VANDER MEER BOOKS

VANDER MEER BOOKS

Review: Doing Harm

“Doing Harm” by Kelly Parsons will make you
nervous all over again about going under the knife, but it turns out that in
this case, that’s the least of your worries.

Parsons has done a fine job of creating a
character caught up in his own success, too sure of his abilities, determined
to a fault, ambitious and yet genuinely good at what he does. When disaster
starts to rain down all around him, partly because of his smug over confidence,
but equally because of circumstances beyond his control, he finds his life and
the lives of his family targeted by a masterful Machiavelli.

 

Read more at ... www.vandermeerbooks.com

Arts Council, a key community resource

“If the flag is flying, we’re open!”

Las Vegas Arts Council, 140 Bridge Street, open for business

Domie Gilbert, Nat Gold and Eleanor Nelson are familiar names to those who have worked with the Las Vegas Arts Council over the years. These visionary leaders were among the founders of what has evolved into a vibrant group of artists and patrons whose goal is to promote the arts in Las Vegas.

From its location at 140 Bridge Street the Arts Council is in the heart of a busy commercial district and more connected than ever to the heartbeat of the arts community. The LVAC is a pivotal agency for connecting artists from all disciplines with patrons, and showcasing their work in a space dedicated to that purpose.

Vice president Janet Remenyik, who served for a number of years as LVAC president, has seen the evolution of the organization and observed its adaptability, noting that while the arts council at one time provided a number of summer programs for youth, that focus has shifted to mounting exhibits in different artistic disciplines and hosting salons for creative expression.

“The schools and other agencies took on providing summer arts and youth development programs,” she said. “That meant we could expand our services in other areas.”

Among LVAC’s many successful programs, the Missoula Children’s Theater has likely been the project that draws the most participation and the greatest community response. The coordinators come to town and in a week put on a show with costumes, sets and anything else needed to perform a play using up two 75 local youth between the ages of five and 18.

“It’s something to watch,” Remenyik said. “They get all these children to work together and deliver a performance in five days.”

The People’s Faire, another popular LVAC event, is an annual outdoor show at Carnegie Library Park featuring hand made crafts and original art, storytellers, music and special activities, such as the Kiss a Pig contest. Remenyik said vendors come primarily from Las Vegas and the region.

The 140 Gallery, LVAC’s gallery name, is now open on a schedule, in addition to special events, artists’ receptions and performance salons. Susie Tsyitee, LVAC office manager and board secretary, said public relations for the arts council begins with keeping the gallery open. “We’re reaching out into the community and drawing in people who have never connected with the Arts Council, building relationships with long-time friends of the gallery, recruiting volunteers, and discovering new ways to serve both artists and art lovers.

“If the flag is flying, we’re open!” Tsyitee said. “Appreciating art is not an exclusive hobby for a select few. Many local artists have poured their lives into this area for generations, creating beauty and history through the visual, performing, and participatory arts. Others have traveled to the area and fallen in love with the light, the air, the people, the land, and the art of Northern New Mexico and made their own contributions. We value and honor it all. The Las Vegas Arts Council belongs to the community, desires to serve the community by celebrating our uniqueness and diversity through the protection, development, and promotion of our art and culture.”

“I am not an artist but a patron of the arts,” said Donna Rivas, LVAC president. “I believe that a community must provide a solid platform for artists to show or perform and the people living in the community should have a front row seat in viewing its art and artists.

“LVAC has always been a cornerstone of the community, providing educational opportunities for its residents and artists. Many volunteer hours have been spent laying a strong foundation for the development of the arts in Las Vegas and we have an obligation to continue to build on that foundation,” she said.

Remenyik agrees. “Our job is to make that connection between the artists and the community. When we provide opportunities for artists to show their work, whether it is performance or visual art, the community does respond.”

Rivas said she is pleased to report LVAC is beginning a new fiscal year with a balanced budget.   “Our operating budget comes from members, donations and grants. It is through the generosity of our members that the Las Vegas Arts Council continues to offer its current programs and explore and offer new ones. We rely on membership renewals and donations to keep the Las Vegas Arts Council moving forward. For the arts council to be a thriving community resource we ask that the community continue with its generous support.”

Rivas said the arts in Las Vegas and surrounding area are essential. “The focus for 2014 will be to continue to support and expand the opportunities for artistic growth and expression and to bring the community together in celebration of our rich multicultural heritage.”

For more information about becoming a supporting member of the Las Vegas Arts Council, call 505-425-1085, or drop by the gallery during hours of operation, Wednesday – Saturday, 1 – 4 p.m. Information is also available at www.lasvegasartscouncil.org.

