Let's Decorate The World With More Art!

Antoinette Thompson holding her painting, Good Vibe Circling Me

The month of July we'll be featuring one of our newest artists at the gallery, Antoinette Thompson. Antoinette is an indigenous contemporary artist from Lukachukai, AZ. Though she always enjoyed art, her painting began as a healing process as an adult and blossomed from there. Gaining acclaim as a self-taught artist, she later earned her BFA at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. She has won awards, and been in exhibits, art shows, and galleries across the country, as well as in Italy.

For Antoinette, art is an expression of emotion: "I don’t approach a piece with an idea, I let the emotions take over and guide me…I let the art breath and come alive." Her paintings are vibrant, abstract compositions that incorporate her Navajo heritage. She takes the teachings of her elders and her culture, and entwines it with modern society so people of all generations can appreciate what she shares.

Antoinette has come back to the Navajo Nation to use her Master's degree in Healthcare Administration and work in her community, but she's still an artist. In fact, she takes inspiration from her work in the healthcare field. She continues to see art as a healing process for both herself and others - let's decorate the world with more art!

Antoinette will be at the gallery during ArtWalk along with some new paintings. Come by from 6:00-9:00pm on Friday, July 7th to meet this passionate artist! John Volk will be playing live music for us, and as always, you can check out a full listing of ArtWalk events at artwalkflg.org.

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More Artist Events!

Hopi Carver, Wally Grover, holding two of his Kachina dolls

Wally Grover Carving Kachina Dolls at the Gallery
Hopi artist, Wally Grover, will be at AZ Handmade Gallery on June 24th from 10:00am-5:00pm.  He’ll be carving Kachina dolls, as well as talking about the traditional art and how he approaches his own creations.

Grover is from the Kachina/Parrot clan and from the Tewa Village on Hopi’s First Mesa at Polacca, AZ. He was 18 when his brother-in-law, Marlon Huma, taught him to carve cottonwood root. If you've ever been curious about Kachina dolls or Hopi art, this is the perfect chance to ask questions and learn about them!

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One of Jenna's henna designs, freshly applied

Henna by Jenna
You may know Jenna as one of the staff members at the gallery, but she's also an artist herself and does beautiful henna work. On July 8th, the Saturday after ArtWalk, she will be doing a Henna Popup in the gallery from noon-4:00pm!

Unfamiliar with henna? It is a natural, plant-based paste that is applied like a paint on top of the skin and temporarily stains it. The designs will usually last for about two weeks, and can be removed earlier with lemon juice. If you have questions or want to talk to Jenna about body art or mehndi designs in anticipation of the event, reply to this email or text the gallery at 928-779-3790!

A floral design by Jenna

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JULY 4th HOURS
The gallery will have shortened hours on Tuesday, July 4th: 10:00am - 1:00pm.

Otherwise, our Summer hours are the same:
Saturday-Wednesday: 10:00am - 5:00pm
Thursday & Friday: 10:00am - 7:00pm

Enjoy the holiday!

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Sneak peek
The ArtWalk on August 4th will feature Jonah Hill - more details in the next newsletter!

Bracelets by Jonah Hill

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You can shop our handmade art from anywhere and we're constantly adding new items to our online store!
Don't see what you're looking for? Call us at 928-779-3790 and we'll send you pictures of items in stock and process your order over the phone.

Sending love from AZ Handmade Gallery!

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