Marmon to be honored at fundraiser

Lee Marmon

Copyright © 2008
Gallup Independent
By Jim Tiffin
Cibola County Bureau

PUEBLO OF ACOMA — On Saturday, a special fundraising dinner celebrating the closing of noted Southwest photographer Lee Marmon’s “Pueblo Places and Faces” exhibit at the Haak’u Museum in the Sky City Cultural Center, as well as his 83rd birthday, will also offer a preview of the next museum exhibit “The Reconstruction of the San Esteban Del Rey Mission: 1700 to Present.”

The church was originally constructed by the Spanish between 1629 and 1640.

“We have a goal of raising $130,000 this year for the operation of the museum,” Damian Garcia, museum curator said. The dinner is limited to 160 seats and are $150 each.
The Haak’u Museum showcases artifacts and other items that represent the traditional cultural heritage of the Acoma people, he said.

The museum is on a timetable to be able to operate on its own, after an initial five year funding from the tribe.

“We are in the second year of that initial five years,” he said.
In three years the only funding the museum will receive will come from admission prices, private donations, fundraisers and grants.

Marmon’s exhibit opened in September of 2007 with an 82nd birthday celebration and reception for him.

Last major exhibit

“This is probably the last major exhibit for me, of this size,” Marmon said.

The exhibit features dozens of photographs in color and black and white of the people of the Acoma and Laguna pueblos, Hollywood celebrities and former actor and president, Ronald Reagan.

There is another much smaller Marmon exhibit that will be opening at the end of October at University of California, Davis, in Davis, Calif., he said.

Most of the prints in that exhibit are ones left over from not being selected for the Haak’u Museum exhibition.

The other exhibit at Haak’u, which continues after Marmon’s closes, features traditional Acoma pottery and is titled “The Matriarch’s.”

New exhibit

The new exhibit, due to open Dec. 21, will feature artifacts from the church during the past several centuries, including an original priest’s vestment with a silver inlay design sewn into it and an original beam from the roof of the church, Garcia said.

All of the items in the new exhibit are from “The Mission Collection,” of historical artifacts that were preserved from four separate reconstructions of the church during the past several hundred years.

Garcia said all the artifacts will be housed in specially designed climate controlled glass cases and special ultraviolet filters will be placed on the lights in the room to prevent any further damage to the items.

“It is the ultraviolet light rays that causes clothing and other items to deteriorate,” Garcia said.

There will two auctions to also help raise funds, one of which is a silent auction and includes a handmade kilt, a Pendleton jacket, pottery, paintings and jewelry.

The main auction Saturday will offer only signed prints of photos by Marmon.

The Saturday event begins at 5 p.m. and ends at 9 p.m.

Tribal visitor

A recent visitor to the museum, TammyJo Brown, a tribal member of the Sacandfax tribe in Oklahoma, was recently on a tour of New Mexico, chaperoning tribal elders.

She said she thought the photos, especially the ones of the Native Americans, in Marmon’s exhibit were beautiful.

She also said she was happy to hear some Acoma youth talking in the Keres language.

“It gives me a good feeling in my heart to hear these children conversing with adults in their native language,” she said.

Haak’u Harmony

On Sunday, the second part of the Labor Day weekend fundraising event is Haak’u Harmony.

The event features Native American performers and is being billed as an indigenous experience, from 5-8 p.m. Tickets are $30 per person.

On the bill are Miss Indian World Nicole Alek’eg Colbert, from Alaska; Pamyua, a singing group that performs tribal funk music in a native language; Ulali, whose music has been featured in films, such as Smoke Signals and performed the music for the Ted Turner documentary series “The Native Americans”; and Injunuity, featuring flute, drums and guitar. The event is hosted by the comedy duo of James and Ernie, the first ever Navajo comedy team.

Tickets, information, for both events: 1-800-747-0181.
On the net: acomaskycity.org.

To contact reporter Jim Tiffin call (505) 285-4560 or e-mail: jtiffin.independent@yahoo.com.