Gallup’s Inaugural Artist-in-Residence Hannah Manuelito: Rose Eason

By Rose Eason, Executive Director of gallupARTS

Gallup has many resident artists—one in four of our community members is an artist! But it has never before had an Artist-in-Residence. What’s the difference? An artistin-residence program is a paid opportunity, providing an artist the resources (i.e., space, time and materials) to create original works of art. In turn, it is a chance for the public to pull back the curtain on the creative process, to see artworks being made and to engage directly with an artist.

This summer, one local artist will get that opportunity and Gallup will get that chance when gallupARTS launches its inaugural Native Artist-in-Residence program at ART123 Gallery in downtown. Thanks to a $10,000 “Challenge America” grant from the National Endowment for the Arts, as well as to contributions from the Southwest Indian Foundation, gallupARTS board members and private donors, gallupARTS is excited to announce Diné photographer Hannah Manuelito as its summer 2018 Native Artist-inResidence. gallupARTS received 16 very worthy, moving, and inspiring applications for this program from artists across the region, from Gallup to Zuni to Window Rock. The selection was made by a majority-Native committee through a Request-for-Proposals and interview process.

Originally from Ganado, Arizona, Hannah recently graduated from Arizona State University (ASU) with her Bachelor of Fine Arts in Photography. At ASU, Hannah explored the convergences and divergences between the cultures and places in which she grew up: rural and urban, Navajo and non-Navajo, “traditional” and nontraditional. Hannah now works for the Native American clothing brand OxDx clothing, utilizing her fine arts background to create innovative high fashion photographs for the company.

As gallupARTS’ Native Artist-in-Residence, Hannah will strive “to bring light and truth to Indigenous identity through portraiture work of the most crucial part of Diné culture, the matriarchs.” Hannah says that having grown up partially on the Navajo Nation but mostly in an off-reservation city, she struggled with her identity: “I questioned if I was a ‘true’ Native or not, and that haunted me for years.” Now, Hannah wants to empower Indigenous people to be proud of themselves however they identify by honoring who she sees as culture-bearers: the mothers, aunties, and grandmas who raised her. “Matriarchs are the backbone of the Indigenous culture,” she says. “By taking portraits of these important figures, I want to bring forth how strong and important these women are and how many different forms they take. Some may be businesswomen, firefighters, politicians, athletes, and aspiring artists. We all don’t wear traditional clothing but we all respect and carry important Diné teachings.” This May through July, Hannah will work in her studio inside ART123 Gallery in downtown Gallup, creating a series of bold, powerful, beautiful, and intimate photographic portraits of the influential Indigenous women in her life. For her project, she will be drawing on the style and methodology of Baroque era painting: “Thinking back to early art history; the Baroque period had many depictions of saintly women. Using dramatic lighting, Baroque paintings emphasize women’s strength. I would love to do the same with my portraits, placing Diné women in the scenery around the Diné Nation and staging and lighting them to show their grandeur.” Check out Hannah’s work at hannahmanuelitophotography.com or on Instagram @itshannahduhhhhh. Get more information about gallupARTS’ Native Artist-in-Residence Program at www. “Womanhood” by Hannah Manuelito galluparts.org/native-air or by following @ ART123Gallery on Facebook.

The community is invited to engage with Hannah and her project through the following programs:

• Catch Hannah at work in her studio at ART123 Gallery during “Open Studio” hours starting May 15: Tuesdays and Thursdays from 12:00pm – 4:00pm (“Open Studio” hours will run through July 26). • Attend an “Artist Talk” at ART123 Gallery: “Artist-to-Artist: Create without Fear” on Tuesday May 22at 4:30pm “Portrait of the Artist as a City Girl” on Tuesday, June 19 at 4:30pm “Residency Reflection” on Tuesday, July 17 at 4:30pm

• Meet Hannah at ART123, see a live demo or maybe even have your portrait taken during the May, June and July ArtsCrawls. In addition to the above, Hannah will be leading youth photography workshops in Gallup, Zuni and Thoreau this summer.