Events

Yaqui Gourd Art, Sep 11, 2010

Debbie Martinez-Rambeau Yaqui Gourd Pyrography Artist Saturday, September 11, 2010 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. During the Solano Stroll: Sunday, September 12, 2010 11:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Debbie Martinez-Rambeau is a Yaqui gourd pyrography artist. Her people have traditionally used gourds for centuries as drums, rattles, and  containers.  Her hand-crafted art has an inspiring beauty that draws from a variety of influences, including Old World, historical references, and natural elements. As a traditional bead worker and basket weaver she has incorporated traditional southwest and modern designs by burning them into the outer gourd shell. Debbie has developed a unique burning style for her designs which resembles black pottery along with a wide range of various finishes to help turn your home decor from ordinary into the extraordinary.  Then, she inlays and enhances her artwork by using bead work, silver work, bones, stones, or other traditional embellishments.  A variety of materials for color such as dyes, earth clays, milk paint, natural dyes, wood stains, and inks are used and each piece is finished with various polishes or enamels. Debbie has achieved national acclaim and recognition for her pieces.  Her works are in numerous public and private collections and can be seen in many galleries, pow wows, and museums in the United States.  She has chosen to work primarily with gourds as her main artistic expression since 1987.  1412 Solano Ave, Albany, CA, 94706 Phone: (510) 528-9038         http://www.fromearthtohand.com/

Award Winning Apache Jeweler: Andrew Redhorse Alvarez, Sep 25, 2010

Andrew Redhorse Alvarez Saturday, September 25, 2010 10:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. Sunday, September 26, 2010 11:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. Andrew Redhorse Alvarez, was born in 1953 in New Mexico, and is of Apache and Colleville descent. He has a passion for American turquoise, including rare stones such as Lander Blue, Indian Mountain and Bisbee Blue. His family jokes that “he has blue blood running through his veins.” He says, “Yes, turquoise blue!” When he began collecting stones as a boy, his mother quipped, “You’ve got rocks all right, rocks in your head.” She would be amazed at the value of natural domestic turquoise today. A self-taught jeweler, Andrew has been inspired by the designs which come from his mother’s Apache ancestry. And, while Apaches are not known for their silver work, Andrew experimented until he found his own style, which is contemporary with traditional design elements. He uses silver, gold, diamonds and colored stones in his tufa cast jewelry. His creations reflect the visions of his dreams, which inspire him upon awakening to create them. His designs are personal and he often wonders who will wear each piece. Andrew lectures on American turquoise identification and appraisals of American Indian jewelry 1412 Solano Ave, Albany, CA, 94706 Phone: (510) 528-9038

Sosakete: Award-Winning Mohawk Potter , Oct 02, 2010

Sosakete: Award-Winning Mohawk Potter Saturday, October 2, 2010 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. Sunday, October 3, 2010 11:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Sosakete means “He who carries the Corn”, and true to his Mohawk namesake, he revived and single-handedly carried forth a 4,000 year old ancient art form of traditional Mohawk pottery. Raw clay is gathered from the Earth. An offering is made. The clay is then cleaned and various tempers are added. Each pot is hand pinched and coiled , and traditionally fired outside using hardwoods. Before Duth trade pots took over in the late 1600s, Iroquois pots were used for cooking. Every etch mark was incised for functionality in order to insure the pots were slip proof or as a method to identify clans. Sosakete’s award-winning pots are in museum and private collections across the country and overseas. Phone: (510) 528-9038