SherdsJuly-September 2010 e-EDITION

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High in the Sierra Madre range of northwestern Mexico live the Huichol Indians, a native group that has retained much of its traditional lifeway by living in relative isolation from the outside world. By moving into the mountains following the arrival of the Spanish in the early sixteenth century, the Huichol - who call themselves Wixarika - managed to avoid conquest until 1722. Later attempts by Spanish missionaries to eradicate Huichol religion were largely unsuccessful. The majority of the people continue to live in dispersed groups of extended families (known as ranchos) in the mountains, but some journey to the lowlands to engage in seasonal work on plantations, while others have permanently moved to nearby cities such as Tepic and Guadalajara.

Many Huichols living in cities earn money through the production of artwork. They are acclaimed for their beadwork

Huichol Yarn Painting

Yarn Painting, ca. 1975 by Apollonia de la Cruz; Gift of Fred Fagan

Sherds

2010 Events

Directions

Herron FoundationBoard of DirectorsLinda Bell, CPADonald Herron, PresidentJanet Herron, SecretaryQuintus Herron, Vice PresidentJohn RamseyJerry Shinn, Mayor of IdabelSallie WebbJack Tucker, TreasurerIdabel Museum SocietyBoard of DirectorsDr. Robert BrooksBruce King, Vice PresidentCarolynn NealJudy Petre, PresidentJohn RamseyDr. Lewis Stiles, TreasurerSallie WebbMuseum of the Red River StaffHenry Moy, DirectorDaniel L. Vick, Keeper of Collections

and Associate CuratorG. Paulette LaGasse, Program

CuratorL. Sue Coffman, Office ManagerVickie Smith, Conference Center

ManagerPatti Harris, Assistant to the Director

for Community RelationsDr. Mario Rivera, Curatorial

AssociateSherron Mitchell, Receptionist and

Gift Shop ManagerJeff Smith, Museum AssistantBrian Hendershot, Museum

Assistant

July 24 Basket Workshop with Linda LouAugust 10 Precolumbian West Mexican

Ceramics exhibit opensAugust 12 West Mexican Ceramics with Chris

Beekman & Bob Pickering, 7 p.m.September 9 Paleo PalsSept. 21-25 Annual Gem & Mineral ShowSeptember 28 Visions in Stone exhibit opensOctober 22 3rd Annual Fall ArtsFest — Elegant

Edibles & Heirlooms Reception, 6 p.m.

October 23 3rd Annual Fall ArtsFest, 10 a.m.-4 p.m.

November 2 Celebrations: All Saints Day/Day of the Dead

November 23 Basket Workshop with Linda LouNovember 25 Thanksgiving Day — Museum closedDecember 1 Christmas Tree Festival beginsDecember 9 Paleo PalsDecember 7 Recent Acquisitions exhibit opensDecember 24-26 Museum closedDecember 28 Celebrations: Kwanzaa

It’s hard to believe that half the year’s over, but it is also gratifying to look back on all the activities and programs that have taken place the past six months. We are as busy as ever and I am so proud of our hard-working staff. I fail to offer them recognition often enough, and am very glad they are secure enough to know that as director, I am appreciative of their efforts, even as I am miserly in distributing “warm fuzzies.” On the other hand, the staff seem to be happy working here and appreciate the working environment the Museum and IMSI are able to provide. One major reason for our “state of happy” is of course the result of prudent

planning in the past by our founders (particularly Quintus and Mary Herron) and other early supporters. They first and foremost established endowment funds to support the nascent Museum. These funds have grown over the years through compounding and additional gifts, to continue providing general operating support. The annual budget of the Museum relies on this income, plus supplemental gifts and other support from annual donors, and some modest earned income (Museum Store sales, facility rentals, program fees, etc.). We proudly boast that the Museum has operated “in the black” throughout its entire history! We often receive inquiries and visits from “start-up” museum groups hoping to emulate our success. Our stress on establishing long-term financial stability often depresses those who are operating on initial enthusiasm and a “if we build it, they will come” belief. They often leave disappointed as we do not operate along the lines of “wishful thinking” and hopes of “__________ is/are expected to come through in the future.” We do not embark on projects without “money in hand”– plus, the resources to cover failure, as well as long-term success. We

will always encourage this scenario for others.As we move beyond the most recent financial crises, we are truly thankful for the foresight and generosity of our earliest supporters. We will continue to be the innovative provider of opportunities for learning, arts programming, and aesthetic appreciation.

