The himmeli — a Finnish holiday decoration — hangs from a mesquite tree branch in a desert community garden.
No one notices the juxtaposition of the nordic ornament dangling from the Sonoran plant.
The refugees from Burundi, Eritrea, Tanzania, Guatemala, the Central African Republic and the Democratic Republic of the Congo chat among themselves, then weed and water the garden on a cloudy morning in midtown Tucson.
Then they amble over to card tables and chairs. There, they examine the pieces to make their own ornaments: scissors, string and tiny tubes just longer than straws.
Artist in residence Katrina Kerstetter cuts the tubes, unspools the string and separates it. The others mostly watch, some cut tubes on their own.
“Stop,” Kerstetter says, as she crosses her arms in front of her. “We’re making now. Stop cutting.”
The words were less important than the body language in the Iskashitaa Refugee Network community garden, where creativity reigns. Kerstetter showed the group the activity: making himmeli.
The delicate ornament, traditionally made of straw and connected with string and tiny knots was the goal. A long time ago, himmelis hung above dining tables to ensure a good crop for the coming year, and stayed on display from Christmas until summer. The geometrical shapes can be made of hundreds of pieces of straw.
But at this activity time, anything goes.
That’s a mantra of sorts for local mixed-media artist Kerstetter, who works alongside the rotating group — anywhere from three or four to 20 refugees — each Wednesday morning.
“We begin in the Iskashitaa garden. We then move into arts, which can be inspired by our daily lives, working alongside others in the garden, storytelling and/or picture books,” she said. “The volunteers and refugees are free to create in any medium. It is born of inspiration.”
Through her art, Kerstetter aims to educate our community. And for the next 16 months, she will do it as one of four Tucson-based artists who earned an Artists At Work grant — which pays a full-time salary and provides health benefits for the artists’ creative work, including about 10 hours a week of supporting their community through civic engagement. The grant began over the summer and was awarded to only 24 people across the United States. Each artist will work with local social-impact organizations and educate the community along the way.
Tucson’s other grantees are Shane Beeshligaii (Mission Garden), Harrison Preston (Tohono O’odham pottery collective) and Porfirio “Pilo” Mora (Regeneración — helping create a Center for Cultural Organizing in South Tucson.)
“We chose to identify traditional artists because we know a lot of times they fly under the radar for a lot of these funding opportunities,” said Denise Uyehara, Southwest Folklife Alliance programs manager of artist services. “Our whole point is to work with artists that are carrying on traditions, and passing them on to the next generation.
“All these artists are amazing,” Uyehara said. “And they’re all doing their work quietly.”
Three things to know about the artists, how and what they make:
Their art connects them with their ancestors.
Beeshligaii learned silversmithing from his dad, Alex, beginning at age 7. “It’s a way to connect with my dad. I can hear him in my head. He set pieces in front of me and walked me through the process of making a ring and let me develop my curiosity,” Shane said, adding his family learned the silver-smithing process when the Spanish arrived in the Southwest. He specializes in traditional Navajo jewelry and a micro-inlay process he learned from his dad.
Mora grew up in Chihuahua, México in the small village of Mata Ortiz. He uses traditional coiling techniques without a potter’s wheel, applying his own brushwork and geometric patterns to expand on the traditional Mata Ortiz pottery.
Harrison grew up in the San Xavier Reservation and is re-energizing Tohono O’odham pottery and basketweaving as he brings it to a younger audience. He attended the Institute of American Indian Arts in Santa Fe, N.M., and Pima Community College and now works to blend tradition with contemporary style.
Work hours can fly by, but the garage is hot.
Shane’s favorite creations are the micro inlay rings and bracelets in the style of his father. The inlay is made with a combination of turquoise, opal, seashells, and coral, he said. Each ring takes about 30 hours. He begins his days in his garage with about three hours of silver work and four hours of in-lay work, the hum of a TV and swamp cooler as his companions. But the heat of the day means a break from about 11 a.m. to evening and then back into the garage. “I just like to make beautiful things for people to wear,” the 34-year-old said.
Artists find, embody and pass along inspiration.
When she’s not at Iskashitaa, Kerstetter runs Koru Multicultural and Diverse Library, in Tucson’s Historic Y, but part of the year she travels to Koru in Korea to work with students there. “I host art-making events and camps with students,” she said. “Books and picture-books can serve as inspiration for expression, mindful-learning, critical-thinking skills, and creation.” Her mixed-media artwork uses found paper and used or discarded objects. “Used objects have their own story to tell and I try to blend it with my own stories,” she said. Pencils, markers and paints all find their way into her work. And she shares those with her students hoping they find their voice in the shared language that is art.
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