Native talent to showcase 2008 Four Corners Indian Art Festival

BLANDING, Utah - The Edge of the Cedars Museum is pleased to present the Third Annual Four Corners Indian Art Festival May 3-4 from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. each day. This year's festival promises an amazing celebration of Native talent, including original artwork by at least 50 artists representing 15 tribes, demonstrations, music, traditional dances, and juried art competition. There is something for everyone: taste-tempting foods, silent auction, children's activities, and art to please just about everybody. The best part is that it's all free and family-friendly.

Kids can learn about people of the past with games and art activities, hosted by the Canyonlands Outdoor Education. Have you ever thrown an atlatl? Can you make a coiled clay pot? Kids can have fun while parents shop the market.

Folks looking for the perfect Mother's Day, wedding, or graduation gift can select one-of-a-kind artwork from award-winning artists coming from as far away as Phoenix and St. George as well as from artists representing the Four Corners region. Collectors seeking the newest in contemporary Native art will want to be on hand when the awards for the art competition are announced on Saturday.

Have you ever tasted piki bread, the traditional, wafer-thin treat made from blue-corn? Antoinette from Second Mesa at Hopi will make piki on her fire-heated polished stone. Christopher Black, a young man from Monument Valley will be crafting traditional Navajo baskets while his grandmother, Lucy Yazzie, demonstrates her beadwork. Dora Sakeva from Second Mesa will be making her coiled and twined baskets.

In addition, Stella and Adoline Eyetoo from White Mesa will be weaving Ute style baskets while Anita Hathale and her mother will show visitors the intricacies of spinning wool and weaving a Navajo textile. Herschel Talashome Jr will be demonstrating his traditional Hopi carving. Visitors will also have the opportunity to learn about beadwork and pottery making,

Audiences will also be treated to the sounds and color of traditional and contemporary music and dance. Aldean Ketchum of the White Mesa Ute Mountain Ute people will play his hand-crafted flute and tell stories of his grandfather and of the Bear Dance. The Desert Mountain Navajo Dancers, young ladies from Blanding Elementary School, will delight with their carefully choreographed steps in the Basket and Ribbon dances and Maranie Clah, a senior at Monument Valley High School will be playing his hand drum and original songs on traditional flute.

Visitors can rock out with the tunes of Native Reign and listen to NAMMY award nominee James Bilagody's guitar. The Qua Hola Hopi Singers will be bringing their powwow drum, the Hopi Dancers will perform their traditional dances and the Ute Mountain Ute Bear Dancers will be inviting the audience to participate in their traditional celebration.

Be sure to peruse the hourly offerings at the Silent Auction and bid on all of your favorite art offerings and enjoy a fry bread taco or Navajo burger from one of the excellent food vendors.

Come celebrate tradition with us and enjoy a memorable weekend in beautiful Southeastern Utah. It's all free and all for you.

For more information, call (435) 678-2238. The Edge of the Cedars State Park Museum, one of Utah's forty-two beautiful state parks, is located at 660 West 400 North in Blanding. The Art Festival is open from 9 a.m. until 5 p.m. on both Saturday and Sunday, May 3 and 4.

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