THE FARM AS ART
Image: Lana Dura. Courtesy of RioBravoFineArt Gallery
RioBravoFineArt Gallery, in New Mexico, will present 'the farm as art', by featuring the work of noted fibre artist, Lana Dura. The show, Art and Legacy of the Navajo-Churro Sheep, will run from 12 November, 2022 until 29 January 29, 2023.
Image: Lana Dura. Courtesy of RioBravoFineArt Gallery
The Navajo-Churro sheep lineage is a part of Southwestern American history that almost became extinct. But, with the efforts of enthusiasts like Dura, the lineage is now enjoying a modest renaissance. The Churro sheep from Spain (originally called Churra sheep) became an integral part of the Hispanic culture of Northern New Mexico, and of the Dine (Navajo) culture of the nearby Four Corners Area, flourishing in the 18th century as a source of wool for textiles. Various historical events in the 19th century led to the decline of the Navajo-Churro sheep; restoration of the breed began in the 1970s.
Image: Lana Dura. Courtesy of RioBravoFineArt Gallery
Dura maintains her own Navajo-Churro flock and oversees the preparation of wool— from shearing, to initial cleaning, to carding — and creates both artistic pieces and utilitarian items from the felted wool.
Fibre art is part of the broad range work at RioBravoFineArt Gallery. The gallery was established in 1998, in Truth or Consequences, New Mexico, by American modernist painter H. Joe Waldrum (1934-2003). The gallery represents the bulk of Waldrum’s work – paintings, prints, photographs – left at the time of his death. The gallery also represents two dozen contemporary artists who show on a regular basis.