We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Shirley Brauker. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Shirley below.
Alright, Shirley thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. When did you first know you wanted to pursue a creative/artistic path professionally?
My earliest memory of creativity came at a very early age. I was four or possibly five years old. I know this because I was still too young to go to school. I was actually at the end of our driveway in northern Indiana where I grew up. I was waiting for my older sister, Darleen to get off the school bus. While I waited, I noticed a large mud puddle. It had rained the night before and the mud was at just the right consistency for making things. As I sat there I created an entire village. I made a log cabin out of sticks, complete with clay chinking. I formed horses with stick legs, people and yes, pottery. I loved it. I was so proud of my creation I couldn’t wait to share it with my Mom. and Dad. I went back the next day to make more but was so sad and bewildered because the mud puddle had dried up. Even though at that early age I understood creativity, I did not understand science. I did not know what the sun would do to mud puddles. Years later when I was 28 years old, I took my first pottery class at Central Michigan University. The first time I touched the clay and start forming things, I had a deja vu.. I knew that feeling and once again I LOVED it. I even said, “I could do this the rest of my life” and I have. That drive and love of creativity has never left me.
Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers
I have been creating art and teaching myself all different forms of art my entire life. I enjoy learning the different ways to express myself with various mediums and materials. It started out with drawing and painting, then on to clay work, jewelry, dolls, bead work, bronze sculptures and carving linoleum block prints. My Ottawa Mother, Doris Medacco LaHaye taught me how to sew and that opened another avenue of designing. My father, Ken Reichard is of German descent so I am from a beautiful blended family. He taught me how to work hard and never give up. I center my work around my Native American heritage. I am a member of the Little River Band of Ottawa Indians. I try to put stories in my art. I see the world and interpret it with my art. I use stories my Mother told me, stories I’ve read through my research, personal experiences and global issues. I use my art to inform the public as well as create beautiful pieces that will be here long time. I am proud that these pieces will teach the public new perspectives about Native culture and the techniques used. I stress individuality for my students and urge them to create from the heart. I pursued education and have achieved a Bachelor of Fine Arts Degree, a Masters Degree and received an Honorary PhD after giving the Commencement Address for 5,000 students at Central Michigan. I have also written four books and will continue with that avenue in the future. I focus my artistic themes on Woodland, Great Lakes art through nature that flows through my work. I also give lectures and workshops to spread information about my culture. I have taught thousands of students at schools and universities and enjoy the interactions that develop.
Have you ever had to pivot?
In 1988 I was awarded a Michigan Minority Fellowship to work on my PhD. It was a large $28,000 monetary award sponsored by Central Michigan University. Only twelve fellowships were given out statewide, so I was very honored to receive it. All of my letters of recommendation were from CMU faculty. My next step was to apply at what I thought was the premier school for learning, the University of Michigan. There is one thing about applying in the art discipline, there is a portfolio review. Many schools only judge the portfolios once a year. My work had to wait over six months to be reviewed. During that time I traveled to Ann Arbor several times to look for a home to purchase. My plan was to graduate then teach, so I was deeply invested.
Six months later I received the phone call from U of M. They quickly told me I was not accepted into the PhD program. I had a 4.0 Grade Point average, exceptional letters of recommendation, I fit the criteria of “Minority” being a woman and a Native American, and also had the $28,000 check. I wondered WHY, so after I composed myself, I called them back and asked them why I was rejected. They said no faculty wanted to “put me under their wings because I already knew more than they did.” That was an exact quote from the admissions office.
The next day I called Michigan State University. I asked them when the art portfolio judging was taking place and they said TOMORROW. I was in a panic to change the wording on my cover letter to MSU and get all of the other paperwork to them the next day. I remember running down the hall in the art building and passed a man cleaning junk and debris out of a showcase. He was putting old styrofoam cups, wadded up aluminum foil and tree branches into a wheel barrow. I asked him where the chairman’s office was and he directed me down the hall. I turned into the room and sat down in front of the chairman. I showed him the Fellowship letter and he held it in his hand like he had just won the lottery. I asked him several questions and he nodded yes or no but never took his eyes or hands off the letter. He was clearly not interested in me or my art. Then I asked him what grad students did after they completed their PhD work. He didn’t have much of an answer but said I passed this year’s grad assistant. He said he was dismantling his senior project! I thought he was the janitor cleaning junk out of the showcase. I knew right then that I didn’t want to attend that school or be part of art that had no heart.
I drove home and called Central Michigan University and gave back the $28,000 Fellowship. I then proceeded to contact the Institute of American Indian Arts in Santa Fe, New Mexico. I told them my story and they said to drive out and start classes in the fall. I did exactly that and it was a gigantic pivotal point in my life and artistic career. I gained so much more than knowledge and technique. I gained confidence and acceptance as an artist
What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?
The most rewarding aspect of being an artist has been sharing my knowledge with others. I have taught thousands of people from kindergarten to senior citizens, schools and colleges, workshops all across North America, and at museums and art festivals. Each one of these venues provides an avenue to inform people about Native American art and culture. I enjoy sharing stories and the interaction with people seeking that information.
I have been a Mentor for students that have created lasting friendships and it is rewarding to see them flourish in their own art pursuits. One apprentice has soared and has been teaching Native Art at an Indian college as well as creating beautiful linoleum block prints that she hand colors after printing the blocks.
The other apprentice is my granddaughter Aryl Rae. She has moved forward with her drawings and has a wealth of work. Her next step will be to organize all of her drawings into a published coffee table book. Creating art has changed her life to the better. It has played an important part in her sobriety and I feel that I have had a positive impact on her choices since our Mentor/Apprentice Award acknowledged her creativity. Her daughter, 7 year old AviAnna is also a student of mine. She has a natural talent and loves to draw and work in clay. Her creations are far above her years and she takes my advice but also experiments with the materials and is able to create excellent pieces also. The four of us all attended a Native Art Market and each received awards. I have been rewarded and my legacy lives on.
I look at each of these experiences where my teachings have impacted others. It is truly the best reward to see others embrace what I have taught them and move forward with that.
Contact Info:
- Website: http://moonbearpottery.com
Image Credits
Shirley M. Brauker