History and culture help us define who we are, why we are the way we are, where we came from and - to an extent - where we are going. The human race is vast, wide and sprawling across this planet: we, as a species, are at once both individuals and collectives - we vary from individual to individual, from society to society, in what we understand & share in terms of history, of experiences, of how we live and how our understanding helps to shape our interaction with each other and the world in which we live.
It is the exchange and sharing of information, knowledge, history, and perspective that helps us expand our minds, our souls, our appreciation of our fellow travelers and our capacity to reach for the stars. We have the capacity for empathy, and can communicate our individual as well as collective experiences, histories and cultures in ways that help others understand who we are as individuals or within our societies.
If you're a science fiction buff - or a practicing scientist - you may have heard that mathematics is the common language of intelligent species, and of science.
If you're a human being, however, you've most likely learned that art is most universal language between cultures: it is the language of the soul, and it speaks to the heart, mind and spirit in ways that transcend simple language or numbers.
Art - whether the work of a master craftsman, musician, painter, photographer, writer or sculptor - is the most powerful way to bridge the past, present and future. It is the most instinctive, yet complex, subtle yet powerful language of all. Through the eyes of the artist, we catch glimpses of our ancestral past, share perspectives that we may not have otherwise conceived or previously understood, and expand our capacity to understand another's sense of what is sacred.
And it is through sharing our art, our souls, our cultures and history that we learn to recognize & nurture our common humanity.
We have an opportunity to help, as a community, build on that capacity - right here, right now. And in doing so, we will enable a talented member of our community to share his perspective with a growing, wider audience:
"There is so much more to our ancestral lands, our sacred spaces, that people never see. Some of that is purposeful: Our traditions require privacy and secrecy, and there is much that is not available to outsiders. But even in the public areas of the Pueblo, what visitors see and what I see are two very different things."
-- Wings
Please join me over the fold for more information on how you can help.
This is a follow-up diary to Avilyn's recent diary Aji & Wings need our help. Please share it widely: getting the word out to others who may be able to help fund the effort is every bit as important - perhaps, in some ways, more important - than whether you are able to help out financially.
Many of you know Aji & Wings. Not as many may know that Wings has an exhibition of his work appearing at the Jean Cocteau Cinemea in Santa Fe, New Mexico, running from April 15th through May 11th.
It's a great honor, and a wonderful opportunity to see the world through the eyes of a highly skilled artist, photographer and silversmith.
"With this exhibition, I would like to take you on a journey I want to show you what I see, feel what I feel — the sights and sounds and smells and sensations of this place, this land, that has embedded in my blood and bone and that of my people for more than a millennium . . . ."
-- Wings
We've caught glimpses of some of the beautiful silverwork that Wings creates in various diaries and in the Kos Katalog. He is also a talented photographer, and his images capture a unique vision of the world that evoke appreciation for the beauty of the subjects as well as convey a sense of the spiritual depth & breadth he sees within it.
Words alone cannot do him justice. You need to see his work for yourselves - or, at the very least, to help enable others to share in it, and experience it vicariously through their eyes.
Kossack Avilyn recently posted a diary on this, providing some excellent information on how folks can help if they are able to make a donation. Here's an excerpt:
The exhibit is a great honor for Wings, but it requires some upfront financial investment:
- Matting and Framing the Photographs ($1,200)
- Program Guide with Interpretive Information for each piece ($500 - $1,000)
- An overhaul of their website to make it friendly for mobile devices ($500)
That's not including the investments they've already made in silver, material, time, & labor. Aji has set a GoFundMe goal of $2,500, but it would be wonderful if we could exceed that - it would allow the possibility of an artist's reception before the show closes in mid-May, and give them some breathing room as well.
If you can help, please go to their GoFundMe page and contribute:
GoFundMe uses WePay instead of PayPal. If you prefer a PayPal method, go to Aji's Blog and in the upper right is a PayPal "Donate" button.
Personally, I'd like to see them blow past that goal: I'd like to see us hit double or triple the amount, because I want to ensure that it's a rousing success.
This isn't just a simple art expo. It's not simply an opportunity to help some fellow Kossacks. It's also an important opportunity to increase cultural recognition of Native American history, culture, art and perspectives. Yes, some might object that it's only one small representative sample - Native America is so much more than one artist, one tribe, one Nation. True - yet with this exhibit, the opportunity to see a breadth and depth of perspective from the eyes of a Native American, hearing the words spoken straight from his heart & soul and sharing how he sees the world around him with those who may never have the chance to otherwise understand it...that's unique.
Powerful.
It's an opportunity to not only remind folks that Native American peoples are not invisible and that their lives are so much more than collective protests on issues ranging from environmental to racism to kidnapping, heating, food, clothing and school supplies.
This exhibit helps to provide awareness, insight and understanding through one man's perspective on his world, told through his eyes and with his hands, and giving us the chance to learn, grow, expand our collective understanding of humanity and further our capacity for bridging gaps between human cultures & histories - past, present and future.
It's a journey I'm certainly ready to take.
"Come with me. Let me show you this earth, this sky, this light that is wholly a part of me."
-- Wings
This is a follow-up diary to Avilyn's recent diary Aji & Wings need our help. Please share it widely: getting the word out to others who may be able to help fund the effort is every bit as important - perhaps, in some ways, more important - than whether you are able to help out financially. The more folks who hear of the exhibition, the more folks who are likely to attend - thus not only helping to increase awareness of Native American culture, but also helping share the beautifully depicted perspective provided by Wings...and that, in turn, helps everyone.
7:46 AM PT: Update: looks like we're either closing in on the goal, or might have just reached it...yay! But please don't stop there - I'd like to see how far we can exceed it. Unexpected costs can crop up, and I'd hate to have anything like that happen here: the opportunity, the beauty, the cultural significance is too great. Let's over-achieve, together!
4:19 PM PT: Update: GOAL REACHED (and even exceeded a little!) THANKS, Everybody!