I put the sunset in the background of Lloyd’s beaded portrait because I remembered how beautiful Santa Fe sunsets were from his house. It was an honor to be invited to Lloyd’s for one of his lavish parties, and there was always a chance that you might meet a personal hero or famous person from the national or international stage. He occupied a palatial hilltop adobe mansion that served as his war shirt, but instead of war deeds painted on hide, it had wonderful works of art on its walls that were all accompanied with a tale of the artist, and all ended with the artist giving the piece to Lloyd out of respect. He had the most chiefly of digs, as well. They were all like clan leaders of their artistic mediums, comfortable with each other in the larger context of the tribe we call Indian art. They were all obviously and spectacularly committed to their art. I don’t think anyone there had a day job. Shonto Begay, Margarete Bagshaw Tindell, the Naminghas, and the Romero brothers were in attendance, and I thought, “These are all my favorite artists, too.” They were innovators, iconoclasts, groundbreakers, and culture heroes, spanning many years of Native artistic expression. I think this idea occurred to me when, after Lloyd’s death, there was a gathering at MIAC of all Lloyd’s favorite Indian Artists. And bravery isn’t fearlessness or a lack of fear, but rather it is clear-eyed acknowledgement of the fear, danger, and consequences, along with the will to go beyond fear. Creativity is the plan, but bravery is the execution. Lloyd taught me that success in our Indian art world required a combination of creativity and bravery: creativity to innovate the idea that can take our people a little further, and bravery to actually do the thing. He was a teacher of warriors…and created a school for them. Lloyd was a charismatic leader, and he was a warrior chief. He saw the big picture, he was the big picture, and that’s why I made it look as if you could see through him to a bigger, better world. Maybe that’s why I put a spiral galaxy and the Eagle Nebula on the fabric of the jacket that Lloyd wears in my beaded portrait of him. Lloyd was my chief, and I think his place of importance in the history of contemporary Native American art is unique and stellar, like some sort of cosmic collision that creates planets and moons. He was a champion of contemporary Native American art, and I think he saw the arts as a faultless mirror, reflecting the life and health of a people. Or I could tell you how he would always come to your opening, show, performance, or booth, and be delighted…and tell you why. I could tell you how supportive he was of fashion, and of our IAIA fashion performance group, NATIVE INFLUX, and how he loaned us the use of his home for two weeks to help us prepare for a fashion show at the opening of the IAIA’s Museum of Contemporary Native Arts. He could tell you what was great about your art, and also what needed exploration or direction in a way that didn’t make you feel criticized. “I took a textile and fabric design class from him when I went to high school at IAIA. Or you can ask my cousin, Linda Lomahaftewa, professor of painting at the Institute of American Indian Arts (IAIA) for forty years. He was always nice, and friendly, and funny. I always chose his class because he was so funny. My mother, Harriet Amerman, 91, was Lloyd’s student during World War II, and fondly remembers, “He taught me art in high school at the Phoenix Indian School. I see my “photobeadalism” as created to honor those who led, taught, created, and lived for their people. This attitude towards my process found itself ideally suited when I was commissioned in 2002 to create a memorial portrait of someone I personally knew as a great leader, mentor, and friend: Lloyd Kiva New. My particular style of rendering faces and imagery in sewn beadwork was born out of respect for the hero-specifically conceived, developed and honed with the intention of honoring the subject of the beadwork through their faithful depiction in size-13 glass beads. I create many things in beadwork, but of all the things I bead, I appreciate making bead portraits of my heroes the most. Gift of Charmay Allred, JoAnn Balzer, Jane & Bill Buchsbaum, Natalie Fitz-Gerald, Julia Hahn, Ginger Hyland, Kris Lajeskie, Aysen New, and Binnie and Paul Postelnek, MIAC 56510/13. Marcus Amerman (Choctaw), Lloyd Kiva New, 2002.
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