From the Artist - Orlando Allison:
During late February and early March the Hopi villages observe Osomuya, the moon in which our spirit friends the Katsinam visit our villages to celebrate life in our kivas. Hopi call the ceremonies Angk’wa (night dance). Night Dance is a rendition of ancient songs the spirits dance to and our hearts beat with, unraveling a tapestry of Hopi stories about a faraway time in places before our world where the hyper-normal boundaries of spiritual life arc above a brilliant horizon and into a microcosm of deep meditation casting prayers across all directions like the spiders’ web that will oscillate in the expanse of the cosmos echoing a cyclical journey of existence. All things good, beautiful and just in life are the paths set forth by spiritual life and intellectual lore. It is through this allegory the directions become permeable to our realm from our spirit friends the “Katsinam," during the Night Dance.
About Orlando Allison:
Orlando Allison is a modern visual Hopi painter from the Southwest. His works are predominantly in the acrylic medium on stretched canvas. Works also include a growing series of large-scale charcoal drawings. Orlando is a self-taught artist with emphasis on a modern reinterpretation of Hopi mythology. In recent years, Orlando has gotten his start at numerous groups shows throughout the Arizona metropolitan area, particularly, in Tempe and Phoenix. Moreover, Orlando has begun showing on the Indian Market circuit throughout the United States. Thus far, has participated in the 81st annual Hopi Festival of Arts and Culture at the Museum of Northern Arizona in 2014, where he took home Second Place in the drawing and painting category, and the 2015 Heard Museum Indian Market, where he placed First and Best of Class in his category. Furthermore, shows include Orlando’s introduction to the 25th annual Autry Museum Indian Arts Marketplace in Los Angeles, Calif., where he was also awarded with The West Family in honor of W. Richard West, Sr. Best of Painting and Mixed Media Award. Currently, Orlando lives in Tempe, Ariz., where he continues to push his boundaries stylistically and conceptually while maintaining a traditional thread throughout his creations.