Wild West Gallery does a brisk art trade
(Originally published in Indian Country Today January 2, 2005)
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PORTLAND, Ore. - Passion plus background generally makes for success. That's the case with Bonnie Kahn's year-and-a-half old Wild West Gallery. Strolling down Portland's upscale Northwest 23rd Street on a Thursday evening when galleries across town hold open house, art aficionados can't miss Kahn's establishment. Tiny white lights outline the windows, and a sea of color and magical shapes shows from within. It's hard to get through the door, though. Forty-something Kahn dressed in black with a righteous silver concho belt hanging low on her waist attracts a hefty crowd. There's a reason for that - Kahn has been around, and she's paid her dues. Portland collectors know her reputation.
'My mom was with the Bureau of Indian Affairs, so a lot of my growing up was with American Indians in the Pacific Northwest. Even though it wasn't my own culture,' Kahn said, 'I always appreciated the tribes and loved the art. Growing up with baskets around you and totem poles - objects of great beauty.'
Eventually Kahn earned a bachelor's degree in Art Education at the University of Oregon, taught school on the Makah Reservation for a year, and then moved to Santa Fe where she discovered the world of building private and corporate art collections.
Over the years Kahn has worked with the Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation, built a corporate collection for Frank Purdue, a chicken baron on the East coast, and most recently, over a decade, developed Portland philanthropist Bob Pamplin Jr.'s multi-million dollar private museum focusing on the trappings of American Indian horse culture. Kahn has also co-authored two books. It wasn't all uphill of course, and she spent six years working at another Portland gallery that specializes in Indian art. Finally, though, in May 2003, Kahn opened her own doors.
'I'm just really happy about having the gallery,' Kahn said. 'Native American art has always been my interest and my specialty is the Plains and Plateau cultures. Since I've started the gallery, though, I've been learning more about the Northwest Coast. And of course I carry pottery, rugs and jewelry from the Southwest, too.'
Kahn represents 10 different tribal groups, and she brings artists in regularly so patrons can meet them and hear stories and see them work. For example, Judy Bluehorse Skelton of the Nez Perce tribe gave a talk at Bonnie Kahn's on healing herbs last fall. Bluehorse Skelton explained how to make different types of teas for healing and also talked about the power of the western red cedar. 'When you don't know what to do, sit up against a western red cedar,' Bluehorse Skelton told a crowd of non-Indians, 'Knowledge will come your way, and you'll make the right decision.'
Kahn doesn't limit herself to American Indian art, of course. 'I'm interested in all western art that focuses on culture and traditions that need to be kept alive,' said Kahn. 'Bill Black, for example, who shows with me. He learned horse hair braiding from a prisoner in Montana, so now they are just two of a handful of people that keep that art going. I want to support that.'
She may be all over the cultural map, but Kahn's heart is with the tribes. 'I especially love American Indian humor. No matter how bad things get - even in the absolute worst disastrous situations when things don't turn out the way you wanted. Someone will crack a joke, and it helps me see that it really did turn out just fine. It's the coyote spirit behind everything. Just when you think you're doing so great, you trip yourself up in your own ego,' Kahn said. 'Every time I've tried to do something else in my life, I just get pulled back into the world of American Indians. I figure this is where I'm supposed to be.'
Her personal passion aside, Kahn is quite astute about what she sells. 'I think people are hungry for what we have to offer. It's the real deal. You meet the artists and see the work. And we really try to keep the stories with the pieces so that when people buy them, they know all about their history,' Kahn said.
She also explained that in the 20 years she's been in the field, she's sold hand-crafted western art in both great and poor markets. 'There are always people that are willing to buy,' Kahn said. 'Even though, of course, a gallery like ours can't depend just on the Portland market. We have a large Web presence and are breaking into the European market where there is a lot of curiosity.'
'The sky is the limit,' Kahn said. 'Really, quite frankly, people are lucky to get these pieces because they are handmade. That takes time, and time is money. I really want to underscore how important it is that the things we sell are made by hand. Nothing at the Emporium can match it. When you're buying something from this gallery, you're getting a piece from many generations back. Knowledge that's been around for a long, long time. That goes for western and Native American work.'
Kahn also acknowledges that the American West has always held a special place in people's imaginations. The idea that there's a second chance in the West. That what comes from that region is produced by a people who know how to make much out of little. And that in doing so they created and continue to create works of art that reflect the wonderment of the arid land between the Rocky Mountains and the Pacific Ocean. That's what collectors expect at Bonnie Kahn's Wild West Gallery, and that's what they find.
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