Fred Jones Jr. Museum of Art The University of Oklahoma 555 Elm Ave. Norman, Oklahoma 73019-3003
ISBN 978-0-692-11863-4
90000>
9 780692 118634
Introduction
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Nurturing 03 AdaptinG 21 Envisioning 39 Contributors About the Venue and Seminar Instructors Publication Notes
CONTENTS
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heather ahtone & W. Jackson Rushing III
Seeds of Being
is an exhibition curated by nine University of Oklahoma art history graduate students working in collaboration to creatively imagine their future as curators. Each of them contributed to an exhibition that embodies their shared ideas about Native American art. While it is common practice for graduate students to have curatorial internships, rarely do these professional training experiences provide to students the opportunity to actually curate an exhibition. All nine students were enrolled in “The Native American Art & Museum Studies Seminar,” a graduate-level practicum in curation offered by the OU School of Visual Arts in partnership with the Fred Jones Jr. Museum of Art. Relying on the museum’s nationally-renowned collection of Native American art, the students have prepared installations for the museum’s Mary LeFlore and Richard H. Clements Family Gallery, Molly and Jim Crawley Gallery, and James T. Bialac Gallery of Native American Art for summer 2018. For the majority of the students, this course served as an introduction to professional curation. Inventive and energetic, the students overcame several challenges (time constraints being principal among them) with grace and patience with one another (and the instructors). The result is an exciting and instructive exhibition for which they should each feel quite proud. Both the seminar and this catalogue were made possible by a generous grant received in 2017 from the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation to support the training of scholars and curators in the field of Native American art history. Thus far, the Mellon Grant has supported not only the practicum seminar, but also a guest lecture and Master Class by esteemed Tlingit photographer Larry McNeil, planning for a symposium on Native American art history for fall 2018, the development of a strong relationship with the Institute of American Indian Arts’ Museum Studies program, and a pre-doctoral fellowship in art history and six paid curatorial internships. As the instructors, we prepared for this course with a schedule that allowed the students to interact with every museum department, a reading list to set the students thinking about the current issues and best practices in art history and museum studies, and the wildly ambitious goal of completing an exhibition and catalogue in fifteen weeks. Rising to the occasion, they have met all of our expectations and we could not be more pleased with their work. Several Native Nations are represented in the current art history graduate student population at OU, and this diversity is true of our team of nine emerging curators as well. The steadily-increasing number of Native American and First Nations art historians and curators now pursuing advanced degrees will benefit the field exponentially. With the support of the Mellon Foundation, the OU School of Visual Arts and the Fred Jones Jr. Museum of Art are striving to facilitate the creation of art historical and curatorial practices that are nourished by diversity and that value Indigenous methodologies. The students—Native and non-Native alike--who organized Seeds of Being represent the way forward.
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We appreciate the ongoing support of the Fred Jones Jr. Museum of Art’s director, Mark A. White, who has provided guidance and leadership in every aspect of the grant-funded projects. We want to acknowledge the museum’s staff for all the care they have provided to bring the exhibition to its installation, specifically the following departments, who each prepared an overview of their role and provided direct guidance to the students as they fulfilled their responsibilities: Learning + Engagement, Registration, Preparation, and Communication. We also appreciate the designing effort made by Michele Archambo, who designed a beautiful catalogue against an incredibly tight deadline.
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This gallery focuses on the nurturing power of Indigenous symbols and storytelling—seeds that influence modes of adaptation and visions of the future. Using specific materials and metaphors, these artworks inspire considerations of how legacy stories and narratives continue to shape particular tribes’ and nations’ life ways and values. In two- and three-dimensional forms, these storyembedded works represent artists’ interpretations of how Indigenous culture heroes, gift-giving beings, and important events nurture relationships within communities. In a mosaic of narratives, artists make visible the stories shared between generations that honor Indigenous actions, places, and beings. In turn, these artworks offer viewers an experience in reflecting on the nurturing themes of creation, emergence, gifts of life ways, and community evolutions.
