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Indigenous Art of California

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Armand | Date Farmers

November is Native American Heritage month, and today, Artbound highlights indigenous artwork from the Golden State. From an exhibition that challenged the portrayal of American Indians in popular culture to a profile on a radio program making a splash on the airwaves, we present five features that explore the past, present, and future of native cultures.


Tomahawks and Tipis: Native American Representations in Commercial Culture

An exhibition rich in humor and optimism, "Where Are the Tipis? Changing Perceptions About Indians" dispels stereotypes long-used by the media.


Matthew Leivas, Sr, Chemehuevi Indian of the Chemeheuvi Reservation, California,-thumb-580x433-28654-thumb-580x433-28655

Salt Songs to Break Your Heart

On a bright day in Twentynine Palms, Chemehuevi Indian Salt Song singer Matthew Leivas invoked the memory of native people who came before.


On the Air with Indian Time Radio

For over 20 years, KUCR Indian Time Radio has been a point of pride in the Indian community, cementing their own place within Southern California's pop culture sphere.


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Date Farmers: Desert Detritus Becomes Chicano Pop Art

The Date Farmers make Chicano pop art; they are desert Rauschenbergs, infusing abstract expressionism with a politically charged, pop culture update.


Gerald Clarke Jr.: The Contemporary Indian Experience Through Art

Gerald Clarke Jr. refuses to be defined like an artifact on a museum shelf by his Indian heritage. He seeks to let the past inform the present, but not restrict it.

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An 8mm film still "The Kitchen" (1975) by Alile Sharon Larkin. The still features an image of a young Black woman being escorted by two individuals in white coats. The image is a purple monochrome.

8 Essential Project One Films From the L.A. Rebellion Film Movement

For years, Project One films have been a rite of passage for aspiring filmmakers at UCLA's School of Theater, Film and Television. Here are eight Project One pieces born out of the L.A. Rebellion film movement from notable filmmakers like Ben Caldwell, Jacqueline Frazier and Haile Gerima.
A 2-by-3 grid of Razorcake zine front covers.

Last Punks in Print: Razorcake Has Been the Platform for Punks of Color For Over Two Decades

While many quintessential L.A. punk zines like "Flipside," "HeartattaCk," and "Profane Existence" have folded or only exist in the digital space, "Razorcake" stands as one of the lone print survivors and a decades-long beacon for people — and punks — of color.
Estevan Escobedo is wearing a navy blue long sleeve button up shirt, a silk blue tie around his neck, a large wide-brim hat on his head, and brown cowboy pants as he twirls a lasso around his body. Various musicians playing string instruments and trumpets stand behind him, performing.

The Art of the Rope: How This Charro Completo is Preserving Trick Roping in the United States

Esteban Escobedo is one of only a handful of professional floreadores — Mexican trick ropers — in the United States, and one of a few instructors of the technical expression performing floreo de reata (also known as floreo de soga "making flowers with a rope"), an art form in itself and one of Mexico's longest standing traditions.