– Henry Moy, Director

and embroidery, but are perhaps best known for making yarn paintings that vividly depict Huichol myths and ceremonies. These striking compositions began as religious offerings but have since become an internationally prized commercial art form.

The “discovery” of yarn paintings, also known as nierika — a Huichol term that refers to the face, eye, or mirror and suggests the yarn painting is a visual communication device with the gods — by the non-Huichol world

is a relatively recent occurrence. During the mid-1960s, yarn paintings began to receive greater recognition because of Huichol artist Ramon Medina Silva and his wife Guadalupe, who began to make and sale the paintings in Guadalajara.

Making a yarn painting begins with finding a suitable “canvas.” Originally, this was simply a small piece of wood, often circular or ovoid and not larger than a foot in diameter; these were small so that Huichols traveling on a pilgrimage to harvest peyote - a plant central to many of their ceremonies - could easily transport the visual prayer offerings. Today, most artists prefer to use plywood that can be cut to any size (masonite is also used occasionally). After obtaining the canvas, the artist coats one side of the board with a thin layer of beeswax - this is usually done in the morning sun so that the wax will be pliable but will not melt - and then proceeds to begin “painting,” by pressing individual strands of yarn into the wax to create the designs. Commercial acrylic yarn is preferred because it is available in a large color palette, resists

Collections notesYarn paintingcontinued from cover page

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Yarn Painting, ca. 1965 by Unknown Artist Gift of Foster McLain, Idabel, OK

Yarn Painting, ca. 1955 by Unknown Artist; Museum Purchase

Collections Notes

Yarn paintingcontinued from previous page

damage from insects and acidic beeswax, and is cheaper than wool; additionally, as thinner yarns have become available, the paintings have exhibited a greater sense of detail and precision as artists can more readily manipulate the thinner strands of yarn.

Many Huichol engage in the craft market only as an ancillary source of income as the business is not extremely profitable. The majority of Huichols who sale yarn paintings live in town because of the proximity to customers and the availability of plywood. While working in town saves money, the production of more intricate motifs has increased the amount of time needed to finish the paintings and

decreased profits. This scant profit margin is a threat to the continuation of the art form, but the increased international popularity of yarn paintings ensures that these “windows” into the Huichol religious experience will continue to be made.

Yarn Painting, ca. 1965 by Ramon Medina Silva; Museum Acquisition by Trade

Yarn Painting, ca. 1980 by Apollonia de la Cruz; Gift of Fred Fagan

Exhibits

Birds In Art A traveling exhibit of sixty works of art inspired by birds or birding, by contemporary artists from 13 countries. The exhibit of paintings and sculpture is drawn from the 2009 annual Birds In Art exhibit sponsored by the Leigh Yawkey Woodson Art Museum of Wausau, Wisconsin. That show included nearly 200 works, juried in from over 800 original entries.

Arts of the AmazonA colorful and lively exhibit of works created by numerous cultures living in the Amazon basin of South America. Spectacular feather headdresses, decorated ceramics and textiles, and carved wood objects are included. The exhibit is drawn from the Museum of the Red River’s collections, among the most extensive and comprehensive holdings of modern-contemporary “Amazon tribal” arts in North American museums.