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Marla Allison (U.S., Laguna Pueblo, b. 1980) Tell Us a Story [detail], 2009 Mixed media, 24 x 36 in. The James T. Bialac Native American Art Collection, 2010
nurturing
Marla Allison (U.S., Laguna Pueblo, b. 1980) Tell Us a Story, 2009 Mixed media, 24 x 36 in. The James T. Bialac Native American Art Collection, 2010
Marla Allison imbues her paintings with living stories that honor her home, Laguna Pueblo. Although she focuses on two-dimensional works in her art practice, Allison earned an associate’s degree in three-dimensional art from the Institute of American Indian Arts. This spatially-driven training strongly influences the artist’s technique, as she applies a sculptural approach to her paintings. For the body of work that includes Tell Us a Story, Allison embedded digital media communication devices into pieced-together, collaged compositions that she describes as installations. In Tell Us a Story, she combined pigment, magazine and newspaper clippings, a cell phone, and a small LED screen to tell a vibrant narrative that connects the past with the present in what she calls a “moving story.” Layered modes of sharing stories create a cacophony of voices in this artwork, as experienced through the juxtaposition of a community-based story time scene, print advertisements and story headlines, and children surrounding a television screen. Here, Allison shows how Laguna Pueblo stories include many events within a single narrative to demonstrate that everyone is connected within the same universe—a concept articulated by Leslie Marmon Silko, a Laguna Pueblo author. However, while each component of this work informs each other, Allison is deliberate in her visual language to offer specific themes within this multi-storied space. The large scale of the male storyteller reflects how the face-to-face sharing of stories is still a strong way to bring people together and create community. The cell phone, television, magazine, and newspaper clippings represent how storytelling takes different forms over time through media sources that both distract audiences and collapse distances between people.
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Tony Abeyta (U.S., Navajo, b. 1965) Seeds, Simply Emerging [detail], 2008 Charcoal and ink wash on Belgium paper, mounted on canvas, flanked by micaceous clay and stone beads, 64 5/8 x 76 5/8 in. The James T. Bialac Native American Art Collection, 2010
The emergence of life, begun by nature and nurtured by people, the concepts of gardening, tending, raising; these are all hallmarks of nurturing. These are the Seeds of Being. Tony Abeyta is a contemporary Navajo artist who derives inspiration from landscapes of the American Southwest. His abstract works recall influences of Expressionism. Seeds, Simply Emerging serves the important role in this exhibition as the beginning anchor to the three galleries. By referring back to Abeyta’s work as the visitor navigates through the exhibition, one will see the themes of life nurtured from the land, life grown from the land, and life in the future of the land. As the visitor navigates through the exhibit, they can continue to look back at Abeyta’s work and be reminded of the nurturing, adapting, and envisioning that make up Seeds of Being.
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This gallery speaks to the variety of methods in which Native peoples have altered—to varying degrees—their ways of life, their ways of knowing, and their methods of self-representation. The works of art presented in this gallery are arguably the most potent portrayals of cultural continuance, as Indigenous artists respond to the world around them, using found objects and incorporating new media. These artists move away from preconceived ideas of what “Native” art should look like, to show the dynamic, responsive nature of Indigenous being. The works in Adapting explore innovation, unexpected aesthetics, and three-dimensional space. Relying on found and unexpected materials, the artist plays with the recognized Native art form and turns it on its head by using surprising materials and subjects.
