In Flagstaff, positioned on the foot of the San Francisco peaks in northern Arizona, nestled within the ponderosa pines, lives a big, numerous inhabitants. The individuals of the close by Navajo and Hopi reservations, college students and academics of Northern Arizona College, and the virtually year-long inflow of vacationers as Flagstaff lies on the crossroads of a mess of cultural and geological websites in northern Arizona together with Sedona, the Grand Canyon, the Petrified Forest, and lots of others.

As a dude who was born and raised in Flagstaff, I prefer to hold an ear to the bottom about what’s taking place close to my hometown. A good friend from Flagstaff shared an occasion that was going to occur on the Museum of Northern Arizona, and I used to be launched to Duane Koyawena and Joe Mastroianni from their social media posts a couple of distinctive venture they had been collaborating on; a one-of-a-kind R2 unit named Hopi-R2. A cultural amalgamation of artistry and engineering pulled from the nerdiest corners of each Star Wars fan’s thoughts. Because the Museum of Northern Arizona web site states, “Hopi-R2 is a mixing of conventional pottery motifs and up to date know-how, a stability of historical cultures and futuristic concepts, a collaboration between a Hopi artist and {an electrical} engineer from New Jersey.” The museum exhibit, titled “The Pressure is With Our Individuals”, runs by March 2020 and highlights the merging of Native American artwork and the mythos of Star Wars; two tales that share many issues, particularly the that means of stability on the earth.

Earlier than we get to Hopi-R2, let’s study the worlds that Duane and Joe got here from to affix collectively to create this superb artifact.

As a youth, Duane grew up with artwork in his household. His father was an artist who created many items that mirrored their tradition and heritage. Sadly, his father misplaced an extended battle with alcoholism and handed in his 60’s. At the moment, Duane began to observe in his father’s footsteps considerably – he had a tough go of his late teenagers and early twenties, particularly with alcohol. He explains that this time in his life was his “Darkish Facet” – he manipulated, stole and lied to get what he wanted to get the subsequent bottle of booze. His troubles finally landed him in jail, the place he was in a position to sober up and regain his footing, however he emerged from incarceration with little hope for being profitable. Fortunately, the assistance that Duane acquired post-release helped him notice that success was one thing that was achievable, one thing that was private, and one thing value pursuing, even when there have been failures alongside the way in which.

As soon as he was launched, Duane used his pure, self-taught creative talents to create artwork for customized attire, primarily sneakers, to kickstart his status. After getting some momentum and notoriety, Duane began giving talks on restoration with artwork in displays known as ‘Parallels’. He discusses the parallels in transferring out of dependancy and into sobriety in a lot the identical method he pursues artwork; you must begin someplace, and you must follow each each day. The Parallels displays are a type of expression by artwork with teams of people that wish to find out about Duane’s path to sobriety. Known as a ‘Coping to Resiliency’ discuss, Duane shares his life journey of artwork and restoration with a particular portray session.

Duane has additionally created a second, creative useful resource for the neighborhood; a touring artwork exhibit known as PIVOT: Skateboard Deck Artwork along with his good friend, and native Navajo tattoo artist, Landis Bahe. Because the Museum of Northern Arizona web site explains, “This exhibition displays our lives – distinctive but common. PIVOT refers back to the fast transitions we make between our conventional and day-to-day lives. We frequently work in cities whereas persevering with to contribute to our ancestral communities and homelands.” The exhibit has simply accomplished a run on the Museum of Northern Arizona and consisted of practically 100 skateboard decks painted by artists from totally different cultures and backgrounds from dozens of walks of life, together with Zuni, Hopi, Navajo, Comanche, O’odham, and Latinx artists. Whereas the exhibit itself has ended on the museum, Landis and Duane nonetheless maintain PIVOT workshops with at-risk children, who get to take the skateboard decks residence on the finish of the venture.

This system helps children who’re in-between their native tradition and the extra ‘trendy’ society of right this moment, surrounded on all sides by screens and distractions. This system helps them ‘pivot’ backwards and forwards between cultural and household custom and the calls for of a technology-heavy, fast-paced world. These final eleven years for Duane, transferring ahead in a great way, getting sober and staying that method, he sees as his balanced “Gentle Facet” and is aware of the perils of how shut all of us are to transferring again throughout that line to the opposite aspect. Giving again to children, freely expressing himself by his artwork, and giving a voice to others which can be experiencing what he went by is his method to assist himself and others restore stability to their lives.

Duane works extensively with others that want a option to reconnect with their native tradition and take care of the on a regular basis pressures and stress that the trendy world can place upon them – particularly children. Chatting with children and dealing with them on artwork – like portray skateboard decks – offers them a window on a world they might in any other case not have regarded by to see what is feasible. Duane believes getting that likelihood, that view right into a tradition that in any other case could have been misplaced, after which inspiring them to take that essential first step, is value all the hassle to stop what he needed to undergo. To this finish, he’s additionally a devoted psychological well being technician on the Behavioral Companies of Flagstaff Medical.

