Indian Art Exhibition

BONUS FOR THE SOUTHWEST Premier Indian Art Exhibition THE HEARD MUSEUM-PHOENIX

Indian Art in the Americas is the most ambitious exhibition of Indian art ever to travel in this country. In it are 500 art objects from the Indian cultures of North, South and Middle America, ranging in time from 2000 в.с. to 1970. The exhibit has been funded by matching grants from the National Endowment for the Arts and Philip Morris Incorporated. The art works have been drawn from The Museum of the American Indian in New York City and the exhibit has or will travel to museums in Indianapolis, San Antonio, Honolulu, San Diego, Phoenix, Detroit, and Pittsburgh.

Indian Art in the Americas will open at the Heard Museum in Phoenix on February 22, 1975 and will remain on exhibit there through April 18, 1975. The opening of the exhibit will be marked by a Benefit Preview for the American Association of Museums, the national non-profit organization that represents museums of art, history and science. Senator Barry Goldwater is Honorary Chairman and Mrs. John Pritzlaff is Chairman of the Benefit Committee for the Preview.

This exhibit will allow the viewing public the opportunity to study the varied esthetic accomplishments of American Indian artists ranging geographically from the Arctic to Tierra del Fuego and in time from 2500 B.C. to 1970. Every media in which Indian artists worked is represented: wood, stone, metal, clay, textile, bone and shell. The art objects have been selected by Dr. Frederick J. Dockstader, Director of the Museum of the American Indian. Dr. Dockstader has also prepared a fully illustrated catalogue and text on the art of aboriginal America.

The Heard will present this exhibit in three areas of the museum: the Gallery of Indian Art, the West Gallery and the Kachina Gallery. The size of this exhibit has necessitated the use of an area of the museum, the Kachina Gallery, that has traditionally been used for the permanent exhibition of the Goldwater Collection of Hopi and Zuni Kachina dolls. The museum has timed the planned renovation of the Kachina Gallery with the presentation of Indian Art in the Americas.

WOMAN'S DANCE BOARD - Carried in the hands by women peformers in Women's Society dances, the manayauwi is painted in a variety of designs; this represents Chakwaina Kachina, and ears of corn. HOPI. Oraibi, Arizona. 19001905. 83/4" x 21"

The exhibit cases constructed in this area will first house this exhibit while the Heard staff prepares for the reinstallation of the Kachina Gallery.

The Heard is pleased to present this exhibit to the Phoenix and Arizona community. Special efforts have been made to invite members of the Indian communities of Arizona. In addition every elementary and high school enrolling Indian students has been invited to plan field trips to Phoenix during the run of this exhibition.

This is an important exhibition for all Americans. Far too often, people forget that "Indian" refers to all native people of the Western Hemisphere. Dr. Dockstader, of Oneida Indian descent himself, prepared this exhibition to give the museum visitor the opportunity to compare cultural achievements and esthetic forms, similarities and differences, over the millennia within societies far removed from "Old World" traditions.

The art shown is about evenly divided between South and Middle America and North America. For South and Middle America the prehistoric cultures are well represented along with some examples of contemporary arts and crafts for this area. The North American Indian art has been organized by "cultural areas," large geographical areas in which the aboriginal cultures were generally similar. Thus historic and prehistoric art is presented for the Arctic, Northwest Coast, Plains, Plateau and Great Basin, the Southwest, the Woodlands and the Southeast.

The achievements of all Indian artists past and present are well documented by this exhibition. It has been the mission of The Museum of the American Indian since its founding in 1916 to preserve and present this heritage. It is also the mission of the Heard Museum, founded in 1939, to also carry forth a similar mission here in the Southwest. Hence the collaboration of the two museums and the American Association of Museums on this exhibition goes far towards achieving the goals of the two museums. For all Arizonans this exhibition should not be missed.

