32 Miranda L.

This research paper will discuss some amazing Indigenous artwork from the distant past and the not-so-distant past, as well as a contemporary artist and their beautiful work. I will also share what I have found after visiting the Infinity of Nations: Art and History in the Collections of the National Museum of the American Indian online art exhibition from the Smithsonian Institute. During my research the most difficult part was choosing the artwork and artists that I wanted to discuss, as there were so many wonderful Indigenous artists from all over the continent. I think that it was also difficult because it did not matter if the art piece was very detailed and intricate, or simple and bold, I felt that each piece that I saw was worth mentioning and a bit of the history was worth sharing. This led me to my question for this research paper, “When and where was this art piece created, and who was the creator?” which I decided was appropriate to ask of each piece of art that I found in research. The artwork that I found for this paper was created by artists from all over, and the question I chose will show some of the locations that these unique pieces came from. Through my research I have found that geographic location can often have an influence on the art that is being produced.

The first piece that I will be discussing is an artwork that is from the distant past, and this piece stuck out to me because it had a very interesting story. This artwork was discovered in what was described as, “The nation’s largest investigation of archeological and cultural artifact thefts”, otherwise known as “Operation Cerberus”. In a Four Corners region where the borders of New Mexico, Arizona, Colorado, and Utah meet several arrests were made and eight homes were raided. Several government agencies were involved in the two-and-a-half-year investigation, and by the end of it thirty-two cases were built. Two of the cases were dropped due to the defendants committing suicide, and three others were dismissed; no one was sentenced to prison. Over five thousand ancient artifacts were recovered during the operation, and although many were created with very delicate materials most were in good condition. It has been illegal to possess such artifacts since the Antiquities Act of 1906, but this treaty has been broken by white settlers since the 19th century. There were many notable pieces discovered that were complex for the era they were created. Unfortunately, there is a lack of information for many of the pieces that were recovered, and the artist is unknown for my first artwork, but this artwork was titled “Fertility Figures” and came from Southern Utah. The piece is two figures made from corn stalk, wood, and yucca cordage, one with a phallic piece of wood in the front and one without. This artwork was originally believed by experts to be a fake but was confirmed to be authentic and dates to 200 B.C. to A.D. 400. This piece is also very special because it is the earliest example of fertility to be discovered in this region. This piece stood out to me for several reasons, such as the incredible story behind the recovery of this artwork, but also because of the age of this piece and the materials that were used. This makes me wonder what this piece meant a community to be preserved so carefully. (Smithsonian Institute, 2022).

The next artwork that I will discuss is from the not-so-distant past. The artwork that I found was created by a Cherokee artist named Kay WalkingStick from Syracuse, New York. When I say not-so-distant past I mean really not-so-distant, as the piece that I am discussing was created in 2011. In my research I found a few examples of work that was from further in the not-so-distant past, such as in the mid-1900s, but WalkingStick’s work kept coming back to me and I couldn’t ignore it. WalkingStick’s career spans more than four decades, and throughout the years her art has transformed. Originally, WalkingStick produced work that would fit in with what the New York art world wanted, but as she progressed in her work, she was able to express herself more freely. WalkingStick wanted spiritual connection through her artwork and was able to best achieve this when she painted during metaphysical reflection. WalkingStick is best known for her scenic landscape paintings, and one of my favorites that she has created is the artwork that I will be discussing which is titled, “New Mexico Desert”. This piece is a stunning desert scene with bold red, blue, and black designs drawn on top of the lower right side. This is a detailed oil painting on a wooden canvass. The painting shows canyons and mountains in different shades of beige and taupe covered by a blue sky and white clouds. There is much detail in the shrubs and bushes that sporadically scatter the mountains. This piece from 2011 is a beautiful example of art that demonstrates a combination of natural landscape with bold traditional design. Oil paint is one of the many mediums that WalkingStick works with to create her art, as she also draws, writes and has created small sculptures in her career. (Smithsonian Institute, 2022).

