FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: APRIL 7, 2008

FOR MORE INFORMATION, CONTACT: Anasazi Heritage Center, (970) 882-5600

"GESTURE OF KINSHIP" EXHIBIT OPENS AT ANASAZI HERITAGE CENTER

The Anasazi Heritage Center will unveil a new exhibit called A Gesture of Kinship on April 15th in museum’s Special Exhibit gallery. It weaves the thoughts and experiences of 20 young Navajos as they grew from children to adults in recent decades. Their maturation is captured in photographs and their own voices. The exhibit continues through October 31.

Photographer and self-described "art coach" Bruce Hucko taught the means of self-expression to children at Montezuma Creek Elementary School in southeast Utah between 1978 and 1989. He developed lifelong friendships with many of his students, who are now adults with children of their own. The interaction with the children and their parents spurred his interest in exploring their world within a world. His students' art was chronicled in the book "Have You Ever Seen A Rainbow at Night?" published during the 1990s.

In time, Hucko accumulated some six thousand photos of his students and their families, a record of how time has passed and individual lives have unfolded. Meanwhile, his friend Donna Deyhle—now a professor at the University of Utah—was interviewing Montezuma Creek residents about their thoughts, feelings, and points of view. She was trying to understand something about the issues and conflicts local people faced in staying on the reservation or in choosing to live elsewhere. The rapidly-changing world, both on and off the reservation, affects the foundations of traditional culture. External influences are changing the way recent generations of Navajos see their land, their people, the world, and themselves.

The result is a unique exhibit of images and interviews. Some participants have clung to their roots, while others who have found another kind of life away from homeland and family. A Gesture of Kinship shows the subjects as youngsters then and as adults today. In many cases, they were photographed in the same spot each time.

Hucko’s perspective on culture change is unique. Unlike the postcard perspective of the tourism industry, his work does not judge or romanticize the people or their traditions. Hucko says: "Stereotypic scenes permeate books and magazines, but they overlook the rich day-to-day experiences of life. This exhibit is an average slice of life from the Navajo reservation. It’s a vision and a conversation that most people have no access to."

Hucko has maintained contact with nearly all of his former students. Some of them will share the stage with him during a special presentation called "Growing Up in Montezuma Creek" on Sunday, May 18th at 2:00 p.m. in the museum theater.

The Anasazi Heritage Center is operated by the Bureau of Land Management, and is open seven days a week from 9 to 5. For more information, call the Center at (970)882-5600 or visit the Center’s web site at www.blm.gov/co/st/en/fo/ahc.html.

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