2009: Allan Houser Estate and SWAIA Join Forces
July 14, 2009 - SWAIA(SANTA FE, NM) The legacy of Allan Houser is multi-faceted. From his art work, which includes sculptures, paintings and thousands of sketches to his lifelong devotion to education and his influence on modern sculpture and Native arts, Allan Houser's life and work became part of the iconography and persona of the American Southwest.
This year marks the 75th anniversary of Allan Houser's arrival in Santa Fe and the 15th anniversary of his death. His presence in the Native art world is stronger than ever. The Southwestern Association for Indian Arts (SWAIA) is honored to announce that it has joined with the Allan Houser Estate to present the "SWAIA Lifetime Achievement Allan Houser Legacy Award."
The award will be presented to three recipients at the SWAIA Honoring Reception on June 4, 2009 at Buffalo Thunder Resort and Casino. Honorees include painter Sam English (Turtle Mountain Chippewa), potter Sofia Medina (Zia Pueblo), and painter Oscar Howe (Yanktonai Dakota) (1915 -1983).
"The legacy that Allan Houser created has had such impact and we are delighted to recognize other artists who have, in their own way, made huge contributions to the world of art and to other artists." Kim Bourne, CEO of the Allan Houser Estate says. "As a lifetime achievement award, we hope to recognize a phenomenal and innovative artist; someone like Allan, who has created opportunities for other artists through inspiration, education and a quiet dedication to work."
The partnership between the Allan Houser Estate and SWAIA underpins the importance of Houser's legacy. The award recognizes the contributions by a distinguished Native American artist to Native arts and Native culture. The Honorees have consistently demonstrated integrity and excellence in their work as well as in their lives, so as to influence the growth of Indian Art and inspire younger generations. Allan Houser was the first artist to be recognized with an award for lifetime achievement by SWAIA when he was honored in 1995. His work continues to be in demand by museums and collectors alike.
The Allan Houser Estate
Allan Houser, Inc. preserves and presents the lifetime work of the Modern American Master Artist, Allan Houser. It represents the estate and family of Allan Houser and offers for sale his works of sculpture, painting and other artistic presentations to art collectors around the world. It also produces limited edition works from original molds or patterns created by Allan Houser. It represents and markets the legacy represented by the unique works of art created by Allan Houser and ensures that his reputation and position as a leading artist of the 20th Century is sustained and extended. It authenticates and values Allan Houser artworks in private and public collections and serves as a venue for the sale of artworks in the secondary market.
ALLAN HOUSER
June 29, 1914 - August 22, 1994
Born as Allan Capron Haozous on June 30, 1914 on a family farm in Apache, Oklahoma, he would become known to the world as ALLAN HOUSER, one of the 20th Century's great American modernists. His family was among the group of Chiricahua Apaches native to New Mexico, Arizona, and northern Mexico. Following Geronimo's surrender in 1886, a majority of the Chiricahua tribe was sent by train to prison in Florida.
At a very early age Houser began making drawings and interpreting scenes of his surrounding or copying images from books or magazines. In 1934, at the age of 20, he saw a "call for students" notice at the government Indian office in Anadarko, Oklahoma for a new painting school which was being created in Santa Fe, New Mexico. The Painting School at the Santa Fe Indian School was the first institution to formerly offer instruction in this medium to young Native American Artists. Founded by the teacher Dorothy Dunn in 1932, the goal of The Studio was to train students to create paintings of their family life, the oral histories of their tribes, and their ceremonies and costumes. As he finished his studies in 1938 he was selected from this group of students to paint murals at the Department of Interior Building in Washington, DC for their newly created Indian Shop. These murals were so successful that he was invited back again in 1939 to create four large murals in the upper floor of the building. Following the completion of the murals, Houser returned to Santa Fe where he married Anna Marie Gallegos.
Shortly after the end of World War II, Houser was recommended for a commission at the Haskell School in Lawrence, Kansas. Although he had never carved a stone sculpture, he accepted the commission and in 1948 completed the monumental work "Comrade in Mourning" from white Italian marble. In 1949 he received a Guggenheim fellowship in painting, with which he completed numerous gouache and tempera paintings, and then in 1950 he was commissioned to do four large dioramas at the Southern Plains Indian Museum in Anadarko, Oklahoma. In order to support his family of a wife and four sons, in 1951 he accepted a full-time teaching position at the Intermountain School in Brigham City, Utah. There he would serve on the faculty for eleven years as the art teacher and artist-in-residence at this government Indian School which housed principally Navajo students.
In 1962 Houser left Utah and returned to Santa Fe where he joined the faculty of the newly-founded Institute for American Indian Arts. The most widely known Native American painter, and an experienced instructor, he was also the only faculty member who had created a major sculpture. While his work had tremendous impact and influence, it was not until his retirement from teaching in 1975 at the age of 61 that Allan Houser would be able to commit himself full-time to the creation of his art. In the succeeding 19 years he would create nearly 400 unique sculptures in wood, stone, and fabricated metals. In addition he would cast 450 different bronze editions.
He had hundreds of gallery exhibitions in the United States as well as traveling institutional shows in Europe. Among the honors, he was the first Native American artist to receive the National Medal of the Arts in 1992. A major retrospective toured the U.S from 1992 to 1994, and he was the subject of numerous articles, books, and video documentaries.
For more information on the SWAIA's Honoring Receptionor interview requests, please contact Gabe Gomez at (505) 983-5220 or ggomez@swaia.org