My favorite Indigenous artist that I have come across thus far has to be Wendy Red Star. Red Star is a contemporary multimedia artist from the Apsáalooke (Crow) tribe Billings, Montana and currently lives and works in Portland, Oregon. Red Star’s work is displayed in a number of museums globally, and she has lectured for several universities including Yale.  Red Star’s work captured my attention for a number of reasons, and I originally stumbled upon some of her photo shoots. The bright colors, as well as the ironic props that she chooses to use, and her very literal statements in her art all set her apart from the rest for me. Wendy Red Star is a true modern artist, which to me is a multimedia artist that paints, and photographs, as well as working with digital art and textiles. When it comes to having a favorite piece by Red Star, it is hard to choose. She has so many different forms of art that she creates, and each one is magnificent. I think that my favorite kind of works that she creates is the photography sets. You can see the thought behind the scenes that Red Star creates for her photography, and in each photo, she is dressed fully in Crow regalia. The first artwork of Red Star’s that I will discuss is titled “Four Seasons” which is a series of four paintings created by Red Star in 2006 that depict the four seasons: summer, fall, winter, and spring. Red Star is seated in each photo toward the center with the seasons depicted in the backdrop. In the summer there is sunshine and full green mountains, fall there are leaves and dying grass, in the winter there is snowflakes and the silhouette of trees, and for spring there is a lake with mountains and a baby blue sky. There are animal props that feel intentionally unnatural, as they are mainly carboard cut-outs. The next artwork of Red Star’s that I will discuss is titled “The Last Thanks” and I believe that this was the first piece by Red Star that I ever found. Again, Red Star is seated in the center of the photograph and this time she is seated at a picnic table with the stereotypical red plaid picnic tablecloth. There is also stereotypical modern picnic food in front of Red Star, such as Wonder Bread next to Oscar Meyer lunch meat and Little Debbie oatmeal cakes. Seated next to Red Star is a line of skeletons with paper feathers around their heads. A blowup turkey is behind Red Star, and there are paintings of rolling hills and a cloudy sky hanging on the wall. This photograph is full of color which seems to be typical of Red Star’s work and is part of what makes her memorable for me. (Wendy Red Star, 2022).

The Infinity of Nations: Art and History in the Collections of the National Museum of the American Indian online art exhibition was enjoyable to explore, and I highly recommend it. The exhibition covered several gorgeous pieces that came from North, South, and Central America. I have visited a few different online exhibitions from the Smithsonian Institute’s website in the past, and this one is my favorite thus far. When you enter the exhibition there is an introduction that gives a brief overview of the exhibition as well as collector George Heye’s contribution to this exhibition. To the right you can click through eleven different tabs representing regions that reveal several different cultural artworks from that region. Comparing the differences in art depending upon the region was one of my favorite parts about this exhibition. For example, a lot of the artwork that came from the Artic and Subarctic was clothing which makes sense to me with this region being colder than the others. A lot of the artwork that comes from California/The Great Basin is woven and beaded baskets. The artwork that comes from the Plains and Plateaus seems to have a lot of bright colors and different styles of maracas with beading. Each region has a unique style or technique that is visible in the artwork. There are stunning differences in each artwork that I have found in my research, from different eras, regions, and artists and I found myself thinking of the importance of my question, “When and where was this art piece created, and who was the creator?”.

References

National Museum of the American Indian. Kay WalkingStick: An American Artist. Smithsonian. 18, Sept. 2016. https://americanindian.si.edu/explore/exhibitions/item?id=949.

Sharp, Kathleen. An Exclusive Look at the Greatest Haul of Native American Artifacts, Ever. Smithsonian Magazine. Nov. 2015. https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/exclusive-greatest-haul-native-american-artifacts-looted-180956959/.

Wendy Red Star. About. 2022. https://www.wendyredstar.com/about-1.