¡Colores!; Memorials to Dennis Chavez : Notable New Mexican 2006

Item Information

Title:
¡Colores!; Memorials to Dennis Chavez : Notable New Mexican 2006
Description:
#1701 This file contains raw footage of a cemetery where Senator Dennis Chavez was laid to rest. Close-up shots of Chavez's tombstone are featured. A bronze statue of Chavez and the Dennis Chavez Federal Building and United States Court House in downtown Albuquerque are included. Various shots of the Barelas neighborhood of Albuquerque are also featured. Footage shot for "Notable New Mexicans." Each year The Albuquerque Museum Foundation celebrates notable New Mexican’s and this year the Foundation is doing some thing special. Instead of honoring a single New Mexican, notables this year are artist Georgia O’Keeffe, jazz musician John Lewis, Pueblo potter Maria Martinez, Apache artist Allan Houser and politician Dennis Chavez. In collaboration with the Albuquerque Museum Foundation, KNME will produce a special thirty minute ¡Colores! documentary featuring these notable New Mexicans. This documentary will be broadcast by KNME. Georgia O’Keeffe- The artistic brilliance of Georgia O'Keeffe ranked her among the vanguard of modern art. In her paintings she vividly portrayed the power and emotion of objects of nature. This was first seen in her charcoal drawings of silhouetted bud-like forms exhibited in 1916 that brought her fame. During the 1920s, she explored this theme in her paintings of flowers. Her purpose was to convey that nature in all its beauty was as powerful as the widespread industrialization of the period. After spending a summer at Ghost Ranch in Abiquiu, New Mexico, Georgia O'Keeffe began a life-long love affair with this area. Enthralled by the barren landscape and expansive skies she explored these subjects in her paintings. Just as with the flowers, she painted the desert area magnifying and capturing the stillness and remoteness, while expressing a sense of beauty that lies within the desert. Her paintings have become synonymous with Ghost Ranch introducing the area to the rest of the world. John Lewis- John Lewis made a significant contribution to jazz in a career spanning over 55 years. Raised in Albuquerque New Mexico, he graduated from Albuquerque High School in 1937, and from the University of New Mexico in 1941. After serving in the Army during WWII, he followed his army buddy, drummer Kenny Clark and settled in New York City to pursue a career as a Jazz musician. He arrived at the height o the BeBop movement. He played with and arranged for colleagues such as: Dizzy Gillespie, Miles Davis, the Jazztet while becoming a Jazz legend all his own. As pianist, composer, arranger and music director of the Modern Jazz Quartet, formed in 1952, Mr. Lewis became the architect of a unique sound in Jazz and expanded the Jazz audience to the concert hall. In the mid-1970’s, he taught at City College of New York, and at Harvard University and was Director of the Monterey Jazz Festival. He passed away in 2001. Wynton Marsalis and Dave Grusin share their insights, friendship and the impact of John Lewis on their careers and on the music world. Included is concert footage with Lewis playing with the Modern Jazz Quartet in 1987 and at the Monterey Jazz Festival in 1975. Maria Martinez- Few craft artists, Native American or otherwise, can claim worldwide fame and appreciation. but this recognition accompanied the life of potter Maria Martinez of San Ildefonso Pueblo. Through her hard work and generous sharing of her pottery techniques, Maria reintroduced the art of pottery making to her people, providing them with a means of artistic expression and for retaining traditional aspects of the pueblo way of life. For nearly one hundred years, until her death in 1980, Maria was always eager to greet visitors and share her craft. Maria and her family have been and continue to be ambassadors from San Ildefonso Pueblo sharing the rich culture and heritage with the rest of the world. Her grandchildren and great grand children share their memories and appreciation for the work and legacy of Maria. Allan Houser- Born in 4, Allan C. Haozous was to become known as Allan Houser, one of the 20th Century's most important artists. Allan's father was with the small band of Warm Springs Chiricahuas when their leader, Geronimo, surrendered to the U.S. Army in 1886 in the northern Mexican state of Chihuahua. At an early age Allan became interested in Apache traditions and cultural life, which he celebrated in his life’s work. In 1934 a notice for an art school in Santa Fe attracted his attention, and he enrolled in the Painting School at the Santa Fe Indian School. Commonly known as the Dorothy Dunn School after its prominent teacher, Allan became its most famous student and by 1939 his work was exhibited in San Francisco, Washington D. C., and Chicago. In the same year he received a commission to paint a mural in the Department of Interior building in Washington, and its success led to a second mural commission there in 1940. In 1962 Allan joined the faculty of the newly created Institute of American Indian Arts in Santa Fe. There he created the sculpture department and focused on three-dimensional art work. As he taught and created sculpture he integrated the aesthetics of the modernists with his narrative ideas. By the late 1960's he began exhibiting this sculpture and recognition of his unique style grew. Museums and private collectors sought out examples, and his influence became apparent on hundreds of students and other artists. In 1975 Allan retired from teaching to devote himself full-time to his own work. In the two following decades he produced close to 1,000 sculptures in stone, wood, and bronze, and emerged as a major figure on an international scale. He had nearly 50 solo exhibitions in museums and galleries in the United States, Europe, and Asia, and he continued working tirelessly until his death in 1994. Dennis Chavez- Raised in Barelas, a neighborhood of Albuquerque, Dennis Chávez became an outstanding figure in politics, but until recently, Chávez’s role in American history has been largely overlooked. With charm, intelligence and unwavering belief, he championed civil liberties for an entire nation. As New Mexico’s longtime senator, serving from 1935 to 1962, the socially conscious Chávez was, for years, the only minority in the U.S. Senate. A maverick, he tirelessly fought against the discrimination he witnessed and experienced. The civil rights legislation that finally passed Congress in the 1960s grew directly out of Chávez’s efforts in the 1940s, as he became a leading advocate for minorities nationwide. An ardent constitutionalist, Chávez also led the anti-McCarthy protests. Chávez gravestone reads, “Dejo este Senor una vereda trazada aque nunca se olvidara lo hizo con la esperanza de que otros la sigan” -- “This man blazed a trail that will never be forgotten. He did it with the hope that others will follow.” Partial funding for the production of this program was provided by New Mexico Arts a division of the Office of Cultural Affairs and the National Endowment for the Arts.
Production company:
KNME-TV (Television station : Albuquerque, N.M.)
Producer:
Matteucci, Paula
Date:
June 9, 2006
Format:
Film/Video
Genre:
Unedited
Location:
KNME
Collection (local):
American Archive of Public Broadcasting Collection
Series:
KNME > ¡Colores!
Extent:
00:59:37.748
Link to Item:
https://americanarchive.org/catalog/cpb-aacip-191-72b8h1vc
Terms of Use:
Rights status not evaluated.
Contact host institution for more information.
Notes:
Episode Number: 1701