INDIAN ART OF THE AMERICAS

Following excerpts from the Preface and Introduction -Catalog"Indian Art Of The Americas" Text by Frederick J.Dockstader Photography by Carmelo Guadagno Published by the New York Museum of the American Indian Heye Foundation Catalog may be purchased from any participating museum. The scope of this exhibition is the Indian of the North, Central and South American continents, from the time of the earliest surviving material culture to the expressions of contemporary Indian artists working in various media. It is an effort to expose the viewer to the work of the several Indian tribes throughout America, over a period of approximately 4,000 years, and in so doing, to open the door to the accomplishments of the Indian artist working in all of the resources provided by nature. The selection is esthetic; and while some objects may be more effective in arousing an emotional reaction from the viewer than others, it is our hope that each of the 500 specimens will present some degree of visual pleasure, and perhaps will introduce heretofore unknown art experiences, or else expand the knowledge the viewer already possesses. The source of these objects is entirely from one institution: the Museum of the American Indian, Heye Foundation, in New York City. The goal of the exhibit is simple - to present BEADED NECK ORNAMENT Elaborately decorated bibs were made to conceal the unsightly neck line following the adoption of European shirts. This heavily beaded design on trade cloth represents the killer whale. TLINGIT. Sitka, Alaska. 1890-1910. 8" x 11"

WAR HELMET These sturdy carved wooden hats were used for protection as well as for identification. The painted design and carved form atop the helmet identifies the wearer as a member of the Raven Clan. The eye is inlaid with abalone. Presented by Mrs. Thea Heye. TLINGIT. Sitka, Alaska. 1880-1900. 714" x 16"

QUILL-DECORATED BOX An oval birchbark box, decorated with brilliantly colored quill work. These have been tinted with aniline dyes, and while intended for the tourist trade, they have lost little of their early technical skill. MICMAC. Nova Scotia, Canada. 19001920. 5" x 5½" x 9"

To the native heritage of the Americas throughout the historic period and as far back into the prehistoric as it is possible for us to venture. We hope to indicate the extraordinary wealth of art which was present before the European arrived and then examine what happened to those artistic creations with the arrival of new ideas, new materials and a new audience.

The organization of Indian Art of the Americas originally stemmed from the conviction that too few people understand the interrelationship of the various native cultures of the New World, and most tend to talk about a given area as though it were "the Indian." For example, in the United States when one speaks of the American Indian, by and large the reference is to the Indian of the United States and Canada; it rarely applies to people south of the border. To the collector of Pre-Columbian art, then, the term usually refers only to the so-called "high cultures" of Middle and South America, namely the Aztec, Maya, or Inca. To point out that the Maya were Indians often comes as something of a surprise; likewise to offer the relationship between the war bonnet of the Sioux and the feathered headdress of Montezuma is incongruous to many. The present exhibit was organized in an effort to erase some of this lack of perception.

To understand American Indian art, the viewer must immediately set aside those preconceptions or judgments which he has earlier formed in examining Western art. To do so will allow him to look with an open mind upon the type of esthetic expression which the Native American established, growing out of an encounter with nature which had lushly and generously provided many materials necessary for the creation of true art.

Much of what we know of early Indian cultures stems from studies made about them by non-Indians, or from the journals, diaries and records left by early explorers. These men were all non-Indian and frequently reflected the prejudices, biases, ignorance or insensitivity that any group necessarily will reflect in discussing the culture of another. No matter how sympathetic a person may be, it is impossible for him to really get beneath the skin of another, and share all of his emotional and intellectual attitudes and feelings. If this were not enough, there is a further problem: by and large, Indian history, Indian cultural accounts, records and comments have all been recorded by the enemy of the Indian. While many of the explorers were genuinely interested in and friendly with Indians, and many of the students who lived among Indian people were sympathetic, understanding and often extraordinarily well-informed, still, the accounts of Indian culture have largely been left by his antagonists. We, therefore, are in the unfortunate situation of trying to interpret a culture, however interesting and picturesque it may be, in terms of an alien viewer.

diaries and records left by early explorers. These men were all non-Indian and frequently reflected the prejudices, biases, ignorance or insensitivity that any group necessarily will reflect in discussing the culture of another. No matter how sympathetic a person may be, it is impossible for him to really get beneath the skin of another, and share all of his emotional and intellectual attitudes and feelings. If this were not enough, there is a further problem: by and large, Indian history, Indian cultural accounts, records and comments have all been recorded by the enemy of the Indian. While many of the explorers were genuinely interested in and friendly with Indians, and many of the students who lived among Indian people were sympathetic, understanding and often extraordinarily well-informed, still, the accounts of Indian culture have largely been left by his antagonists. We, therefore, are in the unfortunate situation of trying to interpret a culture, however interesting and picturesque it may be, in terms of an alien viewer.

