Kay WalkingStick, b.1935, New Mexico Desert, 2011. Kay WalkingStick is a member of the Cherokee Nation.
"In the 21st century, Ms. WalkingStick has been revisiting the grand landscapes of the American West in her art, and visually reclaiming them for their rightful, Native American owners. Here in “New Mexico Desert” (2011), bands of traditional Navajo patterning float across scrub land and mesas as if surveying and protecting them. It’s the visual equivalent of hearing two very different languages, carrying the same assured and assertive message, spoken simultaneously." NYTimes, 2018.
What is Indigenous Art? Who are the contemporary Indigenous artists and how would you describe their work? To help answer these questions, we begin our study of Indigenous Art by viewing the work of Anglo artists in the 19th and early 20th centuries depicting Native Americans over a period of almost 200 years. We will view this work in both fine arts and photography art forms, noting that collections of the photographs of Indigenous people from this time period can be found in some museums today. Our historical view of the work of Indigenous artists in the late 19th Century and early 20th Century also includes Ledger art, painting, and photography.
With this brief history of Indigenous art, we move to contemporary Indigenous artists. We will view their artistry based on several themes: Survivance, Nation and Indigenous Visualities. Each theme suggests a distinct and interesting way of the artist viewing the world. We also will view the work of artists in emerging new fields and methodology. Throughout this historical view, we note the growing public recognition of Indigenous artists and their work.
Margaret Mukherjee has had a long and interesting career in higher education including working with faculty at universities in central and eastern Europe, and Asia. She is a Professor Emerita at Montclair State University, New Jersey. She holds a PhD in Urban Planning and Policy Development and an MA in Textiles, Clothing and Related Arts. Her undergraduate degree is from Cornell University. She has led several other BOLLI courses on American art movements and American artists, the most recent ones being Graffiti and Street Art; N.C. Wyeth, Illustrator and Painter, 1882 - 1945 and Indigenous Art in North America.
https://brandeis.zoom.us/j/4806021524? pwd=U0crZlNoMThTK1ZxaEl0cGlMaThXUT09
Zoom Meeting ID: 480 602 1524
Zoom Password: bolli
Session 1 (March 10) Introductions, Overview and a Sampling of Topics
Session 2 (March 17) Initial Visions and Visual Interchanges. Indigenous art beginning with the work of Anglo artists depicting Native Americans during a period of almost 200 years.
Session 3 (March 24) Depictions of The Lives and Work of Early Indigenous Artists. Early Indigenous art: 19th Century Ledger Art, Painting and Photography
Session 4 (March 31) Collections (Two Parts) Guest speaker on the preservation of paintings, the Harvard Art Musums. Class participants speaking about their Indigenous arts and crafts collections.
Session 5 (April 7) Early Contemporary Indigenous Artists
April 14 - Spring Break
Session 6 (April 21) Contemporary Indigenous Art : Survivance
Session 7 (April 28) Contemporary Indigenous Art: Land and Landscape
Session 8 (May 5) Contemporary Indigenous Art : Nation as a Theme
Session 9 (May 12) Contemporary Indigenous Art : Indigenous Visualities and Visualizing the Future
Session 10 (May 19) Collecting and Displaying Indigenous Art: Museums Today.
