fellowship

The flute to the left is from my tribe Ipai-Tipai or Kumeyaay. During my visit to the collections at the Smithsonian Natural History Museum, I came across this flute that I had only seen as a youth in the Handbook on The North American Indians. Even then I paid attention to the detail on the flute. I actually adopted some of the designs early on in my art carreer.You can imagine how excited I was to handle an instrument that my ancestors created.

The National Museum of the American Indian on the Mall in DC. This museum is a beautiful salute to our culture, the American culture.

A close up photo of a Kumeyaay burden basket. This would have been used for carrying an assortment of every day items. Note the texture and pattern, I used photos like this to pull from while working on some of my most recent pieces to be displayed at the US Grant Hotel in San Diego, Ca.

These shell ornaments would have been worn as a decorative or ceremonial regalia. They are about 1/2'' wide and would have taken many hours to drill out. This is a perfect example of the oceanic connection that is still an integral part of Kumeyaay life today.

April 2006 Washington DC. My fellowship started at the Cultural Resource Center in Suitland Maryland.

During the fellowship I was able to work with most museum staff such as collection specialist, conservators, curators. cultural liaisons, photographers, archive specialist, native artisans, photo archivist and librarian specialist.

The access to staff and the facilities is what allowed me to expand my own knowledge of the vast collections that the Smithsonian holds. It is this knowledge that is critical to my development as a native person and artist. I am very honored to have received this education and for that I am grateful to the Smithsonian and its staff.