September 2000
Artist of the Month

George Blake
(Hupa)

George Blake, Hupa carver, jeweler and regalia maker, is considered to be one of California's most distinguished and versatile artists. He is an expert maker of traditional artforms, including elk antler spoons and purses, dugout canoes and sinew-back bows. He is also well known for his contemporary art, such as his silver and gold jewelry, ceramic work, and antler and wood carvings, including such satirical items as a "Dude Boot," "Washington Red Neck Football Helmet" and "Cigar Store White Man." George often incorporates traditional Northern California basket designs into his pieces because he considers them an integral part of his culture, and because he wants to keep them alive.

George began carving when he was in high school, when he realized that there was a need for acorn spoons and other regalia that were no longer being made. He decided that he could make one from wood using his band saw, a tool he still finds indispensable. Although he went on to earn a degree in Fine Arts and Native American Art at the University of California at Davis, George has been mostly self taught. He was given advice by noted Hupa craftsmen, including Dewey George and Haynes Moore, but never was formally taught by them.

George Blake has received extensive recognition, both as an artist and as someone striving to preserve his tribe's heritage. In 1991, the Folks Art Program of the National Endowment for the Arts recognized him with a National Heritage Fellowship for his work in preserving traditional regalia and canoe making. He has traveled around the United States and Europe showing his work and demonstrating his craft, most recently this summer in Germany and Latvia. His work can be found in museums around the country, including the National Museum of the American Indian, the Los Angeles Museum of Art and the Brooklyn Museum. He also taught both on the Hupa Reservation and at Humbolt State University, insuring that the traditions he strove so hard to maintain will be carried on after him.

George Blake is an artist whom we are honored and delighted to present, and we hope that you will enjoy the beauty, history and humor in his work as much as we do.

The Indian Craft Shop represents artists from over 40 tribal areas within the United States. Located in the Department of the Interior federal building at 18th and C Streets, the Shop is open Monday thru Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Closed federal holidays. Open the third Saturday of each month from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.

Photo ID required for entrance.
For more information, call 202-208-4056.