ALVIN MARSHALL
(Navajo b. 1959 – present)
ALVIN MARSHALL, was born on April 6, 1959 on the reservation in the four corners area - where Colorado, Utah, Arizona and New Mexico meet.
As a young boy, Alvin Marshall was taken from his home on a Navajo reservation and placed in boarding schools where he was not permitted to speak the Navajo language or practice its traditions. By the age of ten he had lost both of his parents and it was his grandparents that taught him his Navajo culture which he hopes to pass on in his figurative sculpture.
Marshall served in the US Army where he did some work in illustration. While a member of the United States Army, he was exposed to the Art of the Masters in Italy and Germany. This had a profound influence in his artistic expression in his sculptural art and painting. He is uniquely known for the fine detail, facial expressions, and the spirit that he achieves in his carved alabaster and stone sculptures.
After his service he moved to the Shiprock Reservation where he worked first as a diesel mechanic and later as an illustrator. It was at this time in the early 1980’s that Alvin studied sculpture with renowned Navajo artist and friend Oreland Joe. Though he received no formal training, Alvin rejects the idea of being self-taught. “Nobody is self-taught,” he says. “I learned from other artists, from teachers and from friends, and from my travels.” In fact, before Alvin traveled to Italy, he says he had a dream where Michelangelo told him to appreciate European art but seek out Alvin’s own niche. Partly because of that profound revelation, the models for Alvin’s figurative sculptures all live on the Navajo Reservation.
“They could be my grandmother, my neighbor or my friend,” he says. “Each face is different, and like each face, each piece of stone is different. That has always been my goal. I strive to create unique, one-of-a-kind pieces.”
When Navajo sculptor Alvin Marshall holds a piece of Utah alabaster in his hands, he isn’t just touching a rock. He’s communing with his ancestors and working to turn the stone into spirit. “My people use stone in traditional ceremonies. Alabaster is closely associated with water and water ceremonies,” says Alvin, who lives near Farmington, New Mexico. “It’s beautiful, forgiving and it lends itself to me easily. It doesn’t fight or argue. Together, we make a spirit.” Marshall's images that emerge from alabaster stone tell stories of his Navajo culture. Working through a process relying on his ability to visualize "memory photos", he says: " I often feel like an instrument through which my art flows".
Marshall believes there is a need for spiritual connection among different peoples. His special gift is the ability to produce art that embodies an authentic spirituality that can unite. He worries that "we've lost the togetherness as a people" and hopes that through his art he can share the closeness and harmony that was at the heart of Navajo life.
Alvin entered the Heard Museum's Native American Art Show in November 1983. He was the winner of the "Best Sculptor of the Year" award and he was only twenty-four years old. "It was a great honor for me to get that award, and I am just thankful to have received it, " Marshall said. "It made me believe in myself. It told me that I can be as good as anybody in the art world."
For a short time he owned a gallery in Scottsdale, Arizona but not finding success it closed. He continued sculpting small pieces for a while but later dropped out of the art scene. Marshall eventually began carving again and has found success in galleries and at the Heard Museum in Phoenix, Arizona.
ACCOLADES AND PERMANENT COLLECTIONS:
… In May 1986, Arizona Highways magazine devoted a complete issue to the very best Native American artists in the country and their artwork. Marshall was included in this elite group.
… Alvin's major sculpture, "Last Act of Forgiveness," was selected by the Heard Museum to be viewed by Pope John Paul at the Coliseum, when he visited Phoenix in September 1987.
… Also in 1987, Alvin was invited to visit Dickinson College in Carlisle, Pennsylvania as Sculptor-in-Residence. The college owns a Marshall alabaster sculpture in their permanent collection.
…He has been featured at the Phippen Museum in Prescott, AZ and exhibits annually in their Memorial Day show where he has won the first-place award in the sculptural division.
…In 2013 he won Best of Show and Best in Sculpture at the Cherokee Indian Art Show in Tulsa, OK.