Scheduled exhibits and events at Gallery 140

140 Bridge Street, Las Vegas, New Mexico

March

Youth Art Month (elementary school student exhibit)

March 3-5 (The art of being a spectator)

LV City Schools 3^rd Graders Puppet Theater

April

Ceramics

NMHU Student Art Exhibit

May

Quilt Exhibit

Luna Community College textile students’ exhibit

June

Kevin Tracy: Mixed Media Sculpture

Alex Ellis: Alkyd Paintings

July

Jane Fritz: Watercolors

Jane Lumsden: Sculpture

Missoula Children’s Theater (Date TBA)

From audition to performance in one week.

August

Meadow City Camera Club: Land as Legacy Exhibit

Aug. 23

36^th Annual People’s Faire at Carnegie Library Park

Entertainment, arts and crafts, artists and artisans, town square of non-profit agencies, a day-long celebration of community.

September

Parachute Factor Maker Works

Local Hacker Scouts create at the Parachute Factory, exploring technology, art and culture through hands-on workshops.

Celebrating Summer’s End

Concert at Pendaries (Date TBA)

October

Art Studio Tour preview as a month-long exhibit

Oct. 25-26

Las Vegas Art Studio Tour

Local artisans studio visits, children’s art and Hispanic art exhibits.

Plein Art Paint Out

November

Wearable Art Exhibit

Woven, quilted, knitted, fiber art

Imagination expressed in concept, creativity, originality and skill in construction.

December

Small Works Group Exhibit

Unique, handmade, originally designed art and fine arts and crafts at affordable prices.

(From the Arts Council brochure. For additional information call 505 425-1085)

Chester Nez Shares his story

Code talker Chester Nez and his grandson.

At 92 Chester Nez has experienced more than most in today’s society can begin to imagine, everything from prejudice because of his cultural and ethnic origins, to his time as a soldier on the front lines for months on end without relief.

He sat proudly in his wheelchair at a recent book signing for his memoir Code Talker, written in collaboration with Judith Avila, surrounded by family and admirers. He spoke about his war experiences, and the honor he feels even today for serving in a unique capacity as a warrior with a rifle and a warrior with words – Navajo words.

Growing up in the Checkerboard of the Navajo reservation was not easy, but for young Chester it was a life of beauty structured around work and the joy of family. Spirituality was part and parcel of each day, an ingrained appreciation of the layers of life and nature and how they come together within each person.

When he went to boarding school he was faced with something totally outside his experience. It was rarely fun or joyful. His memoir reveals that Chester used his cultural spirituality to rise above often-cruel circumstances that were demeaning and mean-spirited. Walk in beauty, he often reminded himself, whether he was being threatened by matrons at school, or later when facing the formidable attacks of Japanese soldiers on the various islands where his native language became the secret code that very likely shortened the war and saved many lives.

At an event in Las Vegas, N.M., at the Plaza Hotel, Chester responded to questions from the audience about his war experience. Avila, his memoirist set the stage. “Imagine yourself in a different life,” Avila said. “Imagine yourself as a young boy being sent off to boarding school, away from your family, away from everything you know. Imagine yourself going to war.”

Chester was part of a Marine recruitment targeted toward young Navajo men who were fluent in English and Navajo. He didn’t know that at the time, he only knew his country was in jeopardy and as a warrior it was his duty to serve. It wasn’t long before he learned he and 29 other young Native Americans were being asked to develop a code that would baffle the enemy and turn the tide of war in favor of American forces.

And they had 13 weeks to get it done.

The code talkers, down to 29 by the time they entered into the conflict, were at the front lines from day one. While others were getting R&R to recover from shell shock following extended time in the trenches, the code talkers were put back into play on another island, never getting the relief made available to other soldiers.

“What we were doing was necessary,” Chester said. “We had a job to do and we did it.”

He says he does not consider himself a hero. “We were needed and we served.” His unassuming manner hides the soul of a warrior. It is the Navajo way to be respectful and not show off or be prideful. In the case of the code talkers that was easy since their efforts were cloaked in secrecy until 1968. The men continued to go unrecognized until 2000 when Congress authorized the Congressional Gold Medal be struck in their honor. In July 2001, in the Capitol Rotunda, the presentation was made to the original 29 (many of them posthumously), thanks to Senator Jeff Bingaman of New Mexico and Senator Daniel Inuye of Hawaii who sponsored the bill. Code talkers who were trained after the initial 29 (about 400) were recognized with the Congressional Silver Medal several months later.

