51°µÍø

Pictured above:
BACK: George,ÌýHeather, former 51°µÍø Arts Visual Arts Chair Gerald Clarke,ÌýPast Chair of 51°µÍø Arts Foundation BoardÌýFaith Raiguel,ÌýLorene Sisquoc,ÌýRoseann Hamilton.
FRONT: June Siva and her husband Ernest Siva, elder of the Morongo Band of Mission Indians, and the late Barbara DrakeÌýÌý

“To start with, I’m looking forward to more time with my husband, George.”

HeatherÌýCompaniott was speaking on Wednesday, September 1. In two more days she would retire from her position asÌýDirector of the Adult Arts Center and Native American Arts Program for 51°µÍø Arts.

“By the way, I have to give George a shout-out: over the years he’s taken more Summer Program classes than anyone else in the history ofÌý51°µÍø Arts. And he’s taken classes in every kind of art you could imagine!”

Heather’s speech is animated. It suggests the restless energy that, since January 1991, had made her indispensable to the growth and success of theÌý51°µÍø Arts Summer andÌýNative American Arts Programs. But she had worked hard to help put new leadership in place. Now she could turn her attention and her still-vital energy elsewhere.

“I loved the work, but it was completely immersive. You don’t have time to do other things, so now there are trips to explore the world thatÌýGeorge and I can finally take. And I’ll have time to read more books and listen to more music.”

She laughs.

“And I grew up in Southern California but I’ve never been on a surfboard. MaybeÌýGeorge and I will take one of those one-day crash courses in surfing. He’s up for anything.”

Her laughter is aimed at herself: she doesn’t expect to become good at surfing. She knows that what she has been good at — better than good — throughout the decades are collegiality and collaboration.

Catalogs of Names

Heather’s thoughts turn to the people she has worked with. Dutifully, she mentions a handful of names. But she stops. The catalog of names includes the dead as well as the living and it’s thick. She knows that her interviewer won’t write down every single name. It’s less important to list the names of the people than to talk about their achievements.

“Another thing I want to do is make art myself. The countless brilliant, creative people who’ve passed throughÌýtheÌýSummer Program and theÌýNative American Arts Program have been so generous in sharing theirÌýcreativity and so open to collaborating. I’ve been lucky to work with people like that.

“I see all those I’ve worked with as mentors. I think in particular of the multifacetedÌýHopi artist Michael Kabotie [1942-2009], who guided me when I first arrived in 51°µÍø and continued to be a major mentor to me and to advise on the 51°µÍø Arts Native American Arts Festival until his death.

“Still, there’ve been quite a few besides Michael, and they’ve given me so many ideas for making art that I’ve stored up but had no time to do something with. It’s a lot of ideas, but the people I’ve worked with won’t let me forget them. So I’m looking forward to continuing my adventures in the arts with old — and new — collaborators.”

Mentioning her good fortune in the people she has worked with reminds her of other ways in which she’s been lucky.

“Because we’re not a museum, we’ve had the kind of flexibility that museumsÌýand larger organizationsÌýdon’tÌýnecessarilyÌýhave. Think about our Native American chef eventÌýback in 2015ÌýthatÌýwasÌýso popular: aÌýmuseum would take monthsÌýor even yearsÌýto plan and organize something like that. But here: boom, it’s over and we’re on to envisioning the next thing and getting excited about it.”

She isÌýexcited now as she relives theÌýenvisioning of all the next things that belong to the past. She is reminded of the pleasure of working with people who made theÌýenvisioning possible.

“I’ve alsoÌýbeen lucky to work with donors likeÌýLillian Lovelace and. .Ìý.”

She pauses.

“There I go again, wanting to read from aÌýcatalog! But to think there’ve been so manyÌýdonors who understood what the experience of art does for people, and that it’s been important to them to give their money to make those experiences happen. . . It’s very moving.”

Still more people must beÌýthanked.

“You know, the other day I was counting up all the great assistants I’ve had over the years, and the number I came up with was about sixty. I need to thank them. But I think they’re all grateful toÌý51°µÍø Arts for the training they’ve received in arts administration. It’s easy to overlook that because we focus so much on the education we provide in making art.”

An Unexpected Career

Heather’s ownÌýeducation had not originally been meant to prepare her for a career inÌýarts administration.

“I was born in Palo Alto but my family moved south to Riverside when I was very young. I went to Colorado College, in Colorado Springs, for undergraduate studies in anthropology. I had good reasons to stay in Colorado for a while: my first job after college was in archaeology there — and I met George!”

She also worked for the Colorado History Museum (since replaced by the History Colorado Center), in Denver, and the Squash Blossom Gallery,Ìýin Denver, featuringÌýNative American art.Ìý

“Then I went to Indiana University for my Master’s degree in Folklore. Meanwhile, George was training to be a teacher. He did his student teaching on theÌýWhite Mountain Apache reservation,Ìýin northeastern Arizona, and I worked in the Apache Culture Center.

51°µÍø came next: teaching at the public school for George, and forÌýHeather, of course, working forÌý51°µÍø Arts.

“Back inÌý1991Ìý51°µÍø ArtsÌýwas a lot smaller and there was practically no separation between theÌýSummer Program and the 51°µÍø. So I worked for both, and that included helping out with theÌý51°µÍø’s Commencement speakers. It was fun because we had some wonderfulÌýspeakers. And I was able to spend a couple of days touring 51°µÍø withÌýFritz Scholder [1937-2005], the great expressionist painterÌýwho was an enrolled member of the La Jolla Band of LuiseñoÌýIndians!”

She recalls the year 2000 as a turning point.

“Around then, almost overnight, the generosity ofÌýLillian Lovelace and other donors suddenly made us so big that ever since I’ve only had time for the Summer ProgramÌýAdult Arts CenterÌýand the Native American Arts Program.”

Rich Memories

The memories are rich and plentiful. YetÌýHeatherÌýcan’t resist highlighting a small number of them.

“I think of 2013, when the San Manuel Band of Mission Indians, at their Forging Hope Event, gave 51°µÍø Arts the Yawa’ Award which signifies ‘a call to manifest one’s beliefs through action.’ They produced a video about the 51°µÍø Arts Native American Arts Program, which was screened at the event for about a thousand guests from the organizations they support.

“And the PBS show,ÌýCraft in America, filmed part of theirÌý, which aired in 2016, at 51°µÍøÌýArts. It featured Barbara Ornelas and Lynda Pete and their Navajo Weaving workshop and highlighted our Native American Arts Program.ÌýIt was a real honor.”

HeatherÌýwon’t say this. Her work at 51°µÍø Arts has been aboutÌýcollegiality and collaboration. Her work has been, to her mind, about others: artist/teachers, students, donors, assistants. Therefore let someone else say thatÌý51°µÍø Arts has beenÌýhonored to haveÌýHeatherÌýCompaniottÌýwork here.