Costume designer, artist and historian Cathy A. Smith will present The Demise of Tonto Friday, Sept. 23. The lecture will be held in Mancos at the Mancos Community Center, 130 Grand Ave., from 5:30 to 7 p.m., and is sponsored by the Friends of Crow Canyon advisory board. An hors doeuvres, wine and artist reception for an exhibit of Smiths work will immediately follow at the Goodnight Trail Gallery, one block east of the community center.
During her talk, Smith will present a behind-the-scenes look at the making of Western movies from the point of view of an Emmy Awardwinning costume designer. She will walk her audience through a day in the life of the filming of Dances With Wolves: how costumes are designed, life on the set, and the importance of authenticity in costumes, sets and props. While relating entertaining stories, she will discuss the history of the Plains Indian and the 19th-century West.
As a costumer of Western-period films, Smiths knowledge of Native American design is unparalleled in the industry. She is best known for her authentic costumes in Dances with Wolves, as well as Comanche Moon, Geronimo and Son of the Morning Star, for which she won the Emmy for Excellence in Costume Design.
Growing up on a ranch in western South Dakota bordering two Sioux reservations led Smith to the relentless pursuit of authentic, traditional Native American art forms, design and techniques. In addition to costume design, she is an artist specializing in oil on canvas, and she practices quillwork in the sacred way of the Cheyenne River Sioux.
Tickets for the lecture are $20. Proceeds will benefit childrens education programs at the Crow Canyon Archaeological Center. To purchase tickets, call 564-4341. For more information about Cathy A. Smith, call 533-1177.