Listing of Approximately 59 Artists (Indigenous and Anglo) by Sessions (One -Ten) followed by an Alphabetical Listing
Session One- Overview and Introductions
Session Two - Initial Visions and Visual Interchanges
Charles Milton Bell
Edward S. Curtis
Seth Eastman
Henry Inman
Charles Bird King
Alfred Jacob Miller
Antonio Zeon Shindler
Juilian Vannerson
Will Wilson
Session Three - Early Depictions of the Lives and Work of Indigenous Artists
Spencer Asah (Kiowa Six)
James Auchiah (Kiowa Six)
Carl (R.C.) Gorman
Benjamin B.A. Haldane
Jack Hokeah (Kiowa Six)
Lois Smoky Kaulaity (Kiowa Six)
Maria and Julian Martinez
Lee Marmon
Stephen Mopope (Kiowa Six)
George Morrison
Horace Poolaw
Monroe Tsatoke (Kiowa Six)
Richard Ray Whitman
Session Four - Collections
Session Five- Early Contemporary Indigenous Artists
Rick Bartow
T.C. Cannon
Oscar Howe
Daphne Odjig
Fritz Scholder
Kent Monkman
Session Six - Contemporary Indigenous Art: Survivance
Nicholas Galanin
Shan Goshorn
Zig Jackson
Tom Jones
James Luna
Larry McNeil
Jaune-Quick-To-See
Wendy Red Star
Hulleah Tsinhahjinnie
Marie Watt (also mentioned in Session Seven)
Session Seven- Contemporary Indigenous Art: Focus on Land and Landscape
Andrea Carlson
Joe Feddersen
Kay Walkingstick
Session Eight - Contemporary Indigenous Art: Nation
Jeremy Dennis
Seth Eastman
Sky Hopinka
Kapulani Landgraf
Cara Romero
Kali Spitzer
Kilii Yuhan
Session Nine- Contemporary Indigenous Art: Visualities, Visualizing the Future
Mercedes Dorame
Jeffrey Gibson (also mentioned in Session Seven)
Kimowan Metchewais
Dylan McLaughlin
Meryl McMaster
Caroline Monnet
Laura Ortman
Jolene Rickard
Sarah Sense
Rose B. Simpson (also mentioned in Session Seven)
Dyani White Hawk
Session Ten - Museums and Collections
Alan Michelson
Alphabetical Listing of Artists
Spencer Asah (Kiowa Six) - Session Two
James Auchiah (Kiowa Six) - Session Two
Rick Bartow - Session Five
Charles Milton Bell - Session Two
T.C. Cannon - Session Five
Andrea Carlson - Session Ten
Edward S. Curtis -Session Two
Mercedes Dorame - Session Nine
Jeremy Dennis - Session Eight
Seth Eastman - Session Two
Joe Feddersen - Session Seven
Jeremy Frey - Session Ten
Nicholas Galanin - Session Six
Jeffrey Gibson - Session Nine
Carl (R.C.) Gorman - Session Three
Shan Goshorn - Session Six
Benjamin B.A. Haldane - Session Three
Jack Hokeah (Kiowa Six) - Session Three
Henry Inman - Session Two
Sky Hopinka - Session Eight
Oscar Howe - Session Five
Zig Jackson - Session Six
Tom Jones - Session Six
Lois Smoky Kaulaity (Kiowa Six) - Session Three
Charles Bird King - Session Two
Kapulani Landgraf - Session Eight
James Luna - Session Six
Maria and Julian Martinez - Session Three
Lee Marmon - Session Three
Larry McNeil - Session Six
Alan Michelson - Session Ten
Kent Monkman - Session Five
Caroline Monnet - Session Nine
Kimowan Metchewais - Session Nine
Dylan McLaughlin - Session Nine
Meryl McMaster - Session Nine
Alfred Jacob Miller -Session Two
Caroline Monnet - Session Nine
Stephen Mopope (Kiowa Six) - Session Three
George Morrison - Session Three
Daphne Odjig - Session Five
Laura Ortman - Session Nine
Horace Poolaw - Session Three
Jaune-Quick-To-See - Session Six
Wendy Red Star - Session Six
Jolene Rickard - Session Nine
Cara Romero - Session Eight
Sarah Sense - Session Nine
Fritz Scholder - Session Five
Antonio Zeon Shindler - Session Two
Rose B. Simpson - Session Nine
Kali Spitzer - Session Eight
Monroe Tsatoke (Kiowa Six) - Session Two
Hulleah Tsinhahjinnie - Session Six
Juilian Vannerson - Session Two
Kay Walkingstick - Session Seven
Marie Watt- Session Six
Dyani White Hawk - Session Nine
Richard Ray Whitman - Session Three