American Indian art on display

By MATT SANDERS

Southeast Missourian

Mike and Glinda Seabaugh love art, but they see something missing from the local art scene that has blossomed in recent years.

Local art lovers can see a large spectrum of work when the art galleries in Cape Girardeau that open their doors on the First Friday of every month. But the Seabaughs think an important art culture is underrepresented -- Native American art.

So as November -- recognized nationally as Native American month -- approached, the couple thought about how they might add a Native American imprint to the local art scene. They decided to open the doors to the space above their Cherokee Trails gift shop at 811 Broadway for a First Friday reception called "Art of a Different Drum" featuring Native American art.

"I've not seen any native art in this area at all," said Glinda, who counts herself seven-eighths Cherokee. "I'd like people to see the work of the natives, something a little different that they're not used to seeing."

Tonight about 100 pieces of Native American art -- traditional and contemporary -- will be displayed at the Enchanted Forest. The place is usually reserved for all ages concerts, but the Seabaughs saw an opportunity to, at least this once, use the Forest as an art gallery. Almost all of the work was created by Glinda Seabaugh, with a few pieces by Mike and a few pieces by other Native American artists from the local area. Beverly Baker Northup, chief of the Northern Cherokee Nation (not yet federally recognized as a nation) will also be present signing copies of her book on the northern Cherokee, "We Are Not Yet Conquered."

At the same time, the Southeast Missouri Regional Museum is hosting its own collection of Native American art, giving those interested in the Native American culture two choices to expand their cultural knowledge this month.

Mike Seabaugh only has a slight touch of Cherokee in his ancestry, but became immersed in the culture when he married Glinda. Since then he's considered himself part of the Cherokee people, and created art in the style of Native Americans.

The objects on display range from baskets and ceremonial masks to Glinda's paintings depicting stories and characters from Cherokee lore. Bone, feathers, driftwood and other natural objects are used to create the three-dimensional pieces. Pottery is also a major part of the collection. The works have more meaning than the aesthetic -- they have spiritual and cultural significance, such as a vase with human figures that represent the legend of the Cherokee ancestors and the ceremonial drum made from a turtle shell.

"With the Native American people, they do not separate their life in segments," said Mike Seabaugh. "Most all of the native people that I've met over the years ... they look at life as a circle, a complete circle. Everything is together, and you look at all of it equally. A lot of our art form encompasses many different types of what we consider an art form that, let's say, the European mindset doesn't consider art."

Alongside those pieces are abstract paintings and portraits created by Glinda that aren't the typical Native American art most people would think of. These pieces aren't imbued with a cultural significance to Native Americans -- they're simply pieces of art created by an actual Native American.

The pieces on display throughout the month at the Southeast Missouri Regional Museum are also made by real Native Americans from the Great Lakes area -- where Richard Nelson resides. The collection is the work of Dorothy and Richard Nelson, art collectors who fell in love with Native American art in the late 1950s and began collecting pieces in the mid-1970s.

"I think the compelling thing was knowing that this native culture was prevalent in our area, and this was something that needed to be learned about to save and to value and to use," said Richard Nelson.

Several hundred pieces from birchbark baskets to beadwork make up the collection, and over 100 of those pieces are on display at the museum. On Nov. 11 the museum will host a Native American Arts Family Fun Day from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Activities will include beading, weaving, spear throwing and flint knapping demonstrations, and visitors will have the opportunity to create their own Native American artwork.

For more information on "Art of a Different Drum" call 334-4485. For more information on "Shared Passion: The Richard and Dorothy Nelson Collection of American Indian Art" call 651-2301.

msanders@semissourian.com

335-6611, extension 182