Seeing the painting Shalako by Jose Rey Toledo instantly takes me back—it is like an image from my personal memory.
In Toledo’s painting you can almost feel the cold night air and smell the wood smoke that drifts through the village of Zuni Pueblo during a Shalako winter ceremony. That atmosphere is home to me, and I was inspired to create my own version of that feeling.
My painting takes place the night of the Shalako ceremony, when the six kivas eagerly await the arrival of the Shalako messengers/spirits, ready to guide them home where they will sing and dance through the night. While the ceremony is sacred and deeply rooted in tradition, this piece focuses on its human side—on the anticipation, emotions, frustrations, and humor that unfold behind the scenes.
In the foreground, a kiva member grips a flashlight, flustered and tense, illuminating the path ahead as responsibility weighs on him. Behind him, another member shows visible frustration, upset that things are not as orderly as they once were — reflecting an intergenerational tension between ritual and change. The man in red, mid-phone call, reassures someone on the other end that he is exactly where he said he would be, adding a layer of modern reality to an ancient ceremony. The Shalako man in teal, cigarette in hand, stands contemplative, wondering how the night will unfold. Above them all, the Shalako spirit looms, ready for a night of song, movement, and spiritual power.
The piece plays off of Toledo’s style, combining the “flat art” aesthetic with expressive faces and bold compositions inspired by Japanese painting and tattoo imagery, honoring the sacredness and time-honored custom of Shalako while acknowledging the very human moments that exist within tradition.
Mackenzie “Gents” Cheama (Zuni Pueblo) is primarily a tattoo artist who mixes the traditional American style of tattoo and flash art with Zuni elements. Mackenzie is self-taught and has been practicing for over 10 years.
Gallup’s New Deal art collection consists of over 120 objects created, purchased, or donated from 1933 to 1942 through New Deal federal art programs administered by President Franklin D. Roosevelt to support artists during the Great Depression.
The Gallup New Deal Art Virtual Museum features three types of exhibits, combining traditional and non-traditional approaches to illuminate academic, creative, and individual understandings.
Gallup’s New Deal art collection includes works by a demographically, professionally, and stylistically diverse group of named and unnamed artists.
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