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Media Contact: Sari Krosinsky, (505) 277-1593, michal@unm.edu

December 12, 2007

UNM Tamarind Helps Put Native American Art in Embassies

Tamarind Institute Director Marjorie Devon with First Lady Laura Bush at the unveiling of "We Are All Knots"The National Museum of the American Indian and the ART in Embassies Program recently produced “We Are All Knots,” a print portfolio by five influential Native American artists from across the United States. Norman Akers (Osage), Mario Martinez (Yaqui), Larry McNeil (Chilkat Tlingit), Jaune Quick-to-See Smith (Flathead Indian), and Marie Watt (Seneca) worked with printers from Tamarind Institute at the University of New Mexico to create this important lithography collection. Collaborating printers were Sharon Lee, Aaron Shipps, Brooke Steiger and Jim Teskey.

The project’s goal is to broaden international understanding and appreciation for contemporary Native American art. The artists donated 20 prints to the Smithsonian and 20 to ART in Embassies, to be exhibited in American embassies throughout the world. In these prints, the artists reveal both the legacy of ancestors and the contemporary Native American struggle for individual expression.

Tamarind is a center for fine art lithography that trains master printers, engages in teaching and research and houses a professional collaborative studio for artists. It is recognized internationally for its contributions to the growth of contemporary printmaking around the world.

First established in Los Angeles, Tamarind became a division of the UNM College of Fine Arts in 1970. With the move to New Mexico came a commitment to reflecting the state’s diversity. The institute’s first New Mexico publishing venture was a suite of eight lithographs titled “Indians Forever” by Native American artist Fritz Scholder. Other indigenous artists from New Mexico that have collaborated with the institute include T.C. Cannon, Patrick Swazo Hinds, Dan Namingha and R.C. Gorman.

Tamarind has previously worked with some of the artists in “We Are All Knots.” Jaune Quick-to-See Smith has collaborated with the institute on numerous projects since 1979. Larry McNeil and Marie Watt appear in “Migrations: New Directions in Native American Art,” a traveling exhibit and a book released in 2006 by UNM Press. The book addresses the need for serious critical consideration of Native American art by juxtaposing the work of emerging artists exploring printmaking processes with critics’ responses.

The Smithsonian’s National Museum of the American Indian is an institution of living cultures dedicated to advancing knowledge and understanding of the life, languages, literature, history and arts of the indigenous peoples of the Western Hemisphere.

The U.S. Department of State ART in the Embassies Program blends art and diplomacy by displaying the work of U.S. artists in the public rooms of 180 U.S. Embassy residences and diplomatic missions worldwide.


The University of New Mexico is the state's largest university, serving more than 32,000 students. UNM is home to the state's only schools of law, medicine, pharmacy and architecture and operates New Mexico's only academic health center. UNM is noted for comprehensive undergraduate programs and research that benefits the state and the nation.

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