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Fritz Scholder (U.S., Luiseño, 1937-2005) Bolo - enamel, skull [detail], 1980s Metal, enamel, rubber, 19 1/2 x 2 3/8 x 1 1/2 in. The James T. Bialac Native American Art Collection, 2010
adapting
James Michael “Bear” Byrnes (U.S., Acoma/Laguna/Lakota, 1938-1998) Laguna/Acoma bundled dolls, ca. 1975 Commercial wood, paint, feathers, copper bells, glass beads, shell, string, yarn 10 x 6 x 5 1/2 in. The James T. Bialac Native American Art Collection, 2010
Living in two worlds became a commonly-shared challenge for many Native Americans born in the early twentieth century. Finding balance meant never being fully engaged in traditional ways while resisting assimilation into the “melting pot.” James Michael Bear faced the added challenge of having his “Indianness” divided into two New Mexico Pueblos and the Lakota Nation, part of the Sioux Tribe of South Dakota. “JBear” used his knowledge of tradition, ceremony, and protected lore as inspiration for his art. Not being a full member and only partially initiated into his heritage allowed access to rituals and sacred subjects, but limited his participation. While living away from the Pueblo, Bear discovered that his culture’s religious ceremonies were a source of interest for a non-Native audience. Bear’s bundled doll series is an artistic and cultural negotiation between two worlds and exists artistically as a deconstructed ceremonial item that is viewed in different ways. This adaptation allows a non-Native, or non-initiated, audience to see design elements and motifs that are contained in a sacred object but rearranged into an abstracted version. In an unexpected way, Bear is savvy in his delivery of knowledge and his approach in its visual representation. This was not always true of his earlier work, and it took him time to find the balance between sharing information, because he thought it was important to record, but also was sensitive to how much should be provided.
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Richard Glazer Danay (U.S., Mohawk, b. 1942) The Masked Man and his Faithful Companions Get Their Signals Crossed, 1991 Glitter, paint, figures, and commercial picture 10 x 7 1/2 x 5 in. Gift of Rennard Strickland, 2008
Born in 1942 in Coney Island, Brooklyn, New York, Richard Glazer Danay received his BA from California State University in 1970 and his MFA from the University of California in 1978. He and his relatives, as well as many Mohawk peoples, worked as ironworkers in urban zones such as New York City. However, after witnessing an accident at a construction site where he worked, Danay formally pursued his art. As seen in his series of painted hardhats, he constructs assemblages, or what he calls “toys,” with found objects that he restores. He draws on imagery from Coney Island, Hollywood, and Disneyland, and presents absurdity and humor with sleek enamels and bright paints, offering elements of both Dada and Pop Art in his work. While Danay claims that he does not aim to be political in his works, there appear to be hints of political themes in The Masked Man and His Faithful Companion Get Their Signals Crossed. In this work, he comments on the absurdity of representation itself. The two toys, the Texan outlaw and his Native American companion of The Lone Ranger, stand on a glittery stage in front of an image of exaggerated American identity – Jesus teaching a young boy to play baseball. The Lone Ranger, a Western radio show, book series, TV show, and recently a film, has been criticized for stereotyping the outlaw’s “faithful companion” Tonto as the “silent, noble Indian.” The irony of this assemblage occurs when the stereotyped outlaw and companion turn their guns towards the unquestioned, yet humorous, stereotypical American identity.
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In order to ensure a group’s ongoing survival, there needs to be strategies for nurturing and adapting over time. In Envisioning, artists visualize what the “future” might entail on both individual and communal levels. For some, this requires a return to ancestral teachings and homelands, while for others, the future depends on integrating current circumstances with the community’s shared history. Certain artists represent their seeds for the future as imagined possibilities, while others reflect on the practical concerns of maintaining their existing ways of life into the future—including resource management, participation in the dominant culture, and political and social activism.
