POST #5 – Reading and GRQ – The Art of Indigenous Americans Art History: A Century of Exhibitions

The United States of America claimed its “artistic independence” and “affirmed its indigenous roots” was by celebrating Native American art. Prominent artist, John Sloan proclaimed it as “the only 100% American art produced in this country.” In December 1931, curators of The Exposition of Indian Tribal Arts tried to convince the public that Native American art counted as art made by America, not Europe. In the spring of 1941, the Indian Art of the United States exhibit filled the entire Museum of Modern Art in New York City. MoMA was a “museological landmark” by then. Multiculturalism did not become a common term until the 1980s. Multiculturalism would be expressed by the expressive culture of women and people of color. In 1983 and 1984, New York City’s Metropolitan Museum held two small exhibits for historic American Indian works, which gave hopes that this would “add a significant collection to Native art to the Rockefeller wing,” which held several African, Oceanic, and Pre-Columbian works. Yet, sadly, the Met turned down the gift of possibly 700 works. Luckily, this collection would come to rest in the private hands of the Fenimore Art Museum of Cooperstown, New York. In the 1980s and 1990s, numerous Native art shows were organize in American art museums. For example, The Decades Show was an influential 1990 exhibit of contemporary art. Furthermore, for the National Gallery in Washington D.C., was the venue for many traveling shows, such as Ancient Art of the American Woodlands and Art of the American Indian Frontier.

1.)    Native

2.)    Museums

3.)    Native art

4.)    Pueblo watercolors

5.)    Esthetic value

6.)    Basket Dance

7.)    Museum of Modern Art (MoMA)

8.)    Multiculturalism

9.)    The American Painters

10)    American Indian Art: Form and Tradition

11.)    Native art history

12.)    Ghettoization

13.)    Younger generation