ImagiNativz: Albert Gray Eagle and Victoria Nevarez
Contact Information:
Albert Gray Eagle
731 SW 52nd Street
Oklahoma City, OK 73109
Phone:
(405) 445-8423
Email:
Discipline:
Traditional Arts: Musical Arts and Storytelling
Participants:
Elementary, Middle School, Hight School, Adults, Educators, Older Adults, Youth with Disabilities, Adults with Disabilities, At-risk Youth
Language Fluency: Cheyenne, Lakota and Apache
Settings:
Schools: Elementary, Middle School, High School, Alternative Education
Community Sites: Parks & Recreation Centers, Childcare Centers, Libraries, Senior Centers, Health Care Facilities
Availability:
Statewide, year-round
Bio:
Albert Lujan Gray Eagle has worked with the Oklahoma Arts Council, Arts Council Oklahoma City, Texas Regional Arts and Humanities, Respect Diversity, Studio 222, and other arts organizations and school districts in Oklahoma and surrounding states. Gray Eagle’s services have included volunteer work with youth in programs such as Camp Quality USA, Respect Diversity, Cheyenne and Arapaho Cultural Education, and Completing the Circle, which earned him the Symphony of Service Award from the state of Oklahoma. As an American Indian, Gray Eagle strives to be a positive member of his community through the artistic disciplines he teaches. His primary skills are in the art of flute making and performing arts. Classes may include making and playing rivercanes and/or ceramic flutes. Along with the process of making the instrument, students will learn some cultural history and be given a chance to make other cultural crafts such as dreamcatchers. As a performing artist, Gray Eagle has volunteered his art with multiple hospice groups, nursing homes, and the Military Experience & the Arts symposium at Cameron University. As a U.S. Army Vietnam-era veteran, Gray Eagle understands the importance of using the arts for veterans to heal physically, mentally, and spiritually. One of his most rewarding experiences was delivering cedar flutes to U.S. troops in Afghanistan during a USO tour. As a performing artist, he has entered his work into the National Veterans Creative Arts Festival and has won multiple medals in the performing and visual arts.
Victoria Nevarez has worked with Gray Eagle since 2005. She holds a Bachelor of Arts in Anthropology and a Bachelor of Arts in Ethnic Studies from the University of Colorado, and she holds a Master of Arts in Museum Studies from the University of Oklahoma. Nevarez loves to incorporate knowledge from her studies and life to help teach the history of this land through art and music. Using simple instruments and the ability to control air, students can create certain notes that can be one’s voice.Learning Goals:
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Understanding a basic knowledge of one of the oldest instruments in the world using material native to North America.
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Once an individual receives the understanding of how the instrument works, they can experiment on their own with other materials.
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Teaching basic information about some of the American Indian tribes located in this region and some of their arts.
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Answering questions about American Indians to promote cultural understanding.
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Gaining the ability to express oneself through music using a handmade instrument.
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Talking about the oral history of how flutes, dreamcatchers, etc. came to be, and why they are made a certain way.