Joanna Bigfeather brings experience to Palomar

By: NOELLE IBRAHIM - Staff Writer | Sunday, March 18, 2007 9:37 PM PDT ∞

SAN MARCOS ---- If there's one thing Joanna Bigfeather brings to her role as the new director of Palomar College's on-campus Boehm Gallery, it's experience.

An artist, curator, writer, teacher and arts administrator, Bigfeather said she plans to use her skills in running the college's nonprofit art space, which houses approximately 250 pieces of art from the 15th to 20th century.

"I feel like I've lived several different lives," said Bigfeather, a Western Cherokee and Mescalero Apache who lives on the La Jolla Indian Reservation in Pauma Valley.

The former director and curator of exhibitions at the American Indian Community House Gallery/Museum in New York City, Bigfeather actually began her professional career as the marketing director for an architectural firm in Solana Beach in the late '70s while selling paintings on the side.

Realizing public relations wasn't quite the right fit, Bigfeather quit her job and moved to Northern California, where she tried her hand at making a living as a full-time artist, she said.

At age 32, she returned to school for formal training, earning a bachelor's degree in fine arts studies from UC Santa Cruz and a master's of fine arts from the State University of New York, Albany.

Bigfeather went on to become the first American Indian woman to run the Institute of American Indian Arts Museum in Santa Fe, N.M., where she said she experienced one of the highlights of her career ---- guiding former President Bill Clinton on a tour of the museum in 2000.

"I never envisioned being a museum director ---- I always thought I'd be an artist," she said. "To me, it's inspirational. If you want something bad enough, you can make it happen."

In addition to her background in gallery operation, Bigfeather has written numerous books, catalogs and articles, served as a fine arts juror for the Smithsonian's National Museum of the American Indian, and has artwork in the collections of the Smithsonian, Heard Museum and Brooklyn Museum, among others.

She began teaching American Indian art history and California Indian art history at Palomar two years ago.

"We are so lucky to have someone of her caliber, her experience, her vision heading up the Boehm Gallery," said Pat Schwerdtfeger, dean of arts, media, business and computing systems at Palomar. "It's hard to beat her background."

As director of the Boehm Gallery, Bigfeather said that her main goal is to increase visibility of the museum, on campus and off. She said that she sees the gallery as an integral part of campus, but doesn't think it has been used to its fullest potential.

"The key, to me, is always bringing the community in," said Bigfeather. "One of my goals is to widen the scope here at the Boehm Gallery. I don't want it to be the best kept secret in North County."

Bigfeather already has some plans to accomplish her goal. For one, she plans to build on the gallery's reputation by attracting significant artists to display their works.

"I want to see artists from Canada and the rest of the U.S., and that's where you have to fundraise," she said, adding that her marketing experience will be useful in that respect.

Hoping to enhance the quality of exhibitions, Bigfeather is reducing the quantity of shows from nine to six, leaving exhibits up for a longer period of time and making more time for fundraising in turn.

She said the shows will reflect the variety of arts disciplines the college offers, from woodworking to photography. Student artists should also get more involved in the entire process of putting together a show, especially during the annual art department student exhibition, she said.

"It's important that in this space, there's something for everyone," she said. "I want people to feel as excited as I am about art and what it can do for you. With native people, art is woven into our lives, it's not a separate piece."

In addition, Bigfeather wants to collaborate with different departments on campus, for example, using a jazz quartet from the performing arts department to play at the opening of an exhibition.

Contact staff writer Noelle Ibrahim at (760) 761-4404 or nibrahim@nctimes.com. Comment at nctimes.com.

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