Talk:Douglas Miles

Comments taken from article
User:TinaLovesSeals added the following to the article. I'm going re-add the NPOV, verifiable material from it. -Uyvsdi (talk) 16:11, 3 August 2011 (UTC)Uyvsdi

Douglas Miles ( fine artist) and Apache Skateboards ( AS) is about art,skateboarding and the making of art. AS is not a gimmick, marketing stratagem, cliche, stereotype, or vanity project. AS is the new way art is being made today and in the here and now. The success of AS has come about because of the way AS see themselves fitting into the (art) world. It has also come about by the way they do NOT fit into "traditional" artistic agendas.As they look for places to show, skate, evolve and manifest their "anti-art/labeling" aesthetic, Apache Skateboards continues to make art, films, photos, music, and events accessible to the public via web media, collaborations and cross promotional projects with well-known (and lesser known ) artists and communities.

For too long Native art has been viewed as "primitive" due to hierarchical points of view. These opinions emanate via " experts" from academia and institutions attempting to explain (away) or discover indigenous life concepts ,often for their own professional/academic/ political purposes or gain. This one-sided academic process, served over time to directly and indirectly demean Native art constructs and techniques. Thus a labeling process occurs, omitting the innovative ingenuity conversation and aesthetic power of various tribal (art)forms. Unfortunately this has become the "norm".

Native artists must now identify their own work without regard for categorizations via archeological or anthropological viewpoints. These schools of thought continually served as ways for (Native) art forms to be theoretically intellectually and literally " hi-jacked". This "hijacking" created a " pristine lens of the past" through which all Native art is now viewed. This makes it difficult for "modern" art forms ( from Native artists) to gain recognition and or acceptance. At this stage in history it is extremely important with regard to cultural and intellectual property to establish the Apache Skateboards work record. Various museum venues have already emulated/attempted similar themed programs without mentioning OR listing the work(s)of Douglas Miles & Apache Skateboards as a major contributing factor. The work of AS has been well documented. The fine artwork of Douglas Miles is inextricable from AS projects.

The NATIVE AGENTS & POP LIFE Events... In 2004 when we ( AS ) were invited to show our skateboard art at the IAIA Musuem we held an opening night that featured artists I dubbed, The NATIVE AGENTS. This art collective has since traveled, shown exhibited as a group and as individuals across the country. Micah Wesley, Rose Simpson, Yatika Fields were at the core of all these events however new artists have been added to our "NA Team" since. These artists have gone on to critical acclaim fully on their own merits. This multimedia mash up of art, skateboards, music and paint have become infamous. POP LIFE is the name of the event(s). Attempting to emulate this model is difficult for "native museums" due to stodgy board members, and fearful uninformed directors wondering how this art fits into the "native art continuum". We (AS) can consult and coordinate with all who are open to allow the true voice of the artist to resonate within our own communities/community.

Almost no curators or cultural workers have written about (or requested info from ) AS. ( with the exception of the IAIA Museum, Santa Fe NM 2004) Thus it falls upon Apache Skateboards to further establish in it's own words, their role and contribution in the larger arts/skateboard/Native community. The DIY ( do-it-yourself) ethic was /is prevalent in the punk rock and hip-hop movements. The DIY ethic plays a major role in the AS movement as well. Through the humble and simple act of skateboarding, AS may have started their own art movement.However it's safe to say that other movements were already in place. Lowbrow, pop art, street art, skateboard art, are just a few of the labels ascribed to the work of Douglas Miles and AS. They have created their own forms and projects to meet the need for art devoid of the "cult of personality" aspect so prevalent in the art world. AS is about raw creativity in varied forms. The AS "team" consists of thinkers, filmmakers,writers, photographers, skateboarders artists, designers and musicians. Each skateboarder becomes an ( unknown) artist in their own right. As they reclaim their environment through skateboarding they make a "new territory" and a new way of being (seen) in spite of the illegal aspect placed upon skateboarding. Of course this "illegal act" leads to persecution and sometimes prosecution. Existing as an act of rebellion, this " act of", mirrors the artistic work and processes of the Apache Skateboards/Native Agents Team led by Douglas Miles.

Needless to say, AS is not attempting to create a new sub-culture within a marginalized sub-culture. We (AS) resist all attempts at labeling, categorization and or institutionalized misappropriation of our art constructs. Our art is our life and we take our life and our art very seriously as it is our intellectual property. As any self-respecting artists from whether it be Picasso to Scholder or Mos Def to John Coltrane. We lay claim to our own creations and creativity as well as the originality and innovations due to our work ethic manifesting in the projects and products you are reading about today. In addition we reserve the right to have them discussed, shown and exhibited in the manner we see fitting as well as complimenting our varied forms, concepts, and philosophies which are myriad. Without our complete collaboration and oversight with regard to our unique and complex (art-skateboard )processes, anything less would be subterfuge.

AS works continually in film, photography, fine art, skateboarding, murals,multimedia projects, community projects, skate park planning, skateboard events, apparel design, television, film, youth conferences and speaking engagements. "Walk Like A Warrior / The Apache Skateboards Story" documentary is ready for release and film festival screenings. Short skateboard films directed, written and produced by the AS "team" detailing current skateboarding, music and art projects are posted regularly online. The links below attest to AS/Douglas Miles' contribution to the field of skateboarding, art, Indian art, and the Indian community. Not an exhaustive listing but meant as a reference point for others to research AS and it's work. It is impossible to confuse AS with any other skateboarding organization(s).None have been as continually, and consistently creative with regard to new works and projects around skateboarding in Indian Country. Museums, schools, galleries, skateboarders,artists and communities ( Native and non-Native) all play a role in the AS movement as AS takes art to "the people", making it accessible.

AS has worked with: The Gila River Tribe ( twice), Salt River Pima Maricopa, Red Lake Nation ( Ojibwe), Navajo Nation (twice) White Mountain Apache Tribe, San Carlos Apache Tribe , Chemehuevi Tribe ( CA), Agua Caliente Tribe/Warm Springs (CA) ( twice) ,Tohono O'Odham Tribe, Jicarilla Apache( NM) Gallup UNM, Princeton( NJ) Brown University ( RI) Harvard( MA), IAIA Museum, Santa Cruz Museum of Art History ( CA), The Peabody Museum ( MA) and soon, the Mashantucket Pequot Museum( MA).

Apache Skateboard decks ( the art of) are in permanent museum collections of: The Montclair Museum ( NJ) The Eiteljorg Museum ( IN), The Institute of American Indian Arts Museum ( NM) and The National Museum of The American Indian/Smithsonian (DC),Warner Brother Film/Cartoon Studios ( LA. CA)

Apache Skateboards have been featured in numerous gallery shows and museum exhibitions since 2003 as well as The Art Train USA project. AS looks forward to working with curators, writers, galleries, museums, brands, communities and print/web media. This article is written to better inform cultural workers, museum staffers and those who work in the field of ( Native and non-Native) art about AS. AS is creating the context within which thier work can be more effectively and actively viewed and respected in the here and now.

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=34129&l=b30a2&id=837872489 APACHE SKATE TEAM

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=45421&l=326eb&id=837872489 DOUGLAS MILES ART

http://www.youtube.com/user/apacheskateboardsOG APACHE ON YOU TUBE

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