http://www.azstarnet.com/metro/178613

Magazine focus: today's Indians

By Lourdes Medrano
ARIZONA DAILY STAR

The American Indian artists featured in Red Ink magazine are not afraid to
push the envelope.

Take Bunky Echo-Hawk, whose artwork pokes fun at Indian stereotypes through
popular culture in the latest issue of the student-run publication at the
University of Arizona.

"Hollywood and the mass media in general portray American Indians as a
people of the past, as if our story stopped 100 years ago," said Echo-Hawk,
who is of Pawnee and Yakama descent. "You rarely see the modern Indian
perspective."

He puts forth that message in one of his Red Ink paintings reproduced in
the magazine. It depicts Sitting Bull, the legendary Sioux warrior, being
interviewed by CNN's Larry King.

The Colorado artist said that while more traditional Indian art forms, such
as pottery and basketry, are important for the preservation of culture,
there also is room for creative expression that explores contemporary
Indian society.

"A lot of artists are telling our story of today," he said.

The students behind Red Ink say the magazine is the only one of its kind in
the nation, offering a unique forum for artists, poets, writers and
photographers whose work does not fit a traditional mold.

"We really want the emerging artists to get recognition," said Jessica
Metcalfe, a UA graduate student who helped produce the recently released
spring issue of Red Ink. Like Metcalfe, most of the eight students involved
in the magazine are American Indian and enrolled in the American Indian
Studies program that helps sponsor Red Ink.

The magazine, whose latest issue focuses on the themes of humor and taboo,
is enjoying a rebirth of sorts, said Eddie Welch, its managing editor.

"Red Ink was in the dumps; it was on life support," he said. "It needed a
fresh start."

The magazine has been published off and on since 1989, initially in a
newspaper format. The previous issue was released in December 2005, Welch
said.

For the latest issue, Welsh, Metcalfe and the other students had to seek
additional funding to boost financial assistance from American Indian
Studies, Welsh said. They also brought in Echo-Hawk and other artists
featured in the magazine to a Tucson fundraiser last week for the continued
publication of Red Ink.

"It's important to keep it going because there's nothing like it out
there," Welch said of the magazine. "It gives a voice to native people, and
it also allows non-native people to see native contemporary art."

Red Ink also serves as a learning tool for the students who produce it,
Welch said, adding that the group picks up all the skills necessary to
edit, manage and market a publication.

Welch, one of two non-Indians on the Red Ink staff, said the student group
plans to get more involved in community events to augment the profile of
the kind of art showcased in the magazine.

"When most people think of native art, they think of it in historical
terms," said Welch, who is from North Dakota and has had a longtime
interest in American Indian culture.

"Red Ink wants people to know that native art is living art, it's
contemporary, and it's always changing."

Ian Record, the magazine's faculty adviser, said the publication is a labor
of love for students.

"It's a monumental undertaking," said Record, who as a former UA student
also worked on the magazine and is familiar with the hurdles of keeping it
afloat in the midst of budget crunches. "The latest issue is a testament to
the students' commitment."

Like Welch and Metcalfe, Record said he thinks it's vital that the
publication continue to provide an outlet for American Indians who have
difficulty finding other mediums for their creativity.

"Red Ink has always prided itself on providing a forum for those people,"
he said. "Red Ink exposes the underbelly and the complexity of Indian
Country in many respects."

On the Web
• Red Ink, a student-run publication featuring the creative works of
American Indians at the University of Arizona: www.redinkmagazine.com

* Contact reporter Lourdes Medrano at 573-4347 or lmedrano@....