BY LYNNE MEREDITH SCHREIBER
PHOTOGRAPHY BY ANGIE BAAN
Hal Brenner is pictured with items from
his Native American collections.
al Brenner, 67, of
West Bloomfield,
fell in love with
Native American art
30 years ago. Since then, he has
outfitted his home and wardrobe
with stylish accessories related
to cowboys, Indians and the
Southwest.
With longish, graying hair,
pulled back into a slight pony-
tail, and a T-shirt featuring an
eagle with a feather headdress,
Brenner looks like he could pass
for Native American. "I've been
asked many times what tribe I
belong to," he says.
Brenner's fine arts degree and
former career in technical illus-
tration exemplify his apprecia-
tion for the artistic side of
things. He first experienced
Native American art when he
saw a silver and turquoise
bracelet and liked the way the
materials blended.
Visiting relatives in Arizona
and traveling with a softball
team to Utah exposed him fur-
ther, and he started collecting
pieces from the West — first a
saddle, then jewelry, then a bear
1 0 • S E P 'I' E NI BER 2003 • STY E A 'I' '1'I-IE J N
skin and a buffalo skull that
hang on the walls of his condo.
Although he is not familiar
with Native American culture,
Brenner relates to the people.
"Jews have always been an
oppressed people," he says.
"Indians, too."
Today, he owns approximate-
ly 500 different items that evoke
a Southwest aesthetic. He
attends a couple of pow-wows
each year, where he shops the
displays, but he also finds items
in catalogs, at specialty stores
and art fairs and on vacation.
Part of his passion for collect-
ing comes from an effort to dis-
cover his personal style. Brenner
says his collections exploded
after his second divorce, when
he moved into a place of his
own.
"I spend probably 100 hours a
year shopping for things, then
more time looking through cata-
logs," Brenner says. "[My col-
lections] represent a history and
a culture that was persecuted,
taken advantage of."
He is trying to pay homage to
that culture's beauty.