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada and raised on the Little Pine
First Nation in Saskatchewan, Kahm is an associate professor in
art at IAIA.
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Jeff
Kahm "Converse," digital pigment print.
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Leonard, from Long Island, New York, is an artist and filmmaker.
She currently lives in Santa Fe, where she works as a professional
artist and lecturer.
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Courtney
Leonard "Blue Blood," laser-etched paper with hand-printed
multi photo-plate lithography.
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Namingha received an honorary doctorate from IAIA in 2009, and
has been showing professionally for more than 40 years. He is drawn
to his roots, embedded in ceremony, yet his art only allows a guarded
glimpse of his traditions.
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Dan
Namingha "Hopi Montage," hand-printed multi photo-plate lithography.
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Dan Namingha "Hopi Montage," hand-printed multi photo-plate
lithography.
These artists were honored by Vice President Joe Biden and his wife,
Dr. Jill Biden, in October, at their home.
RELATED: Dr. Jill Biden and Vice President Biden Honor 5 Native
Artists at the VP's Home
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Tony
Abeyta, Crystal Worl, Vice President Joe Biden, Courtney Leonard,
Jeff Kahm and Dan Namingha at the Bidens' house during the
reception on October 27, 2015. (Tony Powell)
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"As ambassadors will tell you, guests to our embassiesthe
thing they most gravitate to is the art we display," said Vice President
Biden. But "it's not just the art." He said he takes great pride
in the efforts President Barak Obama has taken to advance tribal
sovereignty and self-determination. "More than any administration,
we have tried very hardBarack and Ito strengthen the
relationships between our nations," he said. "I've supported tribal
sovereignty my entire career and self-determination my entire career.
We know and mean and use the phrase 'Indian nations.'"
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