Grace Hudson Museum

A Healing Place - simple yarn painting by Eilgio Carrillo Vicente, circa 1975

HUICHOL INDIAN ART
Visiones Radiantes: el Arte Indígena Huichol

October 27, 2007 - January 13, 2008
27 de octubre, 2007-13 de enero, 2008

"Radiant Visions: Huichol Indian Art," spotlights the vibrant yarn paintings and beaded masks and sculptures of Mexico’s Huichol Indians, whose homeland straddles the remote and rugged Sierra Madre Occidental mountains. This bi-lingual exhibition offers a rare glimpse into the art and spiritual traditions of an indigenous people whose culture has remained largely intact, thanks in great part due to their geographical isolation from colonial influence.

Al vivir en poblados dispersos en áreas remotas de la Sierra Madre Occidental, los indígenas huichol de México habitan un complejo universo rico en forma y significado. Su vibrante arte visionario, interpretado en esta exibición, refleja las antiguas tradiciones ceremoniales y míticas del pueblo huichol. Isabel Jordan y Gail Meyer son directoras invitadas.

"The Breath of the World"
elaborate yarn painting by Jose Benitez Sanchez, circa 1990

The basis of this culture is the shamanic traditions Huichol people have practiced for many centuries. They believe that everything in their natural environment is alive and capable of feeling and action. There are a multitude of personified nature deities who are in charge of such things as animals, water, weather, and plants to whom the Huichol people send their prayers and petitions. Huichol shamans are the teachers, guides and mediators between the natural and the supernatural realms. To be a shaman is both a privilege and a demanding responsibility. Shamans conduct rituals to ensure the health and welfare of their communities and perform sacred chants recounting Huichol ancestral mythology.

Huichol man painting his face prior to
undergoing the sacred peyote pilgrimage, 1972
Photo by Peter Collings

Young Huichol man from San Andres Cohamiata, 1978
Photo by Peter Collings

All Huichol ceremonial life centers around the sacred peyote cactus which is used in rituals to contact the spirit world. Huichol shamans obtain their power from these ceremonies and from the peyote visions they experience. Huichol art, whether two dimensional yarn paintings or three-dimensional masks and sculptures, use ancient symbols to represent these gods, to tell the cosmic drama of creation, and to document age-old Huichol traditions. With no written language, Huichol people rely on various types of artwork to maintain and communicate their beliefs and myths.

"A Healing Place"
simple yarn painting by Eilgio Carrillo Vicente, circa 1975

While Huichol Indian art has become popular among collectors of folk art around the world, few outsiders know much about the world of its creators and their rich heritage. This exhibit provides a rare glimpse into the complexities of the Huichol spiritual world. The pieces on display are from the collection of Isabel Jordan, from Yelapa, Mexico, and her daughter, Gail Meyer, from Boonville. On moving to Mexico, more than thirty years ago, Jordan became interested in Huichol people and their culture. She has established long-term ties with many Huichol artists, and helps to preserve their traditional way of life by buying their art and selling it for them at galleries and exhibitions she has mounted in Canada, Europe, throughout the U. S. and now in Ukiah, Californa.

Grace Hudson Museum Director, Sherrie Smith-Ferri, considers the Museum fortunate to be able to collaborate with Isabel Jordan and Gail Meyer in the presentation of this new exhibit. "It is a treat to hear Isabel describe the artists and their work in such personal terms. She provides entrée into a fascinating world where deer speak, wolves turn to men, feathered arrows carry prayers, serpents bring rain, and shamans play the violin."

Beaded Jaguar Head, by Alexandro Carrillo, circa 2005
Photo by Tom Liden Photography