INDIGENOUS A&E: Car show art, demon doll regalia, culture fests

Sandra Hale Schulman
ICT

The latest: Autos cruise into museum, Labubu looks, festive festivals

ART: Pottery as a driving force 

Ceramic artist Rose B. Simpson, Santa Clara Pueblo, had some fun with her new exhibit when she literally drove the work into the DeYoung Museum in San Francisco for LEXICON, now through August 2, 2026, which features “Maria” and “Bosque,” cars she refurbished and transformed, inspired by pottery designs.

“Maria” is a 1985 Chevy El Camino named after renowned artist Maria Martinez, who popularized the distinctive black-on-black pottery style. “Bosque” is a 1964 Buick Riviera painted in vibrant Tewa polychrome.

Simpson parked in front of her expansive mural, bringing the Northern California museum a Southwest spirit. As she does with her larger-than-life-size clay figures, Simpson brings together the past and the present, creating a striking visual language that highlights her cultural heritage as a multi-generation clay artist and how it interprets today.

“How beautiful it is to dream something into being,” Simpson wrote in a social media post. ”LEXICON is open … and will be there for almost a year. I’ve seen it, I’ve felt it for years now. I could feel it in my being, like an identity yearning to become. I saw myself as it, with it, that feeling to manifest into thing-beings.

“My old friend Maria; ‘85 El Camino. She is a part of me. She has shown me to myself in so many ways, like how a dream can become reality to long frustrating hours on sides of roads to rumbling through hot desert highway winds, she was the first to show me a powerful side of myself.”

Simpson says the transformed ‘64 Riviera, Bosque, was a dream that started from a guitar class, and a “love journey” of two Buicks, a 68 Skylark and Bombshell Betty, a world record-breaking hotrod land speed race car. 

“That front end had me. In 2018 I drove to Detroit for her, a pilgrimage of intention. I saw her as Polychrome, life got in the way, there were layers of intention and dedication wove in and out. DeYoung Museum gave me a deadline and a dream and here she is in her first chapter.”

CRAFT: Toy monsters go Native

Creepy, cool and bizarrely popular, Labubu, the little demon dolls, have had its style co-opted by everyone from Prada to Puerto Rican designers.

As seen at Indian Market, multidisciplinary artist Lily Hope, Tlingit, made her Labubus unique. The artist, born and based in Juneau, Alaska, is trained in both Ravenstail and Chilkat weaving practices, learned from her ancestors and elders, including her late mother, Clarissa Rizal. Hope’s Labubus are dressed in traditional Ravenstail regalia, woven robes, and headdresses made of Merino wool.

“They’re actually repurposed dance cuffs,” Hope told Hyperallergic, “Indigenizing the Labubus.”

She also makes jewelry that matches the regalia. She started teaching public weaving workshops with her mother as she loved the community being built and expanded.

“I like the feeling of creating work that’s bigger than any one of us. Sitting in a quiet space alone – that’s a disservice to my weaving community, to my Native community. If I do that, the work is not serving its highest good.”

She has Labubu regalia materials available for purchase on her website, in preparation for a public virtual course. The kit doesn’t include any Labubu dolls, but she says it is a beginner-accessible project.

FAIRS: Coast-to-coast festivals 

From Florida to California, Native culture comes alive this month.

The vibrancy of deep swamp culture thrives at the Miccosukee Indian Day Festival September 27 and 28 at the Miccosukee Indian Village.

There will be live music, dances, authentic food like gator bites, crafts, alligator demonstrations, airboat rides, fashion shows, and more. Performers include Indigenous rock trio The Osceola Brothers, Cree and Salish vocalist Fawn Wood, and Mesoamerican dances by the Ameyal Mexican Cultural Organization, showcasing Indigenous heritage from around the world.

It will be a free family friendly event for people to experience Native traditions as tribal members share songs, stories, and art.

Out in Los Angeles, the Autry Museum of the American West honors first responders who battled extreme wildfires this year as they invite the community to enjoy a carnival on the lawn, activities for the family, special museum tours, music and crafts. 

The Block Party happens on September 27, to celebrate local heroes and community members acting as a place for respite and a celebration of the arts, history, and culture of the city and region. The Autry had been closed out of precaution during the January fires.

Museum Director and CEO Stephen Aron says, “I often say that the Autry works best when it plays. And play for people of all ages will be the order of the day at this year’s Block Party when the Autry celebrates what makes the West and Los Angeles special and honors the first responders who kept us safe during this year’s fires.”

The Annual Autry Block Party will feature cultural music and a dance stage on the Autry’s Plaza. Equestrian group Urban Saddles will also host horse photo ops and grooming workshops. Meet favorite PBS characters in the lobby, meet and honor local emergency responder heroes on the East Garden Lawn, and see, touch, and learn about their fire trucks. 

Docent-Led Tours will be held throughout the day, along with a car show featuring classic cars, hot-rods, and luxury vehicles. Shop with market vendors and visit community partner booths on the South Lawn. 

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