25th Litchfield Park Native American Fine Arts Festival to Feature 100 Artists and Artisans

The Litchfield Park Gathering, the 25th anniversary of the Litchfield Park Native American Fine Arts Festival, will feature an estimated 100 of the Southwest's finest Native American artists and artisans in a new location with no admission fee. Festival hours are 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on both Saturday, Jan. 14 and Sunday, Jan. 15, 2017.

In the tradition of a street festival, The Gathering will move to the center of town where artist booths will line Old Litchfield Road south of Wigwam Blvd as well as across the lawn of the Litchfield Park Library, 101 W. Wigwam Blvd., and on the nearby Gazebo lawn.

The 25th Anniversary Celebration will continue a tradition of sharing how Native American heritage is celebrated through the arts with active teaching, demonstrations and presentations throughout the weekend.

The invitation-only festival features artists and artisans representing numerous tribal affiliations through a balance of art forms including traditional and contemporary beadwork, clothing, jewelry, paintings and prints, pottery, sculptures and weaving.

Among the notable demonstrating artists are Arapahoe/Cheyenne quilter Rebecca Daniels from Kirkland, N.M.; Cherokee painter Jesse Hummingbird from Bisbee; Hopi Kachina carver Manfred Susunkewa from Avondale; Zuni fetish carver Todd Westika from Zuni, N.M.; and Choctaw potter and jeweler Marsha Hedrick from Tonopah. Miss Indian Arizona, Shaandiin Parish of the Navajo Tribe, will make a special appearance at The Gathering at 1:30 p.m. on Saturday, Jan. 14.

The R. Carlos Nakai Quartet, which also features saxophonist and keyboardist AmoChip Dabney, bassist Johnny Walker and drummer Will Clipman, will perform in a special pre-Festival concert at 7 p.m. on Friday, Jan. 13 at The Wigwam immediately following a display of winning pieces from the Festival's juried art competition. Tickets to the reception and concert are $25 and are available through www.eventbrite.com.

Entertainment is scheduled throughout the weekend. The early lineup includes two-time world champion hoop dancer Moontee Sinquah (Hopi) and his sons, Scott and Sampson; Native American Music Awards Artist of the Year and classical guitarist Gabriel Ayala (Yaqui) and multiple Grammy Award nominee, flutist Nakai.

A full schedule of performances will be announced in December.

Artwork by renowned artist Amado Peña, who will be at the Festival, has been selected as the poster art for The Gathering. "Mestizo Series: Tesoros del Pueblo," defined by Peña's classic use of bold color and form and dynamic composition, features five Native American women seated near a Santa Fe-style mission, one weaving a blanket and the others either displaying or painting traditional pottery.

The festival is presented by the City of Litchfield Park with funding, in part, from the National Endowment for the Arts, the Arizona Commission on the Arts and the Arizona Office of Tourism. Additional sponsors include Sun Health La Loma Village and The Wigwam as well as cooperation from the Heard Museum and the West Valley Arts Council.

For more information, visit www.litchfieldparkgathering.com.

Photo by Steve Carr

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