Corey Stein, Lisa Telford, Corey Bulpitt + 11
September 16 – November 26, 2017
Opening Reception: September 16, 6–9pm
Palos Verdes Art Center is pleased to announce glass / cedar / grass, featuring contemporary beadwork by Corey Stein, innovative cedar basketry by Lisa Telford, carving and painting by Corey Bulpitt, plus works by 11 other Native artists. The exhibition opens September 16, 2017 with a public reception, 6 – 9pm. Trained in their families’ traditional Haida art making techniques and materials, these artists from the Northwest are discovering new forms of expression to comment on contemporary life.
Also included are masks by guest Kwakwaka’ wakw artist Beau Dick, Nuu–chah–nulth artist Joe David, and Tlingit and Kwakwaka’ wakw artist Gary Peterson as well as grass baskets by guest Cahuilla artists Rose Ann Hamilton, Steven Estrada, Sean and Tangie Bogner, Starla and Kateri Madrigal, Morongo artist Victoria Castro Chubb and black ash basketry by Anishnabe artist Kelly Church.
Corey Stein transforms the art of hand-sewing glass seed beads on felt to record urban street scenes, make photo-inspired portraits, and comment on environmental concerns. Born in Los Angeles, many of her formative years were spent in Seattle. Family trips up and down Interstate 5 added to what she describes as her “schismatic view of things.” She attended Cal Arts, where she was mentored by John Baldessari, with whom she shares a fondness for humor and storytelling. The exhibition will feature recent two-dimensional beadwork by Stein as well as a selection of sculptural pieces.
Lisa Telford’s baskets and hats woven in red and yellow cedar bark are finely crafted traditional Haida works. Made with the same materials and methods, the ladies’ pumps depicted in Too Haida (above) demonstrate the ability of Native traditions to participate in pop commentary. Extending the practice of weaving garments of plant fiber, Telford has executed works in the form of cowboy boots, an evening dress and bustier, while continuing to make traditional forms as well. Born in Ketchikan, Alaska, Telford spent much of her childhood in Indiana but visited Alaska for traditional gatherings and potlatches and participating in traditional dance. She learned to weave traditional Haida baskets from her aunt, Delores Churchill and traditional cedar garments from her cousin, Holly Churchill. Telford’s work has been exhibited widely and is in many museum collections, including the Smithsonian’s National Museum of the American Indian, the Heard Museum, and Eiteljorg Museum of American Indians and Western Art.
Corey Bulpitt, whose Haida name, T’aak’eit Gaayaa means “gifted carver,” was born in Prince Rupert, British Columbia and is the descendant of many great Haida carvers, including Louis Collison, John Robson and Charles Edenshaw. Sculpting and drawing from a young age while growing up in the Lower Mainland, Corey went on to graduate from the Langley Fine Arts School. He returned to his ancestral home of Haida Gwaii to apprentice with his uncle, master carver Christian White. There he created masks, paddles and dance screens for the Massett and Skidegate dance groups as well as many steamed and painted bentwood boxes used for repatriation ceremonies. Bulpitt’s masterful carvings – including a 20-foot cedar totem poll for Scouts Canada – can be seen in communities across British Columbia.
Modeled on traditional Haida designs, Bulpitt’s painting also participates in another tradition – graffiti. As a street artist, he works under the name AKOS ONE. His two practices merge in mural works and paintings that picture classic Haida motifs executed in spray paint, as seen in the above image of The Storm, a mural by Bulpitt and Larissa Healy, in Vancouver, Canada. Corey Bulpitt has been commissioned by PVAC to paint a mural especially for this exhibition.
Cahuilla Basket Weaving Workshop Instructor Rose Ann Hamilton / TD003
Friday, Sept 29 / 10AM – 5 PM / $130, Members $100 Learn Cahuilla coiled style basket weaving to make juncus medallions. Materials include yucca, juncus, and deer grass.
The workshop includes gathering, material prep, and an overall discussion on creating a beautiful medallion that will be part of a unique weaving experience. All tools and materials included.
Haida Beading Workshop
Instructor Corey Stein / TD004
Thursday, Oct 12 through Saturday, Oct 14 / 10 AM – 4PM / $160, Members $140
This workshop will provide students with all the essential information to learn how to work with a needle and thread along with seed beads and felt, creating their own personal design! This dynamic 3-day workshop will also teach color theory in the world of beads. All tools and materials included.
JUSTIN FAVELA: GRACIAS, GRACIAS, THANK YOU, THANK YOU