The original 29 left their homes and their families without notifying anyone where they were going, or what they would be doing, partly because they didn’t know and partly because communication on the reservation was limited. Before they shipped out they wrote home about their military service, but nothing about what they would be doing. That secret would remain with them for decades. Some of them took it to their graves unable to survive after returning home and finding they were still regarded as second class citizens after serving with honor and being respected by their Marine peers. As long as they were soldiers, they had value. When they came home life went on, but they had changed. Worse yet, they couldn’t tell their families so they could be honored among those closest to them.

Chester says this broke many of the men. They turned to drinking or just gave up. Post traumatic stress disorder took its toll. Called shell shock at the time, the symptoms were treated for a few months after the soldiers returned home, but the men lived with the after effects for the rest of their lives.

Chester was fortunate in that his father was a man who understood that spirits of the dead Japanese were haunting his son. Treatment by a medicine man was ordered. The dreams abated after the healing ceremony, but returned later in life.

During Chester’s talk a member of the audience stood and said she worked for the V.A., which now recognizes the healing way ceremonies and the work of medicine men as valuable treatments for Native Americans returning from war zones. The audience applauded loudly and looked to Chester, who nodded gravely. His hearing is poor and most of the communication with Chester during the event was through Avila or his grandson Latham, but he seemed to understand how important this is, that Native American culture and tradition is being respected.

Someone in the audience asked how Chester felt about having the sacred Navajo language used as an instrument of war.

“It was not wrong to use it as a code,” he said. “In the long run we used it to defeat the enemy. It was the best thing we ever did.”

Chester credits his spiritual and cultural background with keeping him steady and focused during wartime, but he also credits the Marines with shaping his life after the war.

“I learned a lot in the service. I respected the traditions. I was treated with respect, and what I went through, they supported and helped me. I am so proud to have served. I am so proud of what we did.”

Back home he faced a rude awakening. When he registered at a federal office in Gallup in 1945, the functionary handling his paperwork took pains to remind him that even though he was wearing a uniform he was still the same, reminding him he wasn’t a “real citizen,” and that he couldn’t even vote, which at the time was true. It wasn’t until 1962 that New Mexico became the last state to approve voting rights for Native Americans.

Chester intermingles his feelings about going off to boarding school and going off to war, perhaps because the comparisons are so radically different. When he went to boarding school there was no respect for his language or his culture. In the Marines he was quickly accepted and received high praise for his work and dedication. His language became a vital factor in the war effort. The military newspaper Chevron couldn’t say enough good things about the Navajo recruits, their strength, endurance, performance and dedication. Nothing was said about their secret mission, but as with all Marines, they had to live up to the physical and rigorous training standards. They out did themselves and continued to be a source of pride for the Marines. Chester said he and the other Navajo men were a little uncomfortable with the recognition but warmed by the respect and acceptance.

His treatment by matrons and other staff at boarding school was anything but respectful. “They would take us so far (going home) and drop us off. We would walk sometimes 15 miles or so to get home. They treated us terrible, terrible. They hit us, kicked us, and picked on the smallest ones who couldn’t fight back.” The value of his education was something that would stay with him. The memories of cruel treatment remain as a reminder of the high cost.

The only time he felt uncomfortable during his military service was when Army personnel stopped him and Francis (another code talker) and accused them of being Japanese. “I speak perfect English,” Chester argued. “How can you think I’m a Japanese?” The soldier was sure the two dark-skinned code talkers had killed American soldiers and stolen their uniforms.

The soldiers marched the code talkers back to camp and presented them for investigation, only to find they were the ones in deep trouble. Chester smiles at the memory, but makes no comment.

If anything distresses him it is that no one seems to care about something that made such a critical difference during wartime. “You try to explain what you went through and they just kick it aside,” he said.

It is interesting to note that the night before Chester’s appearance before more than 200 people in Las Vegas, he had spent six hours in the V.A. hospital receiving a blood transfusion. When it was suggested that perhaps he should postpone his speaking engagement, he was adamant that he meet his obligation. This remarkable veteran can be assured people do want to hear his story. Everyone in the packed room listened intently and many waited more than two hours to buy his memoir. He signed every book and patiently waited while countless people posed with him for a photo. He is the living embodiment of a Navajo who walks in beauty.

Chester Nez’ visit to Las Vegas was coordinated by Joseph and Loretta Baca of KFUN-KLVF Radio and supported by the Native American Club at Highlands and the Highlands Foundation.