Aloysius “Al” Hubbard grew up as an Arapaho and Navajo in Las Vegas before his family returned to the Wind River Reservation. He was surrounded by the traditional way of life at home and immersed in modern society at school and work.
After getting his degree at the Institute of American Indian Arts in Santa Fe, New Mexico, he planned to be an artist. Instead, he spent the next three decades working for others, including as a cultural specialist at Wyoming Indian High School in Ethete.
“Usually, it's trauma that pushes you to make a life altering decision,” Hubbard said, the pain still raw in his voice. “Over a year ago, my sister passed away.”
His younger sister had been the one to encourage Hubbard with his art and the two had always been close. Hubbard was able to be at her side while she battled a long illness which she tragically lost.
“She accepted me for who I am. She always encouraged my art and me. I just didn't want to do anything for a year after losing her,” he recalled. “But I remembered she was always pushing me with my art, and she got the world of me and my dreams as an artist.”
The grief was immense, and he decided that he needed to focus his time and energy on something that was going to be a benefit to himself, his family and his people. That was when he listened to his sister and began to pursue art full-time.
“I wanted to see where this path took me,” he said. “So far, it's been very rewarding and it's helping me cope with the mourning of my sister. It’s a good path to be on and I feel healthy. I feel good feelings where I'm at right now as an artist, and as a human being.”
Hubbard works in mixed medium, using everyday items to create collages that blend the traditional with the new. Since embarking on his artist career, he has been featured in several art shows around Wyoming, merging the traditions of his tribes with the modern world.
“As an indigenous artist I see myself as a time traveler,” Hubbard said. “I am trying to connect history with our contemporary life and to be mindful of where we're headed.”
His “Everyday” piece that was displayed in a show in Jackson Hole is an example of this unique blend. At first glance, you see a traditional native parfleche bag, a rawhide container used to carry objects. After a closer examination, a telephone pole can be seen merged into the collage.
“I wanted to kind of give you the idea of a parflech design, the symmetrical design of a parflech bag,” he explained, “but I also wanted to update it and to show how we are connected today. How, in a way, we are time traveling.
“I'm inspired by stories and memory, and sometimes dreams. We can learn a lot even from our conversations,” Hubbard said. “I'm Northern Arapaho and Navajo. There is a long history of customs and tradition that goes along with that. But also, I grew up in Las Vegas, Nevada when I was young. So, I have that as a part of me as well.”
Connecting Cultures Through Art & Symbolism
This summer, Hubbard had a weeklong residency at the Buffalo Bill Center of the West and his favorite part was visiting with people to hear their interpretation of his artwork. There is no wrong answer, according to Hubbard.
“You get to talk about our commonalities, and I get to connect to other people through my art,” he said.
One such interaction that Hubbard valued was when a non-native security guard approached him during his residency at the Center of the West. A simple painting of a can had caught the guard’s attention, and he wanted to know why Hubbard had placed a buffalo on a commodity tin can labeled “BEEF” instead of the cow that was usually displayed. Surprised that the guard had recognized the can, Hubbard asked him instead for his story.
“For those that don't know what commodities are, they are government issued food,” Hubbard said. “A lot of families grew up eating canned meat and the golden brick of cheese which is like a currency on the reservation. There’s this whole culture around commodities.”
In their conversation, Hubbard learned that the guard had spent a summer as a kid with his uncle on a reservation. While there, they had eaten commodities, including the canned meat. The painting had conjured up these memories that he shared with Hubbard.
“My own connection was that if I put a buffalo on there, that's something that my tribe lived on. I mean, that was our Walmart,” Hubbard said. “We got everything that we needed from the buffalo, from the bones to the eyes to the meat and even to the organs.
“But what does it mean to us today? We are bringing back the buffalo across the country, tribes are getting buffalo back on into their lives into their culture. And I always thought, wouldn't it be funny if we were able to process buffalo meat and can it like spam? My work talks about the past and it talks about the present. And it talks about you know, where are we going to go from here?”
Left, artist Al Hubbard poses with his blend of traditional and modern art. Right, “Winter Restraint,” mixed media on canvas. (Courtesy Al Hubbard) 
Al Hubbard presents an art talk at the center in Jackson, Wyoming. (Courtesy Al Hubbard) 
Left, “Buffalo Thoughts,” mixed media on wood. Right, “Surface Level,” an example of mixed media on canvas. (Courtesy Al Hubbard) 
Painting at the Lander Art Center. (Courtesy Al Hubbard)
Painting For Our Youth
As he ponders the future, Hubbard is doing more than just creating artwork for exhibit in art galleries. He has also teamed up with a nonprofit in Jackson, Wyoming, to help the youth on the reservation.
“Carving the Future is a nonprofit organization that actually bring some of our students to Jackson and teaches them how to snowboard and ski,” Hubbard said. “I found out about their organization when they had asked me to paint on a skateboard deck for a fundraiser.”
He is enthusiastic for their mission and feels privileged to be helping kids.
“What they're doing is awesome, they just had a skate competition in Riverton and one of the reservation kids took second place,” he said. “It’s just another way of celebrating our youth and getting them to participate in sports and different events.”
Hubbard said he will continue to look at ways to help others in all walks of life through his artwork. Whether it’s simply preserving the recipes of his grandmother or painting a skateboard, he is excited to see where the artist life will take him.
“I think it's important to stay on track and just remember that we're all here for a reason and we were meant to be connected,” he said. “I've had the opportunity to meet amazing people just within this past year of concentrating on my art.
These days, Hubbard displays his artwork on Instagram at @AlHubbardArt as he continues to seek connections on a personal level rather than just through technology.
“I can get lost in conversations and time doesn't matter. Afterwards, we both leave with smiles on our faces because we're able to connect on a deeper level and have a deeper understanding of each other's culture, our lives and even our personalities. I think that's magic.”
Jackie Dorothy can be reached at jackie@cowboystatedaily.com.