On the engineering aspect, Joe Mastroianni comes from the east coast, New Jersey. He and his spouse, Kris Hutchison, director of promoting on the Museum of Northern Arizona, met in probably the most unlikely of locations – Antarctica. Joe and Kris had been each working for the Nationwide Science Basis – Joe on a venture, and Kris because the lead on the McMurdo Station newspaper. Joe and Kris then moved to the bay space and had been long-time volunteers-turned-employees of the Bay Space Maker Faire in San Mateo. The native Astromech membership that attended MFBA was their first introduction to droids and droid constructing – which began with simply R2 models however grew to incorporate virtually each droid conceivable at one of many largest Maker Faires on the earth. Joe and Kris are each passionate Makers from method again within the day – from wearables to “Musical Excessive Voltage Tesla Coils” to robotic toys for teenagers.

Joe and Kris moved to Flagstaff as a compromise – it’s not snowy tundra on a regular basis, it’s not a sizzling desert – however the climate is average, and the warmth (the place Joe has at all times needed to stay) is barely a fast hour-drive away.

The impetus for the start of the R2 venture got here from Kris when the museum approved a Star Wars exhibit and he or she got here residence with a request “Are you able to construct me an R2 unit?” Not an odd request in a home of Makers! Drawing on his relationships from Maker Faire, he tried to get models for the present from pals in Calfornia and even Phoenix. However with the burden of the R2 models in query, there wasn’t a possible option to transport them with out critical danger of harm. So, Joe started working making his personal R2 unit – from scratch.

Joe determined that since this construct was going to be for the museum, he needed the R2 to be all metallic – aluminum. He needed to resist no matter most people would possibly do to it. Joe explains, “Going all-metal meant that many components would require precision machining – which I don’t have the potential for. I do have full-sized handbook lathes and mills in my storage – however no CNC (although, belief me, after this I’m out there for a full-blown metallic CNC).  And thru the membership, I used to be capable of finding different builders and get suggestions and thus I used to be in a position to purchase my aluminum water-jet minimize dome.”

After receiving the dome, Joe rapidly realized that the R2 unit would have to be painted – and since he wasn’t an artist, nor native to the Colorado Plateau, he would want assist.

“So I contacted my buddy, Duane Koyawena, and requested him if he thought he may be taken with portray R2. And if he was to do it – then all bets had been off. I’d work strictly on mechanics and electronics and he would have free reign to do no matter he needed for look’s sake. After a number of conferences, earlier than I began any critical building, however whereas I used to be gathering parts with the assistance of my mentors at Astromech, Duane determined the motif could be “Hopi Pottery”. Then, after a number of visits the place we tried to determine powder coating vs conventional priming, paint supplies, and so forth., we had a plan.”

Development of Hopi R2 took about seven months to get it to the purpose the place Duane may begin engaged on items that weren’t hooked up to Hopi R2. Within the remaining month, Duane was relegated to the ground subsequent to Hopi R2, because it was too heavy to raise onto a platform.

Joe credit the enter from his pals within the Astromech world, who provided not solely recommendation however droid components that they machined and frequently present to different astromech builders. The overarching piece of recommendation that Joe would cross on to different potential R2 builders – tolerances fluctuate.

“Whereas there are “grasp drawings” someplace, not everybody follows them with the identical rigor, and virtually no person agrees on element. I purchased my CNC-billeted legs from one man, my welded “ankles” from one other man, and the metal toes from a 3rd man. Getting all this to work collectively took many hours on the milling machine drilling and t-tapping holes that had been particular to my construct due to the way in which I selected to accumulate components; milling out slots, and making an attempt to get items to work the way in which the supplier meant.”

The top results of Hopi R2 is a testomony to the facility of friendship and artwork, craftsmanship and tenacity. With out numerous hours of engineering, planning, and hands-on electrical work by Joe, and Duane’s willingness to aim to convey the tradition of a individuals on a technologically superior canvas, the collaboration wouldn’t be the success that it’s. The eagerness that each Duane and Joe put into this superb venture definitely impressed us right here at MatterHackers, and it was an extremely rewarding job to have the ability to write a narrative about some unbelievable individuals from the creator’s hometown. (Go ‘Jacks!)

If you wish to see extra of Duane’s artwork or contact him for a fee, or extra info on his Pivot artwork exhibit or his Parallels Presentation, you’ll be able to go to his Fb web page right here:

https://www.fb.com/DuaneKoyawenaArts/

For extra info on the Museum of Northern Arizona, and the present “The Pressure is With Our Individuals” exhibit, which runs till March of 2020, go to their web site right here:

https://musnaz.org/