Ceremonial Regalia for Boy’s Puberty Rites, ca. 1980 (Xikrin peoples, Amazonas, Brazil);

Museum Purchase

Linda DeBerry (Idabel, OK): Appliqued and embroidered folk textile from Colombia, originally collected by Mary H. Herron

Janet Herron and Gamaliel Leyva (Tucson, AZ): Large, woven cane storage basket from northern Mexico (mid-20th century)

Jeff Kazansky (San Diego, CA): Group of dance/fiesta masks (31) from central Mexico; prehistoric ceramic bowls from Costa Rica, Mexico, and Pakistan

John Rhodes (Safford, AZ): Prehistoric ceramic vessels (4) from Arizona, recovered from private property

Dr. Richard Weiss (Tucson, AZ): Group of objects including wood and papier mache dance/

fiesta masks from Mexico (24), “black on black” ceramic jar by Blue Corn (San Ildefonso Pueblo, ca. 1920 - 1999), carved wood Canoe Prow “Shields” (Trobriand Islands, mid-20th century), prehistoric ceramic bowls (2) from central Mexico (collected mid-20th century by John Huston), ceramic bowl (Quf, Persia; late 18th/early 19th century)

Recent Acquisitions

Support(Cash gifts)

Gifts to the General and Programs Fund: Dr. Kathleen Adams and Dr. Peter Sanchez (Evanston, IL), Dr. And Mrs. James Childers (Wichita, KS), Young and Lisa Chin (Westwood, MA), Ruth and Louis Coleman (Idabel, OK), Mary Kay Dooley (Minneapolis, MN), Delcyne Grant (Tahlequah, OK), Robert and Sue Ann Lawson (Idabel, OK), Mrs. Alice K. Schneider (San Jose, CA), Dr. Lewis M. Stiles (Broken Bow, OK); Wal-Mart Supercenter– Store 38 (Idabel, OK)

Gift to the Museum Building Fund (Mary H. Herron Community Conference Center)Parimal and Bhavisha Patel (Idabel, OK)

Gifts to the Collections

Human Face mask, early 20th century,

Kwakiutl (Northwest Coast); Museum

Purchase

Storage Basket, 20th Century, Northern Mexico; Gift of Janet Herron and Gamaliel Leyva

Recent Acquisitions

Dance Mask (Kwakiutl, Northwest Coast USA/Canada; ca. 1950)

Polychrome Jar (attributed to Florentino Montoya, San Ildefonso Pueblo; ca. 1890)

Museum Purchases

Gifts to the Research LibraryCarolynn Neal (Norman, OK): Additional periodicals and other publications per-taining to regional, statewide, and American archaeology

Quintus H. Herron (Idabel, OK): Books and periodicals pertaining to the material culture of Amazon rainforest peoples and North American native groups

Polychrome Jar, ca. 1880, attributed to Florentino Montoya

(San Ildefonso Pueblo, 1858 - 1918); painted ceramic; Museum

Acquisition by Trade

Canoe “Prow Shields”, early 20th century, Trobriand Islands; Gift of Dr. Richard Weiss

Events

Nathaniel and Lana Grey GalleryThe Museum honored the continuing generosity of Nathaniel and Lana Grey of Highland Park, IL, by naming the exhibit gallery in the Mary H. Herron Community Conference Center after them. The dedication took place April 20, 2010.

Over the past 10 years, the Greys have generously contributed to the Museum’s collections, sharing their love and enthusiasm for Asian (primarily Chinese and Japanese) art. Additionally, they have provided important European and American paintings and sculpture.

The total value of their gifts (as determined by independent appraisals made at the time of each donation) is in excess of $1 million. More importantly, they have added significantly to the Museum’s ability to provide learning opportunities to its audiences.

Patrons Dinner This annual event, recognizing the Museum’s sponsors and contributors, was held April 24, 2010. The program that evening was anthropologist Dr. Kathleen Adams of Loyola University (Chicago) presenting an illustrated lecture on the effects of tourism on native arts, focusing on the evolving situation in Papua New Guinea.

Nathaniel and Lana Grey with IMSI Board member Carolynn Neal at the gallery dedication.

