Did that really just happen?
Did we really just finish the Hopi festival?
Here, in the Heritage Program Office, it's hard to believe that the 77th annual Hopi Festival just happened, as we quickly tidied the tornado that resulted from the weekend and are now hard at work on the Navajo festival, which is coming up in a little less than four weeks. If anyone sees Anne Doyle roaming the streets, please give her a hug... and margarita. The work that she does on these festivals is absolutely mind blowing-- you'd think that she was some kind of magician.
Before we ramble off into the sunset about how busy we are, I think we should reminisce (queue dream sequence...). It was a Friday afternoon, and the mosquitoes hit the Hopi reservation for what seemed like the Berlin Love Parade. We were there, too, on our collection trip a week before the festival. It was cloudy, which is a good sign these days, and we took are stations at the Cultural Center and at Hotevilla. Despite our tent being thrown to the ground by the wind at the Cultural Center, we collected some wonderful art. It's amazing to think that if we didn't make this trip, some people would never see this incredible art. Quilts, Kachina Dolls, paintings, and rattles flew into our hands, into our vans, and into our consignment room. Thanks to the wonderful help from the volunteers, the collection trip went smoothly (and we even got some gratuitous rain!) and we all came out itchy dressed in novelty Hopi mosquito bites
On Thursday, July 1st, at 12 p.m., we closed the doors to the auditorium and welcomed our judges for a quick lunch before they made their rounds. The judging was a simultaneously intense and hilarious experience-- as our judges all had a great mixture of expertise and senses of humor. The interns spent the rest of that day preparing ribbons and making sure everything was in order for the next day.
Have you ever been to Times Square at 7pm? If not... imagine people weaving around each other at lightening speed paired with the coaxing sounds of car horns and angry business men and women in a rush. Now, imagine all of those sound inside the Museum of Northern Arizona-- the Times Square of the Southwest last weekend. Before the festival officially opened, all of us were running around, checking in artists and moving artwork and, of course, cooking. As the time inched closer to 6 p.m., we welcomed artists and non-profits, showing them the ways to their booths. As far as we know, the Member's Preview was a success! We got our artists checked in, and saw many happy members roaming around the venue.
Then came Saturday, the day the festival opened to the public. There was something interesting happening in every corner of the museum. Artists were selling in the auditorium, lectures were going on in the Ethnology gallery, Hopi dances and music were happening in the insights tent (where KUYI was also broadcasting live!), kids were making art in the New Courtyard, artists were demonstrating in the Historic courtyard-- even our office became a dressing room for some of the Hopi dancers. We all had such enriching experiences and got to talk to so many interesting people. At one point, we were being showered with Hopi wisdom while we were, believe it or not, preparing for the barbecue in the kitchen. Most of Saturday involved everyone running around, making sure everything ran smoothly. None of us can really remember how Saturday ended, as it just seemed to turn into Sunday. Sunday was exciting in different ways, as well. We, as interns, had more time to roam around and interact with artists (we got Sidney Poolheco's autograph, aren't you jealous?). We had a little taste of Hollywood, when Kiowa Gordon, the werewolf from Twilight, came in to sign autographs and model contemporary Hopi clothing. I never thought I'd hear so much teenage shrieking at the Hopi festival. Even as we were folding up the chairs at the end of the day, we kept taking in new information and wisdom. It wasn't until the end of the day that we realized that it was the 4th of July, and we celebrated it perfectly-- with the people who know this country in more intimate ways than most people can vouch for.
Now, as our mosquito bites are slowly fading and the art gradually gets picked up from our office, we are preparing for the Navajo festival, taking place on August 6, 7, and 8, and, of course, trying to breathe a little bit.
See you all soon!
Love,
Anne and the Interns.
