Photos capture tribal celebration
Madeira resident Mike Rank has captured a gathering of friendship that brought tribes to Taos, New Mexico, for celebrations of dance, drums and crafts for a presentation at Sharon Woods.
Rank is one of seven photographers from the Photography Club of Greater Cincinnati who will present photo collections in the annual Travel Series at Sharon Woods each Friday through April 29.
Each artist was asked to describe his presentation and the inspiration for his photos.
Where did you travel?
“I traveled to New Mexico in July of 2015 to photograph the pueblos in and around Santa Fe and Taos. We also visited Pecos and Bandelier National Monuments and photographed the annual Taos Pueblo Pow-Wow.”
“I went to New Mexico to attend an Arizona Highways Photography Workshop. They set the itinerary to include photogenic locations over a sizable section of New Mexico during the five days of the workshop. This was my first visit to many of these sites.
“We traveled from Albuquerque to Acoma at Sky City, then to the Salinas Pueblos; on to the art colony at Madrid, Pecos N.M., Bandelier N. M., to Santa Fe and then to the village of Chimayo and the iconic San Francisco de Asis mission on the way to Taos. Then back to Albuquerque on the final evening where we were treated to a farewell dinner by Arizona Highways.
“My photographic intent was to creatively document Native American history and culture from the time of the Spanish colonies in the 1600s to modern times. The Spanish era remains today in the form of many mission churches that now exist as ruins (in the case of the Salinas Pueblo Missions of Abo and Quari). Their churches remain intact at the Acoma and Taos Pueblos.”
What was the highlight of your trip?
“Visiting the Acoma and Taos Pueblos and photographing the Taos Pow-Wow was the highlight of my trip. The unique white ladders of Acoma are a photographer’s delight as is their pottery.
“The Taos Pueblo’s architecture and mountain setting is also unique. The Pow-Wow presented a spectacular color pallet of individual costumes enhanced by the drumming and dancing.”
His advice to travelers.
“I would like visitors to know that Native American history and culture is worth the effort and expense of traveling to the deserts and mountains of the Southwest to understand and appreciate it.”
The programs are at the Sharon Centre auditorium at Sharon Woods, 11450 Lebanon Road, at 7:30 p.m. They are free and open to the public, but require a Great Parks motor vehicle permit. The permits, $10 annually or $3 daily, can be purchased at the park.
Travel Series
March 4: Cliff Turrell -- Castles, Great Houses and Gardens in Britain and the Loire
March 11: Cliff Goosmann -- Cruising the Bay of Biscay
March 18: Alan Lloyd -- Just Imagine - Southern California
March 25: No program
April 1: Mike Rank -- The Pueblos of Santa Fe and Taos
April 8: Neal Jefferies -- Cuba 2014
April 15: Mike Rank -- Galapagos
April 22: David Feldstein -- A Ten Day Adventure Through the Western United States