Click on the photo for more pics of the event!

The term “Native American Art” conjures up a raft of stock images: Pottery, beadwork, and carving, all done in a traditional style unchanged for centuries — and a good deal of it either sitting in museum display cases or waiting to go home with a tourist.

And for a lot of people in the Kansas City area — and beyond — Wyandotte County is still regarded as a working-class enclave where art is, if anything, an afterthought.

Levi Jiron’s show at the Alcott Arts Center stands both stereotypes on their heads. Jiron’s work is firmly grounded in indigenous soil — he grew up in the Isleta Pueblo in New Mexico — but has branched out into modern abstraction to create pieces that combine the best aspects of both traditions.

When making decisions in my work I begin with familiar images, Jiron writes. I draw inspiration from these images. Deconstructing them and then reassembling them, adding my own personal experiences. I am currently working on how Native Americans are being perceived in these contemporary times. Being Native American from Isleta Pueblo decent, I feel it’s my responsibility as an artist to inform people that indigenous peoples are not frozen in time. That they have evolved from those times of tepees and moccasins.

 Abstract Horse, the mixed-media sculpture above, typifies that approach. Jiron, who also showed at Plenum Space in the Crossroads earlier this year, outlined a realistic shape … and then left it largely unfilled, letting the frame and its spare, carefully placed trimmings define the piece.

It’s a savvy reversal of the usual trend of non-Natives appropriating indigenous images — and another solid piece in the diverse mosaic that is Kansas City, Kansas’ arts scene.

The Alcott Arts Center, which opened in 2002 in a former elementary school, has been a solid contributor to that cultural renaissance. Its offerings cover far more than the visual arts. For example, there’s an open jam tonight. also at 6 p.m., and a 7 p.m. presentation of Puss in Boots in the 75-seat theatre.

That one-stop approach is vital to increasing arts awareness and participation in an area that was underserved for years. People coming in for play practice get to see visual arts. Gallery premiere viewers can hear local musicians.  The more connections and interconnections can be forged, the stronger the arts (plural) scene grows.

It’s the same with Jiron’s art. By incorporating two artistic visions– one from his Native culture and another from the world outside the reservation — he invigorates the former and enriches the latter.

The above article was on ARTKC365wordpress.com May 9, 2009...12:01 am