About Facerock Productions
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What is Facerock Productions, LLC?
Facerock Productions, LLC is established as a for-profit company that helps with the production and distribution of photographic art around the world. The primary theme of the product line is photographic art showing the positive faces of Native American people including images created by selected Native American photographers.
The mission of the company is to provide an opportunity for independent family enterprises on the various reservations to have access to interesting local products that they can offer for sale to the general public. The range of products from note cards to limited edition collectible fine art photographs is available for sale from these enterprises as well as from gift shops and fine art galleries. A portion of the profits from these sales is set aside in a fund for training aspiring Native American photographers who don't have access to traditional training opportunities.
"Native Faces—Desert Light" is a multimedia production created to allow viewers to familiarize themselves with the images from David Davis' "Native American in the Landscape Collection". The collaboration on this project is indicative of the Facerock Productions mission statement. Many individuals volunteered their time and energy to make themselves and their families available for photographs, provide the music, and translate English to Navajo and Navajo to English. Corporate assistance from the folks at Fujifilm Professional and Pendleton Woolen Mills is an ongoing help in making this mission possible.
This company will grow with the same collaborative efforts that brought it into existence. We continue to create new images and help create a bridge among all people. If you know of an individual or family that would like to be involved with any phase of this operation, please share your ideas with us and we will do our best to put them to work. And, if you know of sponsors, benefactors, or opportunities to place our protégés, we are open for this participation as well. Thank you for your support.
History of Facerock Productions
How David Davis' Native American in the Landscape Project began.
This photography project began in the winter of 1993 with a beautifully beaded white elk skin dress, and the search for a size five, six-foot tall Native American woman to wear the dress for an advertisement. He never did find the right woman to wear the dress, but the search and test "shoots" with other women opened a door to a world of new experiences and new friends.
Davis says, "During the past sixteen years, I have begun to scratch the surface of the world of the Colorado Plateau. The desert landscape is as varied as any beauty experienced on our small planet. Whether I was in a canyon with its bounced glowing light, or in the abundant forests of the mighty mountains, each landscape that was beautiful in its own right seemed to be missing a key element. I knew that element was the presence of the indigenous people. These determined families have found a way to survive in the quiet, harsh wilderness with its challenges and have formed a deep bond with the earth and the process of creation. The presence of one or several Native American subjects in each image that I create is necessary for me to tell a particular story or to simply complete a scene."
In 1997, he had the fortune of having the owner of Pendleton Woolen Mills see his work and acquire several fine art prints for his office. Since that time, the people at Pendleton have been supportive of our projects and have used several images in their sales materials. Since American Indian blankets and shawls play an important role in the Native American culture, this tie in with Pendleton is a very natural one.
This project has now taken on a life of its own and is pushing forward with a new momentum. As more people ask to become involved, more ideas come to mind, and more possibilities present themselves. If you know of anyone who would like to participate, please read below in our Participation section.
Participation
Participate as a subject of the photographs:
We are always grateful to my Native American friends who continue to be a part of the Native American in the Landscape project. Each of our subjects has not only been a participant but also a teacher. Most have been unselfish in recommending other family members or friends to help us create the images that will preserve vignettes of a culture that is changing and adapting as it has for centuries.
If you know of someone of Native American heritage who would like to work with us, please have him or her contact us by email, snail mail, or telephone at the office. We will be glad to communicate with anyone who shows an interest. Although our projects are set in motion weeks and months ahead of time, we always have a list of subjects that we need or want to photograph.
Currently, we are searching for people who can work in family type settings. We need both men and women, young and old for a series of illustrations. Since most of the Native American history relies on an oral tradition, there is a storytelling bond that exists in most families. I would like to communicate this notion in my photographs.
You may e-mail, call, or send a letter to our office if you are interested. Ideally, we would like to have a recent photo of you for name/face association. We would also like to know your name, and how and when is the best time to contact you. If you have family that can also work with you, please give us a run down on their relationship to you and whether or not you might have ideas that will also work for you.
We look forward to working with you.
Other ways to participate:
The other ways that you can participate with us is only limited by your imagination. We are always accepting donations of tools, jewelry, clothing, props, artifacts, and funds. Just contact us and we will see if your desire to participate matches what we have available.
If you are a photographer and want to get in on the creative process:
Photographers can now participate by applying to join David or Carmen in their individual projects that are not ready for public viewing. If you are a photographer interested in learning some of the master techniques used or just want to be there during the creation process and take some photos of your own, you need to contact David right now for more information and to get added to the notification list. This is a new opportunity in 2012 and will fill up fast!