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Amanda Lucario (U.S., Acoma Pueblo) Seed Pot [detail], 2012 Ceramic, 1 3/4 x 4 x 4 in. The James T. Bialac Native American Art Collection, 2010
envisioning
Roberta Angeles Ojeda (Mexico, Oaxaca, San Martín Tilcajete [Zapotec], n.d.) Horse, Alebrije, n.d. Copalillo wood, acrylic paint, 4 x 4 x 1 in. The James T. Bialac Native American Art Collection, 2010
Roberta Angeles Ojeda is from the historically Zapotec town of San Martín Tilcajete, located in the valley region of the Mexican state of Oaxaca. The town is one of many Oaxacan towns that have talleres (schools/workshops) that produce brightly-colored sculptures knows as alebrijes. Usually these workshops are community- or family-run businesses. They serve many roles, as hubs for teaching cultural artistic practices to youths, and as international nexuses where the world can have access to Oaxacan handmade art objects. Angeles belongs to a consortium of master artisans, Grupo de Maestros Talladores de Tilcajete (The Master Sculptor Group of Tilcajete) and is related to master carver Jacob Angeles. Alebrijes are art objects as understood from a Euro-American tradition. They serve no specific utilitarian function other than being aesthetically pleasing, an aesthetic that is primarily informed by the various Indigenous communities that partake in the practice. The artistic practice emerged in Mexico City through the sculptures of Don Pedro Linares. His sculptures are imagined composite animals constructed of brightly-painted and varnished papier mâché. Oaxacan alebrijes, although sharing many similar characteristics to Linare’s work, are strikingly different. They, like Roberta Angeles’s horse, are carved out of copal wood (sacred throughout Mexico), have a matte finish, and, unlike Linares’s imagined animals, are often naturalistic representations of animals. Angeles’s style of carving and painting is purposely rough, contains hard, carved surfaces, possessing a geometric form. It differs from Jacob Angeles’s style, one that is more organic, with smooth corners and freeflowing forms. However, like Jacob Angeles’s and other Oaxacan alebrijes, they are painted with both traditional Zapotec and borrowed designs from other Indigenous communities. The spiral design on the side of the horse evokes the Nahua stepped fret motif known as xicalcoliuhqui, while simultaneously evoking a new branch of the Zapotec sacred copal tree—a branch, like Oaxacan alebrijes, in the process of unfurling and fully revealing themselves to the world.
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Tommy Wayne “T.C.” Cannon (U.S., Kiowa/Caddo, 1946-1978) On Drinkin’ Beer in Vietnam in 1967 [detail], 1971 Lithograph, 29 1/2 x 33 1/8 in. The James T. Bialac Native American Art Collection, 2010
Tommy Wayne “T.C.” Cannon was born to a Kiowa father and Caddo mother, in Lawton, Oklahoma. In 1964, he began his studies at the Institute of American Indian Arts in Santa Fe, New Mexico, under the guidance of Luiseño artist Fritz Scholder. After his time at IAIA, Cannon enlisted in the United States Army, and eventually was sent to Vietnam as a paratrooper in the 101st Airborne Division. Cannon’s artistic style, though distinct, drew on numerous influences, including Post-Impressionism, Expressionism, and other Euro-American Modernist movements. Yet his work is unmistakable, as his subject matter often included Native individuals in contemporary American settings. On Drinkin’ Beer in Vietnam in 1967 exemplifies Cannon’s dynamic rendering of subject matter and bold use of color and line. Two men, identified as soldiers in the 101st Airborne Division, gaze directly at the viewer, while one holds a beer and the other a cigarette. Their green uniforms bear the insignia of their unit, which is colloquially designated the “Screaming Eagles,” and Cannon accentuates their casual demeanor with rolled up sleeves and loosely-buttoned shirts. Despite the seemingly relaxed stances of the men with their libations, the seriousness of the scene is still evident. Each soldier wears an eagle feather in his hair, echoing the patches sewn onto their sleeves, yet also designating them as honored Native warriors. Behind them, a vague, mushroom-cloud shape implies ongoing warfare, though it is unclear whether it is an event that has already passed, or one that might yet be in the future.
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contributors
ME Mark Esquivel , a Xicano from Texas, is a second-year doctoral student in Native American art history working towards a specialization in Indigenous photographic practices, and has interests in digital aesthetics, new materialisms, socially engaged art history, and trans-Indigenous perspectives on art and politics.
EG Erinn Gavaghan is an art historian and the Executive Director of the Norman Arts Council. She is a Ph.D. student at the University of Oklahoma. Her work focuses on the arts’ role in economic development and cultural identity of communities.
CH Chelsea Herr (Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma) is a Ph.D. candidate in Native American art history at the University of Oklahoma, researching Indigenous Futurisms in contemporary visual art.
