REQUEST FOR SPEAKER ON NATIVE AMERICAN ART, BILL MERCER OF

UNCLAS WELLINGTON 000726 SIPDIS SIPDIS STATE FOR IIP/G/EA - TVOSE; EAP/PD - AGRIMES, JBOOKBINDER, RHOLDEN; EAP/PD - TSKIPPER; EAP/ANP E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: OIIP NZ SUBJECT: REQUEST FOR SPEAKER ON NATIVE AMERICAN ART, BILL MERCER OF PORTLAND ART MUSEUM, OREGON ¶1. POST REQUESTS A FUNDED SPEAKER PROGRAM BY MR. BILL MERCER, CURATOR OF NATIVE AMERICAN ART AND DIRECTOR OF PORTLAND ART MUSEUM, TO COME TO NEW ZEALAND FOR A SERIES OF SPEAKING ENGAGEMENTS AND MEDIA INTERVIEWS BETWEEN NOVEMBER 7 AND 20, 2006. MR. MERCER HAS CURATED AN EXHIBITION OF NATIVE AMERICAN ART ON LOAN TO THE AMBASSADOR'S RESIDENCE IN COLLABORATION WITH THE STATE DEPARTMENT'S ART IN EMBASSIES PROGRAM. THE EXHIBITION WILL OPEN NOVEMBER 9TH, AND POST WOULD LIKE BILL MERCER TO ATTEND AND BE THE KEYNOTE SPEAKER. FOLLOWING THIS EVENT HE WOULD VISIT THREE OR FOUR MAIN CULTURAL INSTITUTIONS AROUND NEW ZEALAND FOR SPEAKING EVENTS AND MEDIA INTERVIEWS. BILL MERCER WOULD TALK ON HIS SPECIALIST SUBJECT, "NATIVE AMERICAN ART," AS WELL AS THE COLLECTION AT THE PORTLAND ART MUSEUM. POST ANTICIPATES THIS TOUR WILL BE VERY POPULAR, AS NEW ZEALAND HAS EXTENSIVE INDIGENOUS ART COLLECTIONS OF THE (NEW ZEALAND NATIVE) MAORI PEOPLE AND THERE IS A DESIRE FOR GREATER MUTUAL UNDERSTANDING OF THE ART AND CULTURE OF NATIVE AMERICAN TRIBES. MUSEUM AND TRIBAL CULTURAL SPECIALISTS, ACADEMICS, AND CONTEMPORARY ARTISTS, AS WELL AS THE GENERAL PUBLIC, WILL BENEFIT FROM BILL MERCER'S PRESENTATIONS. BILL MERCER IS THE CURATOR OF NATIVE AMERICAN ART AT THE PORTLAND ART MUSEUM, A POSITION HE HAS HELD SINCE FEBRUARY 1997. HE HAS MORE THAN 15 YEARS OF MUSEUM EXPERIENCE WORKING WITH NATIVE AMERICAN OBJECTS. PRIOR TO HIS ARRIVAL IN PORTLAND, HE WAS THE CURATOR OF THE ART OF AFRICA AND THE AMERICAS AT THE CINCINNATI ART MUSEUM, AND HE HAS ALSO WORKED FOR THE NATIONAL PARK SERVICE AND THE PLAINS INDIAN MUSEUM AT THE BUFFALO BILL HISTORICAL CENTER IN CODY, WYOMING. MERCER'S EDUCATION INCLUDES UNDERGRADUATE DEGREES IN ANTHROPOLOGY AND HISTORY FROM CALIFORNIA STATE UNIVERSITY AT NORTHRIDGE, AN M.A. IN MUSEUM STUDIES FROM TEXAS TECH UNIVERSITY, AND PH.D. WORK IN NATIVE AMERICAN ART HISTORY AT THE UNIVERSITY OF NEW MEXICO. HE IS THE AUTHOR OF NUMEROUS PUBLICATIONS AND FREQUENTLY LECTURES AT PROFESSIONAL CONFERENCES, MUSEUMS, AND UNIVERSITIES THROUGHOUT THE USA ON TOPICS RANGING FROM PUEBLO POTTERY TO COLUMBIA RIVER STONE SCULPTURE. HE HAS EXTENSIVE RELATIONSHIPS WITH MANY CONTEMPORARY NATIVE AMERICAN ARTISTS AND COMMUNITY LEADERS. HIS OBJECTIVE IS TO APPROPRIATELY BLEND ACADEMIC DISCOURSE WITH NATIVE AMERICAN PERSPECTIVES, WHICH CAN BE OBSERVED IN THE MANY EXHIBITIONS HE HAS ORGANIZED. MERCER HAS ALSO SERVED ON THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS FOR THE NATIVE AMERICAN ART STUDIES ASSOCIATION SINCE 1995. AS THE CURATOR OF NATIVE AMERICAN ART AT THE PORTLAND ART MUSEUM, MERCER IS RESPONSIBLE FOR ONE OF THE PREMIER COLLECTIONS OF ITS TYPE IN THE UNITED STATES. CONSISTING OF MORE THAN 3,500 OBJECTS FROM THROUGHOUT NORTH AMERICAN, THE NATIVE AMERICAN COLLECTION INCLUDES SIGNIFICANT HOLDINGS OF HISTORIC ITEMS FROM THE NORTHWEST COAST AND PLATEAU REGIONS. THERE ARE ALSO PLANS TO AUGMENT THOSE BY INCREASING THE NUMBER OF WORKS BY CONTEMPORARY NATIVE AMERICAN ARTISTS, THUS BRINGING THE COLLECTION INTO THE PRESENT. CURRENTLY THERE ARE MORE THAN 475 OBJECTS ON DISPLAY IN THE MUSEUM'S CENTER FOR NATIVE AMERICAN ART, AN INSTALLATION THAT MERCER DEVELOPED AND GUIDED TO COMPLETION AND THAT IS NOW ONE OF THE MOST POPULAR AREAS AT THE MUSEUM. BILL MERCER CAN BE CONTACTED AS FOLLOWS. EMAIL: BILL.MERCER@PAM.ORG PHONE: (503)226-2811 FAX: (503)226-4842 ADDRESS: PORTLAND ART MUSEUM 1219 S.W. PARK AVE. PORTLAND, OREGON 97205 CONTACT PERSON FOR BILL MERCER'S PROGRAM IN NEW ZEALAND. RICHARD BENGE, CULTURAL SPECIALIST EMAIL: BENGER@STATE.GOV PHONE: 011-64-4-462-6052 OR ROY GLOVER, PUBLIC AFFAIRS OFFICER EMAIL: GLOVERRA@STATE.GOV PHONE: 011-64-4-462-6082 MCCORMICK