Thomas Skwerski of Chicago’s Field Museum of Natural History spoke on Preserving a Mammoth, focusing on the scientific research and efforts to preserve Lyuba, the most complete mammoth specimen ever found in Siberia. The program was jointly sponsored with the McCurtain County Gem and Mineral Club.

Programs

Preserving a Baby Mammoth

Wildlife PhotographyNoted wildlife artist Wes Hyde of Arvada, Colorado provided insight into the processes and techniques he employs in his paintings and illustrations during a two-day workshop. Supplementing the Birds In Art exhibit being hosted by the Museum, the interactive learning event was jointly sponsored by the McCurtain County Art Club, with support from Wal-Mart Supercenter Store # 38– Idabel.

Beading WorkshopMaster Beadworker David Dean led a workshop focusing on the use of the loom in creating beaded bands and belts.

Workshop participants gather around beading expert David Dean as he demonstrates a loom technique.

Thomas Skwerski lectured on some of the techniques used to preserve a baby mammoth and showcased several artifacts during a program at the Mary H. Herron Community Conference Center.

Programs

Teen CampThe 2010 Teen Camp provided an opportunity for area youth (ages 13 - 17) to join an archaeological project in the northern part of McCurtain County, sponsored by the Oklahoma Archeological Survey and the University of Oklahoma’s Department of Anthropology.

New Program begins in OctoberCELEBRATIONS! begins in October with Harvests Celebration. Families will discover how festivals of the harvest were celebrated by Native Americans through dance, foods, and art.

CELEBRATIONS! Schedule October 2010-May 2011:

October 23 Harvests: Celebrating Native American Heritage, 2-4 p.m.

November 7 All Saint’s Day: Celebrating Hispanic Heritage, 2-4 p.m.

December 28 Kwanzaa: Celebrating African Heritage, 2-4 p.m.

January 23 Australia Day (Invasion Day): Celebrating the Land Down Under, 2-4 p.m.

February 6 Lunar (Chinese) New Year: Celebrating Asian Heritage, 2-4 p.m.

March 5 ACRO Fest: Celebrating Acrocanthosaurus — the State Dinosaur of Oklahoma, 10 a.m.-4 p.m.

April 10 Earth Day: Celebrating the Earth with Tree Planting, 2-4 p.m.

May 1 Cinco de Mayo: Celebrating Mexican Heritage, 2-4 p.m.

Other Events:

March 23 Mary H. Herron Memorial Kite Festival, 11 a.m.-3 p.m.

May 18 International Museum Day, 2-4 p.m.

Participants in the 2010 Teen Camp were given the opportunity to work on a real archaeological dig where they screened, cleaned, and identified artifacts, including 600 year old Caddoan arrow points and 2000 year old archaic points.

Programs

Explorers Camp

The Amazing Amazon — June 21-July 2 for campers ages 8-12 — was held in the Mary H. Herron Community Conference Center. Twenty-one campers learned about the people, foods, products, customs, and animals of the Amazon River Basin through games, activities, and from special guests.

Oklahoma Archaeology UpdateDr. Amanda Regnier of the Oklahoma Archeological Survey presented an update on archaeological projects being conducted in the state, focusing on the southeastern region where both prehistoric and historic sites are being tested.

Dr. Amanda Regnier gives an update on projects under way by the Oklahoma Archeological Survey.

Idabel Museum Society—Museum of the Red River812 E. Lincoln RoadIdabel, Oklahoma 74745(580) 286-3616www.museumoftheredriver.org

Museum HoursTUE–SAT 10 AM–5 PMSUN 1 – 5 PMClosed Mondays and national holidays

Free AdmissionReservations appreciated forgroups of ten (10) or more.

\sherds\ n. [ME, fr. OE sceard, akin to OE scieran to cut] var: shards 1: pieces or fragments of a brittle substance; broad-ly, small pieces or parts 2: fragments of pottery vessels found on sites and refuse deposits where pottery making peoples lived 3: highly angular curved glass fragments of tuffaceous sediments