Santa Clara University

Lyn Risling, Asiktavanthukirar Tu' ipak, Tattoo Woman Returns, giclee print

The de Saisset Museum on campus will feature the traveling exhibition Sing Me Your Story, Dance Me Home: Art and Poetry from Native California, organized by the California Exhibition Resources Alliance, from Oct. 2 through Dec. 5. Centered on the art, poetry, dance and song of contemporary California Natives, the show “explores how culture, history, ancestry and story shapes people, no matter what their heritage,” says Lindsey Kouvaris, curator of exhibits and collections. Museum-goers will be able to hear explanations about the art and its meaning through the Guide by Cell® free audio tour developed for the show. By dialing the appropriate phone number, listeners can hear commentary on their own cell phones for specific pieces as they view them in person.

Also on display will be LandsCApes: Glimpses of Everyday California, which offers diverse views of industrial sites, city views, seascapes, highways, farmland, and nature through a variety of media, including painting, sculpture, drawing, and photography. At the exhibition, San Jose-based artist Chris Sicat will invite visitors to help him transform a section of a large Redwood tree into an abstract landscape using graphite pencil.

Contemporary Native Works from the Permanent Collection will present a selection of the de Saisset’s own paintings, prints, and photographs by indigenous artists collected over the last 30 years.

The final exhibit, also drawn from the museum’s permanent collection, will feature nearly 20 paintings from the Mission Era, many of which have not been on display in the modern era. Researched and developed by San Francisco State University graduate student Maureen Bourbin, The Saints of Mission Santa Clara: Discovering the Meaning Behind the Art delves into the history and religious symbolism of those works.

James Luna, Apparitions I, 2007 mixed media photograph and light box

The de Saisset Museum is one of only three South Bay museums accredited by the American Association of Museums, a testament to its overall quality and commitment to public service. Reaccredited this past spring, the de Saisset has been continuously accredited since 1979. Of the nation’s estimated 17,500 museums, only 775 are currently accredited.

All the shows run from Oct. 2 through Dec. 5, 2010. During that time, the museum will be open 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tuesdays through Sundays. No charge for admission.

Everyone is invited to attend a free reception to celebrate the opening of the exhibitions on Oct. 7 from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. For more information, visit www.scu.edu/desaisset/.