Drew Michael: Heart Of Our Understanding

stonington gallery presents

DREW MICHAEL:

Heart of Our Understanding March 2016

Stonington Gallery

125 South Jackson Street Seattle, WA 98104 206.405.4040 art@stoningtongallery.com www.stoningtongallery.com

Catalog Š Stonington Gallery 2016 All artwork copyright and courtesy of the artist.

Photography by Ashley Genevieve for Stonington Gallery, unless otherwise credited.

Catalog design and gallery essay by Sarra Scherb.

Exhibition dates: March 3 - April 3 2016

Drew Michael - Untamed Desire - 2011 Basswood, Wire, Nails, Aluminum Plate, Acrylic

Drew Michael - I Can’t Believe I Ended Up Like This - 2012 Basswood, Copper Plate, Used Glasses, Wire, Screws, Rubber, Nails, and Seaweed

Yup’ik, Alaska. Mouth of Yukon River, received 1938. Collection of the University of Oregon.

Photo by Loren Holmes

LADY OF THE NORTH Basswood, Steambent Ash Wood, Acrylic, Wire, Stain, Charring 38”h x 11.25”w x 3.75”d Lady of the North is an expansion of my use of bent wood. The main form is inline with my iconography seen in this current series of work. The spirited being represented here is connected not only to their humanistic Earthly self by the grounding of spirit, but also to the spiritual and transcendental knowledge that is from above and beyond self. In the center, one may see a face looking out, which is the space that helps the being find balance using love to see others and the world around it. The wood on this piece is made of 5 layers of ash wood.

HEART OF OUR UNDERSTANDING Basswood with Live Edges, Acrylic, Aluminum, Metallic Chain, Stain, Charring 41”h x 24”w x 3.5”d Heart of Our Understanding is about listening to the knowledge of the past. It may come from a place different from right now but the transcendental truth will shine through. There’s great knowledge deep within that is unlocked when we allow ourselves to listen and open our hearts.

W

e can find true balance and strength through understanding our own hearts. If we open our hearts we will lay a strong strong foundation of balance.

The heart space is open to the world around, allowing the gifts that are around us to enter into who we are.

RAY ECHOES Basswood, Steambent Ash Wood, Acrylic, Stain, Charring 57”h x 29”w x 4”d Ray Echoes is about Santa Fe. It’s influenced by the sunny days and long big black nights. There are beautiful silhouettes of the mountains that expand across this piece. The blue sky is filled with turquoise. The sun begins with the opening of the heart space and an aura of energy and life is emanating out.

SEVEN HANDS Basswood, Acrylic, Cast Bronze (not shown), Stain, Charring 34” h x 8” w x 3.5” d Seven Hands was originally created with 7 hands and as I progressed with the piece in form I decided I only wanted 6 hands pulling the heart space open. This piece is an expression of my realization to let go in love relationships. If I let go in a relationship and learn to trust someone then I will truly find the love I am looking for. I will in turn let go of my need to hold onto something so tight that I destroy it. I will be able to love without expectation. The ironic thing about this piece is that I am communicating the idea of letting go but I have used hands holding and pulling on the heart space to show this action.

OUR LADY Limited Edition Cast Glass on Iron Stand (Edition of 2) Our Lady is a story about a lady who is connected to the unseen and spirit world and is rooted to the Earth. To connect to the Earth one must know and accept the human nature within each of our spirited selves. As Our Lady connects to both the spirit world and stays grounded to the Earth a balance is found and that clarity into existence is shared with others through the space of the heart. The healing white light of understanding and love fills every space within. If you look at this form you will see into the heart of this being.

TRANSCENDENCE Basswood, Red Cedar, Acrylic, Cut Nails, Dowel Rod, Charring, Stain 60 x 21 x 4 Transcendence is a being that is connected to the Grand Spirit that connects to everything and is everything. Life comes down from the Grand Spirit when the heart and the humanness are open , this is when activation happens. The heart center is open in this form and is shown in a raw color and form to represent the humanness. The base of the piece is burnt to show the connection to the Earth. Our humanness has to stay connected to the Earth in order to fully experience life. The bent wood “halo� is open to the ground and the heavens and is reaching out from the sides to connect with other beings, spirits, and the universe.

ASKING Basswood, Poplar, Charring, Veneer, Cotton Twine, Feathers, Acrylic, Oil Paint, Tacks, Wooden Rod, Copper Plate, Eye Hooks, Stain 60 x 24 x 5 This being represents the “Asking Festival” held in St. Michael’s, AK in November just after the fish have left the shallow water along the coast and the people have gathered their food for the winter.

Men would gather in the kashim and paint their bodies with a mixture of charcoal and oil stripes and dots and stomp around. They then traveled to each dwelling in the village, held out wooden bowls and asked for food from the women in each home.

Back in the kashim, one man brought out a long wooden rod--called an ai-ya-g’uk-which was made of bent wood hoops. He approached each man and asked him what thing he desired: an object, or intercourse with a woman or same-sex person.

The wand-carrier would then go to the woman in the village who had that object, or who was the desired person, and present what the man had asked for. She would then tell the wand carrier something she wanted in return. The wand carrier would then present this request to the man doing the asking. In this way, all the people in the village would ask for something. After the men return to the men’s house faces were washed with urine. The asking is of both the hearth and the root chakra.

MY RIVER RUNS THROUGH...

Basswood, Furniture Tacks, Acrylic, Oil, Stain 31”h x 8”w x 3”d My River Runs Through... is a depiction of my connection to rivers. I would say that I enjoy living around water; sea, lake, and/or river. I have done so all my life. I feel as though water helps me find peace when things seem out of control. Funny thing about water is that it is free to move about as it wants, nothing holds it back. The physical and my emotional personification of water do not function in the same way. I cannot control what water does and yet it helps me feel more at balance with my own circumstances.

The top face represents a spirited being. The face in the heart space has openings reaching out, representing the clarity and openness of water. The seven furniture tacks are the 7 chakra spaces represented as a circle around the heart. A blue block of blue reaches down to the base of the being showing the connection to the Earth.

ARTIST STATEMENT

Photo by Loren Holmes

SELECTED RESUME 2015 Solo Exhibit Alaska Humanities Forum Anchorage, AK Bellevue Art Museum Knock on Wood Exhibit Bellevue, WA 2014 International Conference For Indigenous Peoples New York, NY Solo Showcase Exhibit @ Quintana Galleries Portland, OR Smithsonian Spotlight @ Anchorage Museum Anchorage, AK Art Basel solo Exhibit Miami, FL Alaska Native Fund grant award Anchorage, AK 2013 “Aggravated Organizms� Exhibit at Alaska Federation of Natives Fairbanks, AK Anchorage Performing Arts Center art instillation Anchorage, AK Diaspora Native American Art Opening at Taproot Anchorage, AK Alaska Native Arts Foundation (Ellis Show) Anchorage, AK State Museum Solo Exhibit Show Juneau, AK 2012 National Association of State Treasurers Curated Show Anchorage, AK Native Heritage Center Workshops Anchorage, AK Rasmunson Project Award Beneficiary Rural Cap Showcase Anchorage, AK Humanities Forum Showcase Anchorage, AK One Night Stand Art Exhibition Anchorage, AK First Light Dillingham Workshops (Teacher) Anchorage, AK 2011 Anchorage Elders and Youth Conference donation Anchorage, AK Anchorage Mayors Charity Ball Live Auction Anchorage, AK Alaska Native Arts Foundation First Friday exhibit Anchorage, AK 2010 Featured artist in Alaska Native Heritage Center exhibit Anchorage, AK 2010-Current

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