Edward Buckner, Red Flame Hunters

The Red Flame Hunters were founded by Edward Buckner in 2009. This traditional masking society is an all-youth tribe, focused on preserving these traditions and engaging the young people of the neighborhood. Edward Buckner founded the society with the hope of keeping young people on track and engaged with their communities, giving them the opportunity to learn the masking traditions and represent their families and heritage.

Shaka Zulu, Golden Feather Hunters

Shaka Zulu is a musician, stilt dancer, and Big Chief of the Golden Feather Hunters, one of the traditional Black Masking tribes in New Orleans, Louisiana. The New Orleans Masking Societies create elaborate, three-dimensional costumes worn during Mardi Gras, a tradition that dates back to when Black residents of New Orleans were excluded from participating in the Mardi Gras celebrations. Shaka was born in the Ninth Ward of New Orleans and grew up surrounded by the arts traditions of the neighborhood. He and his wife, C. Naimah Zulu, Big Queen of the Golden Feather Hunters, collaborate on costume design, community outreach, and educational programs. He has been honored for his work as a craftsman as a 2022 NEA National Heritage Fellow.

Osceola-Zepeda family – Karie, Jessica, and Marissa Osceola; Brian, Pedro, and Corinne Zepeda

The Osceola-Zepeda family has a storied history as makers of all types of Seminole crafts. The family lives in Naples, Florida, and includes sisters Karie, Jessica, and Marissa Osceola and their cousins, Brian and Pedro Zepeda, and Brian’s daughter, Corinne Zepeda. The family grew up learning Seminole crafts from their elders, including traditional patchwork clothing, beading, dugout canoes, sweetgrass baskets, and more. They are descendants of Osceola, a leader and warrior from the Seminole wars in the 1800s. Today, the Juanita Osceola Center sits on family land that was once a Seminole village, where the family gathers, crafting and teaching the next generation.

Canoe Journey – Willard Bill Jr.

Willard Bill Jr. is the Black River Canoe Family skipper and educator who takes part in the annual tribal Canoe Journey in the Pacific Northwest. Willard participates along with his family, including sons Freedom and Justice and his daughter Sovereign. Willard is the Tribal Government Liaison for Seattle College and has over 30 years of experience in education.

Canoe Journey – Lawrence Family, Suquamish

Suquamish Elder Barbara Lawrence is a cedar hat weaver as well as a storyteller and historian. She was a member of the Washington State Centennial Commission in 1989 and tells the history of the origins of Canoe Journey. The yearly Canoe Journey is a celebration and gathering of hundreds of canoes from Indigenous tribes across the region. Barbara practices and teaches traditional cedar weaving, supported by her granddaughter Elilal Abraham. Her sons, Nigel and Ian Lawrence, are both Suquamish canoe skippers and Ian makes traditional canoe paddles.

Sayaka Ganz

Sayaka Ganz is a sculpture artist who uses reclaimed plastics and metals to craft incredible sculptures of animals. Sayaka was born in Japan, also growing up in Brazil and Hong Kong before eventually settling in Fort Wayne, Indiana. Her art is inspired by her youth, the environment and her connection to animals, and her desire to give abandoned plastic objects a place to belong. She received a Bachelor of Fine Arts from Indiana University Bloomington.

Marques Hanalei Marzan

Marques Hanalei Marzan is a Hawaiian culture bearer and contemporary visual artist born and raised in Kāne‘ohe, Hawaiʻi. His skill, knowledge, and experience are highly acknowledged within his community where he serves as a mentor and advocate, promoting sustainable gathering practices, perpetuating Hawaiian fiber techniques, and instilling indigenous values in his students. He trained under esteemed experts in Hawai‘i including master weavers, Julia Minerva Ka‘awa and Esther Kakalia Westmoreland. Marzan represents Hawai‘i in major gatherings of indigenous artists, including four Festival of the Pacific Arts held in Palau, American Samoa, Solomon Islands, and Guam, and the Smithsonian Folklife Festival. Through these interactions, he strengthens his commitment to his culture and champions the ideals of continuity and innovation.

marquesmarzan.com

Hōkūle’a ocean voyaging canoe

The Hōkūle’a, a replica of an ancient Polynesian double-hulled voyaging canoe, was designed by artist and historian Herb Kawainui Kāne. Kāne is one of the founders of the Polynesian Voyaging Society in Honolulu in 1973. The Polynesian Voyaging Society’s mission is to perpetuate the art and science of traditional Polynesian voyaging and the spirit of exploration through experiential educational programs that inspire students and their communities to respect and care for themselves, each other, and their natural and cultural environments. Through voyaging to various countries and throughout the Hawaiian Islands, the Polynesian Voyaging Society serves as a beacon of identity and cultural renewal for Hawaii’s indigenous people, along with a preservation of Hawaiian language, dance, chant, and other expressions of Hawaiian culture.

hokulea.com

Chris Maynard segment

Chris Maynard creates intricate art entirely from bird feathers. Inspired by his love of the natural world and his background as a biologist, Chris hopes to give people a new perspective on nature through his art. Segment from SCIENCE episode

Judith Chernoff and Jeffrey Bernstein

Based in Laurel, Maryland, Judith Chernoff and Jeffrey Bernstein are craft advocates and avid collectors. They focus on sculptural and turned wood but collect a range of other media, including baskets, ceramics, fiber and glass.

Over the past thirty years, their wood collection has grown to include outstanding museum quality pieces from artists nationally and around the world. With the belief that sharing their collection with the public is what gives it greater meaning, they recently donated 43 objects in wood to the Smithsonian American Art Museum’s Renwick Gallery. In addition, over the years, they have opened their home to give educational collection tours to many wood centered groups and those new to wood.

Jeffrey and Judith have each held the position of President of Collectors of Wood Art, Jeffrey from 2009–2010 and Judith from 2014–2016. Judith has also been a volunteer docent at the Smithsonian’s Renwick Gallery since 2012.