Nookomis Obagijigan met with one of our mentors and teachers, expert Wendy Savage for food and conversation yesterday. Wendy is a self taught moccasin, beadwork, and sewing expert. Wendy belongs to a family of extraordinary, award winning artists and educators. When asked who taught her Wendy says "We taught ourselves! We went to museums. We went to the library. We spent time with those old ladies. We didn't have the internet." For Agaton Howes, Wendy is instrumental in her understanding of Ojibwe art "Wendy is who taught me about the meaning behind our floral designs. She taught me about valuing myself as an artist. She is always there willing to share everything she knows. I try to emulate her in...
Its fairly rare in this life we will get to touch that which happened long before us or affect that which happens long after us. Yesterday at the Minnesota Historical Society Nookomis Obagijigan spent quality time handling the moccasins literally made by ancestors. We are using the Museum's archives as well as models in the community to create patterns for our moccasin pattern book coming Spring 2019. The moccasins pictures here made by an artist from White Earth between 1923-1931. The oldest pair we worked with Wednesday were dated 1860. 1860!! As most of our art is utilitarian and wearable art we rarely get to handle works this old. The beads, embroidery, and stitching on these moccasins is evident of...
Nookomis Obagijigan "Our Grandmother's Gift, a Makizinikewin Project has been awarded a Minnesota Historical Society Residency for 2018-2019. House of Howes artist, Sarah Agaton Howes, "When a person is learning the art of their grandmothers there is frustration, insecurity, excitement, and hope. My favorite moment in moccasin classes is when the maker turns their moccasin right side out. They have been, no doubt, struggling, poking themselves, questioning themselves, and then they flip them around. This is the moment when they become their grandmothers. Cultural arts are a gift from our ancestors to us." The project will interview artists and elders, create an online moccasin patterning tutorial, collaborate with Ojibwemowin speakers on providing instruction in the language, and creating a pattern book and...
There is a moment when people are learning to be makers... They have struggled through their design, learning how to bead, poking themselves, and they've had every emotion from anger to hope. There is a moment when they get to flip their moccasin around right side out. This is the moment when the maker becomes their grandmother. When they realize they are this beautiful. I get to be a part of these moments over and over. This is my greatest joy. 2017 has been an incredible year from Moccasin makers. In the ongoing effort to build Makers, i was fortunate to teach Makizinikewin in four different communities teaching over 130 makers this year alone. Here are just a few highlights...
This past August, House of Howes artist and Inspired Natives Collaborator celebrated the one year anniversary with the Eighth Generation staff and store in Pike Place market. Check out this beautiful video of the day~
