Karried
06-01-2007, 10:05 AM
American Indian fine art, dance compete at 21st annual festival
By Brandy McDonnell
Staff Writer
Whirling dancers dressed in feathers and beads; pounding drums and murmuring flutes; and finely crafted jewelry, pottery and paintings will be among the sights and sounds in downtown this weekend.
The 21st annual Red Earth Native American Cultural Festival parades into the Cox Convention Center today and continues Saturday and Sunday. This year's festival has been named an Oklahoma Centennial event by the state Centennial Commission and a Top 100 event in North America by the American Bus Association.
The festival, which combines American Indian fine art and dance competitions, is the largest of its kind in the world, said Eric Oesch, Red Earth Inc. deputy director.
This year's event will include even more to see and do, including storytellers and musicians, hands-on art activities and a Cherokee pottery exhibit.
"There will be someone on the performance stage all the time, and of course, they'll all be Native American performers. We're excited to have such talented performers,” Oesch said. "There's a lot of activities for children and adults to do together, so that will be good for families.”
The festivities begin at 10 a.m. today with a grand parade featuring American Indian dancers, floats and drum groups. The parade will start at the convention center and wind through downtown.
The Art Market will be open from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. today, 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Saturday and 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday. About 220 artists (40 more than last year) will display their work, including traditional and contemporary beadwork, baskets, jewelry, paintings, pottery and sculpture. Among the artists will be the 2007 Red Earth Honored One, Marlene Riding In Mameah, a full-blood Pawnee silversmith from Pawnee.
A special addition to the visual art offerings will be a preview of the exhibit "Cherokee Pottery: People of One Fire.” The exhibit, organized by the Cherokee Heritage Center in Tahlequah, includes pottery spanning centuries of Cherokee culture, from utilitarian prehistoric pots to contemporary fine art vessels.
After the festival, the exhibit will be at the Red Earth Museum in Omniplex before going on a two-year U.S. tour, said Red Earth Inc. Executive Director Connie Hart Yellowman.
"It's a must-see exhibit,” she said. "At the festival, the curators … are going to be here answering questions, and we'll have Cherokee potters doing demonstrations.”
The festival's cultural activities will include basket-making demonstrations and hands-on classes that will teach adults and children to make baskets, flutes and gorgets.
Live entertainment will be offered throughout the festival. The lineup includes storytellers, flutists, a jazz singer, a Southern gospel blues group and a rap/R&B group. Recent Native American Music Association winners Arvel Bird and One Nation will perform their world/native rock.
"We have a really good lineup this year of cultural performers,” Yellowman said. "I'm excited about the variety.”
Red Earth is perhaps best known for its dance competitions, featuring American Indian dancers dressed in handmade regalia. The grand entries preceding the dance contests will be at noon and 7 p.m. today and Saturday and noon Sunday.
Dancers will compete in several categories, including Men's Fancy Dance, Men's Chicken Dance and Women's Fancy Shawl. Women's Eastern Cloth is a new division this year. Also, a special Women's Fancy Feather Dance contest will be offered, Yellowman said.
Organizers expect about 200 more dancers than last year, for a total of about 1,000 dancers, Oesch said.
Last year, the festival returned to its original downtown spot after three years at State Fair Park. The 2006 festival drew more than 24,300 people, a 23 percent increase over the previous year, he said.
Red Earth will overlap with another growing downtown event, Riverfest, when the Red Earth 5K Run and two-mile Fun Walk takes place at 8 a.m. Saturday at Regatta Park, on South Byers Avenue on the north side of the Oklahoma River.
"It made a big difference when we moved back to downtown,” Oesch said. "The downtown renaissance has really helped, and we like to think we're playing a part in that, too.”
By Brandy McDonnell
Staff Writer
Whirling dancers dressed in feathers and beads; pounding drums and murmuring flutes; and finely crafted jewelry, pottery and paintings will be among the sights and sounds in downtown this weekend.
The 21st annual Red Earth Native American Cultural Festival parades into the Cox Convention Center today and continues Saturday and Sunday. This year's festival has been named an Oklahoma Centennial event by the state Centennial Commission and a Top 100 event in North America by the American Bus Association.
The festival, which combines American Indian fine art and dance competitions, is the largest of its kind in the world, said Eric Oesch, Red Earth Inc. deputy director.
This year's event will include even more to see and do, including storytellers and musicians, hands-on art activities and a Cherokee pottery exhibit.
"There will be someone on the performance stage all the time, and of course, they'll all be Native American performers. We're excited to have such talented performers,” Oesch said. "There's a lot of activities for children and adults to do together, so that will be good for families.”
The festivities begin at 10 a.m. today with a grand parade featuring American Indian dancers, floats and drum groups. The parade will start at the convention center and wind through downtown.
The Art Market will be open from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. today, 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Saturday and 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday. About 220 artists (40 more than last year) will display their work, including traditional and contemporary beadwork, baskets, jewelry, paintings, pottery and sculpture. Among the artists will be the 2007 Red Earth Honored One, Marlene Riding In Mameah, a full-blood Pawnee silversmith from Pawnee.
A special addition to the visual art offerings will be a preview of the exhibit "Cherokee Pottery: People of One Fire.” The exhibit, organized by the Cherokee Heritage Center in Tahlequah, includes pottery spanning centuries of Cherokee culture, from utilitarian prehistoric pots to contemporary fine art vessels.
After the festival, the exhibit will be at the Red Earth Museum in Omniplex before going on a two-year U.S. tour, said Red Earth Inc. Executive Director Connie Hart Yellowman.
"It's a must-see exhibit,” she said. "At the festival, the curators … are going to be here answering questions, and we'll have Cherokee potters doing demonstrations.”
The festival's cultural activities will include basket-making demonstrations and hands-on classes that will teach adults and children to make baskets, flutes and gorgets.
Live entertainment will be offered throughout the festival. The lineup includes storytellers, flutists, a jazz singer, a Southern gospel blues group and a rap/R&B group. Recent Native American Music Association winners Arvel Bird and One Nation will perform their world/native rock.
"We have a really good lineup this year of cultural performers,” Yellowman said. "I'm excited about the variety.”
Red Earth is perhaps best known for its dance competitions, featuring American Indian dancers dressed in handmade regalia. The grand entries preceding the dance contests will be at noon and 7 p.m. today and Saturday and noon Sunday.
Dancers will compete in several categories, including Men's Fancy Dance, Men's Chicken Dance and Women's Fancy Shawl. Women's Eastern Cloth is a new division this year. Also, a special Women's Fancy Feather Dance contest will be offered, Yellowman said.
Organizers expect about 200 more dancers than last year, for a total of about 1,000 dancers, Oesch said.
Last year, the festival returned to its original downtown spot after three years at State Fair Park. The 2006 festival drew more than 24,300 people, a 23 percent increase over the previous year, he said.
Red Earth will overlap with another growing downtown event, Riverfest, when the Red Earth 5K Run and two-mile Fun Walk takes place at 8 a.m. Saturday at Regatta Park, on South Byers Avenue on the north side of the Oklahoma River.
"It made a big difference when we moved back to downtown,” Oesch said. "The downtown renaissance has really helped, and we like to think we're playing a part in that, too.”