Sandra Hale Schulman
Special to ICT
The latest: Dine weaver makes modern art, PaulStar rising, bucking design trends
ART: Weaving webs with wool
Fourth-generation Diné weaver Melissa Cody has her first major solo exhibition at MOMA PS1 in New York now through September 9, 2024. “Melissa Cody: Webbed Skies” spans the last decade of her intricate practice, showcasing over 30 weavings that include a major new work made for the exhibition. Her unbelievably complex work using traditional weaving techniques incorporates new digital technologies. Cody will also have a solo show at New York’s Garth Greenan Gallery, Melissa Cody: Power Up, from April 25-June 15, 2024.
Cody combines traditional Navajo symbols and patterns with Arizona references of landscapes and even video games. The title of the exhibition, “Webbed Skies,” refers to the sky as a unifying element, connecting various narratives and methods of land and sky coexistence that goes beyond borders.
While adept at myriad styles of weaving, Cody primarily engages with the Germantown Revival movement that emerged after the tragic period known as the Long Walk (1863–68) that aimed to expel the Navajo people from their land.
The commercially produced blankets came from Germantown, Pennsylvania, where the introduction of synthetic colors – reds, purples, greens – opened new horizons of experimentation within confinement, a method crucial to Navajo cultural resistance.
The woven wool artwork Germantown Sampler (2011) recalls colors of the Germantown Navajo wool, an allusion to the way creativity has been used in resistance against colonial erasure. Deep Brain Stimulation (2011) uses abstraction to borrow imagery from her ailing father’s Parkinson’s treatments, introducing modern technologies such as medical imaging. Navajo Transcendent (2014) reimagines the whirling log, a spiritual symbol drawn from Diné healing imagery.
She is a textile artist and enrolled citizen of the Navajo Nation. Cody grew up on a Navajo Reservation in Leupp, Arizona, and received a bachelor’s degree in Studio Arts and Museum Studies from the Institute of American Indian Arts, Santa Fe. Her work has been featured in museums nationwide.
MUSIC: Stellar new music from Canada
PaulStar, aka Paul Napash, the multi-talented Cree musician, artist and producer hailing from Chisasibi, Quebec, has released his first full-length album, “Bring It All Together.”
Blending his Indigenous roots and his love of alternative rock, pop and hip-hop, the record shows his musical evolution. When creating “Bring It All Together,” PaulStar underwent an introspective journey to elevate the voices of Indigenous people while taking inspiration from bands he admired.
“I always wanted to be a rock star and I loved the 80s music growing up in Chisasibi,” PaulStar said in a statement. “I learned quickly through private instruction and self-teaching, even though I didn’t attend music school. My goal is to leave my mark in the music industry and ‘Bring It All Together’ encouraged me to demonstrate my guitar skills and vocal range.”
The musical journey takes listeners through a wide range of themes, from love to self-discovery. Highlights of the album’s versatility include the raw, intimate “Rain” and the genre-spanning prowess of “Home with You” and “Perfect Love.”
PaulStar says “The bulk of my songs were crafted and recorded in my former apartment, where I drew inspiration from popular tracks and exceptional talent found on streaming platforms. I recorded ‘Timeless’ at my residence in Smiths Falls. The sound of the acoustic guitar inspired me to write about leaving a legacy in the song.”
PaulStar founded Meikin Records and is a graduate of Algonquin College’s Music Industry Arts program. He is well-known in the music industry and has worked as a producer and session player with artists like Claire Sully, Arrow, Shonna, CJAY GRiZ, Slice, Money-1, Melody McArthur, Violent Ground, and K.A.S.P. Aspects.
“Music has always been my passion,” PaulStar said. “With ‘Bring It All Together,’ I hope to inspire others to embrace their heritage, follow their dreams, and never give up on what they believe in.”
DESIGN: Antler art tells stories
Telling tales with the shed antlers of deer and elk is the heart of Mohawk Maiden Creations, created by Cynthia Graves, Mohawk, and her husband David in South Florida.
“Our pieces are handcrafted from naturally shed antlers that we find throughout America,” Graves told ICT. “We slice, hand drill, inlay, resin and buff them to glow, then we add adornments of sterling, gold or semi-precious stones. We can also create a special piece with our special amulet. It’s an amazing way to honor the incredible science of antlers, which are grown and shed yearly.”
Graves uses cord, ribbon, beads and chains to hang the antler pieces. The art is more than just decorative.
“David and I repurpose antlers. Antlers are dropped every season by males, and they grow back the following rut season in which to fight off other males from females. What better way to honor a beautiful buck than to create amazing pieces to wear from them.
“My mother, a full-blood Mohawk, taught me how to create handcrafted art from the day I was born. I’ve been creating one-of-a-kind bracelets, necklaces and belt buckles from naturally shed antlers of deer and elk that we find throughout America. Repurposing antlers is a Native custom of respecting animals.”
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