Art Works by Melanio Gonzalez
Subject
Melanio Gonzalez
(born 1951)
PhotographerPhotographed by
Phillip Fortune
Date1990s
MediumPhotography; color slides on plastic in cardboard mount
ClassificationsGraphics
Credit LineConnecticut Cultural Heritage Arts Program collections
CopyrightCopyright Held By Phillip Fortune
Object number2015.196.208.1-.3
DescriptionSlides of art works by Melanio Gonzalez. These are Taíno spirit being masks made of wood, feathers, shells, and beads.
(.1) Mask of the Appalachian Manitou, based on Northeastern Woodlands cultural forms.
(.2) "Keca Honauu - the Hawk Bear," an original figure based on Hopi cultural forms.
(.3) Deminan Caracaracol - Taino Spirit being mask
NotesBiographical Note: Melanio Gonzalez is a Meriden-based visual artist and musician with Taino family roots who has conducted research on Taino history with an emphasis on musical forms. He makes and plays musical instruments indigenous to the Caribbean, such as the mayahuacan (log drum), maracas, drum sticks, seed rattles, cane flutes, and tree branch trumpets. Mel also makes masks and other ceremonial objects. He is a founding member and performer with the group Cacibajagua (the mythical cave from which all Taino emerged), which bases its presentations on members' research. (.1) Mask of the Appalachian Manitou, based on Northeastern Woodlands cultural forms.
(.2) "Keca Honauu - the Hawk Bear," an original figure based on Hopi cultural forms.
(.3) Deminan Caracaracol - Taino Spirit being mask
He has compiled an impressive body of information on Taino history and archaeology, difficult to do because of controversy and secrecy surrounding the topic of Taino identity. Mel has explored sources beyond the written, academic, and accepted, uncovering oral histories from his own family and the people living quiet, traditional lives in the central mountains of the island. He has presented his research into the Taino people of Puerto Rico at the American Indian Archaeological Institute in Washington, Connecticut, and at El Museo del Barrio's New York City exhibit on Taino archaeology.
Mel makes Taino regalia and musical instruments, decorative carvings and sand paintings. His creations are technically excellent because he spends time making them perfect both in background research on the form, and in execution. Mel has developed effective presentations on Taino art and culture for a variety of audiences. During the Herencia Taína exhibit at ICR, Mel served as a project advisor and presented music workshops to school groups and other audiences during the exhibit. He also participated in the panel discussion "Taino Culture in Contemporary Life: Revival or Reaffirmation?" His music group Cacibajagua presented a concert on May 1, 1997 at Charter Oak Cultural Center as part of the Connecticut Heritage Music Series, a collaboration between the Charter Oak Cultural Center and CCHAP from September 1996 through June 1997. In 1999, he again served as a project advisor for "Mano a Mano: Puerto Rican Traditional Arts from Island to City" at ICR.
Mel loaned the following objects to the Herencia Taina exhibit: big log drum, two smaller drums, gourd tobacco holder, pirana jaw necklace, caiman tooth necklace, cane flute, ceremonial spatula, cohoba pipe, two gourd ladles, bohio model, bark branch trumpet, war club, chair, mask, maracas, and a nut rattle. He has donated two pieces to the CCHAP collection at the Connecticut Historical Society: a drawing of a native man (2015.199.1) and a painting of a Taino spirit being on slate (2015.199.2).
Additional materials exist in the CCHAP archive relating to this artist.
Cataloging Note: This project was made possible in part by the Institute of Museum and Library Services MA-245929-OMS-20.
Status
Not on view
