By
Maggie Burnett
Arizona Daily Wildcat
Local flavor, American Indians oppression subjects of artists' works
As part of a joint effort with Phoenix-based Segura Publishing, the Etherton Gallery has opened a new exhibit titled "Collaborative Consciousness: New Graphic Selections from Segura Publishing" displaying the work of nine different artists.
The gallery has also simultaneously opened the exhibit "Native American Portraits," a series of portraits by Leonard Baskin. Both exhibits are showcased in the main gallery at Etherton.
Although the gallery, located at 135 S. Sixth Ave., typically specializes in the buying and selling of vintage photography, gallery manager Jerre Johnston clarified that temporary, mixed media exhibitions are held in the main gallery throughout the entire year.
"We've had a relationship with Segura (Publishing) for years," she said. "Periodically we collaborate with them and look at new work they are publishing. It's always really fun to look at new work."
Segura Publishing Company, located in Tempe, produces limited edition prints and monotypes by leading contemporary artists such as the ones displayed at Etherton.
Though the Segura exhibit hosts several artists who are recognized internationally, a few of the artists have chosen to incorporate more of a Tucson flavor into their work.
One such artist, James Turrell, is exhibiting a group of six photographic prints that features his work-in-progress at Roden Crater in northern Arizona.
Turrell has been planning to transform the crater into a large-scale work of art reflecting the surrounding sky, land and culture. The black and white photographs displayed at Etherton are exquisitely reflected images of the sun and moon in space.
In another example of local artistry, Enrique Chagoya's "Return to Goya's Caprichos" focuses on what Francisco de Goya's work would have looked like if he had potrayed the present day world through his distinctive style.
The pieces incorporate a surreal world within a real one. Several of the images portray humans interacting with animals, such as donkeys. Figurative distortions derived from Goya's works are interlaced with Chagoya's interpretation of the present-day world. Several of the other prints contain figures which are caricatures of Linda Tripp, Jesse Helms and Jerry Falwell, among others.
Despite the aesthetic appeal of the pieces in the exhibit, the wide variety of artists portrayed makes it difficult for the viewer to understand exactly what each artist is trying to convey. Just when the message of a piece becomes clear, the next piece in the exhibit is by a new artist expressing an entirely new idea, creating an uncohesive exhibit.
On the opposite wall from Segura Publishing's exhibit is Baskin's "Native American Portraits."
Baskin himself is Jewish, not American Indian- but, in his personal statement, he stated he was appalled at the injustice directed toward American Indians as well as felt sensitivity for the destruction of this particular race of people.
Baskin's pieces portray 25 chiefs, scouts, warriors and women from a variety of tribes. Each lithograph is the portrait or full-body picture of one particular American Indian, along with an inscription of that person's name and tribe.
The portraits are intricate and life-like human representations, yet the colors and shapes used in the images create a cartoon-effect in the pieces. The faces of the American Indians depict little emotion, giving each piece an air of mystery. Exactly who these people are and what their histories entail remains unknown to the audience, demonstrating how their personal histories have effectively been erased by cultural assimilation.
"Collaborative Consciousness" and "Native American Portraits" can be seen at the Etherton Gallery through Nov. 4.