AH Ashley Holland (Cherokee Nation) is a second-year doctoral student in Native American art history. Previously, she served as an assistant curator of Native art at the Eiteljorg Museum in Indianapolis, IN.
RMEJ Robert Mac Eustace Jones is from Zuni and Cochiti Pueblos and makes jewelry and pottery. He is currently a graduate student studying Native American art history and holds a bachelor’s degree in art history from the University of New Mexico.
MJL Michelle J. Lanteri is a Mellon Pre-Doctoral Fellow in the Native American Art History Ph.D. program and a regular contributor to First American Art Magazine. Her research and curatorial practice focus on contemporary Native American artists in local-to-global contexts.
MM Monique Mogilka is a graduate student in art history at the University of Oklahoma. With interests in both sociology and art history, her research focuses on institutions of art and the intersections between these disciplines.
KM Kerrie Monahan is an art history graduate student at the University of Oklahoma. She received her bachelor’s degree from Saint Louis University and has interned for various museums including the Saint Louis Art Museum, the National Museum of Natural History, and the Fred Jones Jr. Museum of Art.
LR Lauren Ross is a master’s degree candidate at the University of Oklahoma and intends to pursue a Ph.D. in American art.
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ABOUT THE venue The University of Oklahoma’s Fred Jones Jr. Museum of Art is one of the finest university art museums in the United States. Strengths of the more than 17,000-object permanent collection (including the approx. 3,300-object Eugene B. Adkins Collection and the more than 4,500-object James T. Bialac Native American Art Collection) are the Weitzenhoffer Collection of French Impressionism, twentieth century American painting and sculpture, traditional and contemporary Native American art, art of the Southwest, ceramics, photography, contemporary art, Asian art and graphics from the sixteenth century to the present.
Seminar instructors heather ahtone is the former James T. Bialac Associate Curator of Native American and Non-Western Art at the Fred Jones Jr. Museum of Art at the University of Oklahoma (2012-18). She is currently the Senior Curator at the American Indian Cultural Center and Museum. W. Jackson Rushing III is the Eugene B. Adkins Presidential Professor of Art History and Mary Lou Milner Carver Chair in Native American Art at the University of Oklahoma. 60
Publication notes Copyright © 2018 The University of Oklahoma This catalogue has been published in conjunction with the exhibition Seeds of Being: A Project of the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation Native American Art & Museum Studies Seminar at the Fred Jones Jr. Museum of Art, June 8–Dec. 30, 2018. No part of this publication may be reproduced or used in any form without the written consent of the Fred Jones Jr. Museum of Art.
Catalogue designer: Michele Archambo Catalogue editor: heather ahtone New photography: Todd Stewart Fred Jones Jr. Museum of Art The University of Oklahoma 555 Elm Ave. Norman, OK 73019-3003 Phone: (405) 325-4938 | Fax: (405) 325-7696 fjjma.ou.edu | @fjjma Library of Congress Control Number: 2018943606 ISBN: 978-0-692-11863-4 Credits: Right: Unknown (U.S., Comanche) Lunch Bucket, ca. 1895 Metal and beads, 7 1/2 x 4 1/2 x 4 1/2 in. Gift of Rennard Strickland, 2008 Front and Back Cover: Hulleah Tsinhnahjinnie (U.S., Diné [Navajo]/Seminole/Muscogee, b. 1954) Oklahoma—The Unedited Version, 1990 Black and white photo collage, 25 1/8 x 32 in. Gift of Rennard Strickland, 2007 © Courtesy of the artist This catalogue was printed by the University of Oklahoma Printing Services and is issued by the University of Oklahoma. 1,000 copies have been printed and distributed at no cost to the taxpayers of Oklahoma.
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Fred Jones Jr. Museum of Art The University of Oklahoma 555 Elm Ave. Norman, Oklahoma 73019-3003
ISBN 978-0-692-11863-4
90000>
9 780692 118634