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Diane
Shenandoah
A Great Talent
by Liz Obomsawin
Nestled in the heart of
the Oneida country in upstate New York, renowned Oneida sculptor Diane
Shenandoah delicately chisels a deer bone into what will become another
of her famous Indian woman sculptures. Her name will be “She Sings
To the Wind” and will become part of the artist’s collected
works in galleries and museums throughout the world.
Reared on the Oneida Indian Territory, Diane was inspired by her artist
mother, Maisie Shenadoah, who is a Wolf Clanmother of the Oneida people.
“My mother collected ancient Haudenosaunee artifacts and encouraged
us children to be creative as she taught us how to make rattles, baskets,
cornhusk dolls, do beadwork, and so on.” she says. Diane’s
father, Clifford Shenadoah, was a sub chief of the Onondaga Nation and
a talented musician before he passed away in 1972.
Diane in 1980 started her illustrious career while attending the Institute
of American Indian Arts in Santa Fe, New Mexico, where she received
her degree in Fine Arts/3D and Creative Writing. Although she had been
an artist throughout her life, Diane became aware that one of her greatest
gifts from the Creator was her ability to fashion clay and carve bone
and stones into images that reflect her culture.
Noted Native American sculpture Alan Houser noticed her talent and became
somewhat of a mentor to her.
As a Faithkeeeper for the Wolf Clan, the spiritul significance of her
work is paramount. She explains: “Every sculpture must depict something
meaningful from my culture and reflect spiritual realities of my people.
For example, my Utah alabaster stone bear entitled ‘Transformation’
represents how the bear becomes one with a bear clan person, who now
is cloaked with the healing power and knowledge of medicines.”
Diane says that she counts it her privilege and duty to share her culture
through her sculptures and carvings.
In every piece of her artwork Diane makes a point to use as natural
materials as possible, as given us by the hand of the Creator. “For
my sculptures, I shape the clay from Mother Earth or I chisel natural
elements such as stone, marble or bone. I often carve my sculptures
from the bone of deer, buffalo or caribou. I enjoy combining several
of these elements into one sculpture.” Diane’s use of natural
materials can be clearly seen in “Calling All of Creation”,
one of her museum pieces, which depicts two Haudenosaunee men facing
each other on a bench as they beat their sacred turtlerattles in sacred
form song. This sculpture is fashioned from Ohio clay and mounted on
a black walnut base. The turtle rattles are made of buffalo horn, the
gustoays (hat) feathers are carved from wampum cohog shells and the
gustoays bear wild turkey feathers. “Working with Mother Earth
gives me a certain closeness that goes beyond a particular art. It’s
the grand feeling of knowing the ancestors before have passed throughout
this clay.” This connection to the earth provides her with strength
and inspiration.
Diane
also shares Haudenosaunee legends, moral lessons and the importance
of the social, spiritual and emotional well being of her people through
her art. As a mother of five children, much of her art work consists
of mothers and babies.One of her most famous pieces, “Shhh”,
depicts a mother tenderly rocking her baby to sleep.Most of Diane’s
sculptures portray women in some way.
This is not a surprise since the Haudenosaunee Confederacy is a matriarchal
system. Women are held in high regard and make important decision, such
as choosing the chiefs.
Ms Shenandoah recently expanded her work to include a signature line
of 18k gold and silver jewelry from her original deer bone sculptures.
These exquisite pieces can be worn as either stickpins or necklaces,
and feature the “Breath of Life” series, which honors women
as life givers. Although most are of women, one of these pieces includes
a mother and baby.
Diane’s sculptures have been featured at the Heard Museum in Phoenix,
Johnson’s Museum of Art at Cornell University in Ithaca, and the
Castellani Art Museum in Niagara Falls, New York.
She
currently has permanent collections in the New York region at the New
York State Museum, Iroquois Museum, Mashantucket Museum, and the Rancocus
Fine Arts Museum. Also in New York, Diane’s exhibits include the
American Indian Community House, Earth Visions Visions – Arts of
the Woodlands People, Emerson Art Gallery, Everson Museum of Art and
Munson William Proctor Museum. In other parts of the country herwork
can be seen at First Peoples Gallery, Ancient Traditions Gallery (in
Minneapolis); in New Mexico, at Institute of American Indian Arts Museum,
Six Directions Gallery, Institute of American Indian Studies and Santa
Fe Indian Market (in which she will be participating in again this August),
and the Colorado Indian Market.
Ms Shenandoah has won many awards at various art shows. She was recently
honored with the distinguished Community Spirit Award from the First
People’s Fund for her tremendous commitment to her community at
Oneida. For many years, Diane has conducted workshops for the Oneida
children, which include creative writing, sculpting and culture presentations.
She is highly regarded in the Oneida community.Diane has served as a
member of the New York State Foundation of the Arts as well as Board
of Directors at the Rome Community Arts Council in Rome, New York. She
has given of her time to review, critique and advise Native writers
and artist in their works.
In addition to her sculpting, Diane is a published author and sings
as backup singer for her sister, Joanne Shenandoah.
Diane sums up her view on her gift as a sculpture: “My goal as
an artist is to reach out to all people everywhere and share the beauty
of Indian life and culture – and to give them hope through my artwork”.
She certainly brings hope to all who either know her or who have been
fortunate enough to enjoy her sculptures.
For information you can visit her website at
www.joanneshenandoah.com/diane/index.htm
or write to her at PO Box 450, Oneida, NY 13421.
Liz Obomsawin is a Wolf Clan member of the
Oneida Nation and is a screenwriter, director and producer of independent
films on Native Americans. She has an MA in Native American Studies
and an MA ion Television, Radio and Film from Syracuse University’s
prestigious S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications.
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