Prior to the Twentieth Century, Indian cultures were considered as essentially savage and hardly meriting Western attention. Only recently has the feeling developed that there is in Indian art something beyond the childish scrawls of the primitive mind.

The Indian was no different than the Westerner in his goals as expressed through his art. He sought to arouse an emotion within his viewer, whether that viewer be another Indian, a person within his own family, or perhaps a supernatural being. Much of his art was expressed in religious terms in an effort to arouse a benign God to good deeds, or to placate a hostile God. The manner in which he successfully communicated with his audience lay largely in the way in which he achieved the end goal of his work. One of the major criteria was the degree to which the artist recognized the force of tradition. The socialorganization of most of the tribes did not allow much latitude for experimentation, and it often was so rigid as to force the artist to work in strictly limited channels.

The statement, "all Indian art is functional," is frequently heard. There is some truth in this, in that Indians were primarily nomadic, and had to create household goods which provided maximum utilization. Yet it is not true that Indians lacked a sense of the creation of objects intended to beautify their lives. One has only to view some of the examples in this collection to realize that Indian artists frequently created objects simply to "look nice" rather than "do something."

The symbolism of Indian art is a much misunderstood subject. The Indian artist was not interested simply in drawing a picture of something, since he realized he could not draw a tree, for example, as perfectly as it could be made by the Creator. Secondly, since so much of his art was religious or spiritual in nature, he sought to involve or incorporate this into his design. Therefore, it can be said that Indian art is not so much drawings, carvings or reproductions of an object, but more the representation of the spirit within it.

The successful achievements of Indian art depended largely upon the environment. People living in the great forest areas, for example, became great sculptors in wood. Those who found themselves living adjacent to major clay deposits became skillful potters, whereas those tribes who roamed grasslands usually became fine basket makers all of which was simply a response to a generous nature. There is virtually no medium that has not been used at some time or another by Indian artists: various stones, shell, wood, grass and plant fibers, all of them used widely and skillfully. Surprisingly, many unusual materials (unusual to the Western mind) were incorporated into lovely works of art: porcupine quills, moose hair, sea lion whiskers, maidenhair fern, and milkweed fiber resulting in the natural quality which one finds in the various objects made. Not only does this often give a softer effect visually, but the tendency of the Indian artist to follow the outlines of nature rather than superimpose his own design creates a pleasing freedom. The Western artist usually places his art forms within rigid boundaries; for example, a painter will take a square canvas and then create a curved or linear or rounded landscape within it. The Indian artist will take the irregular shape and fit his design to it, allowing for the vagaries of nature to make of his composition something even more pleasing.

Although the differences between Indian art forms throughout the continents are many and varied, similarities do exist, and these can be used to suggest relationships. They can be used as well to indicate contacts between given societies. This matter of contact must not be overlooked: just as early man traveled thousands of miles wandering from one area to another in search of a home, so did the early merchant travel great distances in order to reap the economic rewards. It is not unusual to find a conch shell, for example, from the Gulf Coast of Mexico used in interior Canada a distance of several thousand miles. Indeed, we know of many trade routes which were established by the itinerant peddler going from one Indian community to another to dispose of his wares. In so doing, he not only picked up new objects, but in the manner of all traveling salesmen everywhere, he brought back to his own people the idle gossip, the latest news of the day, as well as his observations, ideas, concepts and attitudes. These could not help but have a profound effect upon the listeners to whom he reported the results of his latest sojourn abroad. In time, these new ideas or design motifs would become incorporated into the local art forms and pass into tradition.

Furthermore, warfare and intertribal marriages had a great effect upon art styles; the capturing of people for their talent was a by-product of many of the wars of the Northwest coast, and we note in the Spanish chronicles of the capture of fine skilled craftsmen by the Aztecs, who used them for their own purposes. Furthermore, when two people from different tribal backgrounds intermarried as sometimes happened one spouse would take craft designs, ideas and concepts to the home of the partner. These in time often became incorporated into the art styles of the new home area, and eventually enjoy the status of "traditional art," particularly if the artist was an important person.

In addition, when any group of people leave an ancient homeland, and journey over tremendous distances, a new culture tends to develop. An example is the Sioux, who left the Carolinas and moved to the Great Lakes, subsequently going out onto the Plains. The several tribes they met along the way each made cultural contributions in varying degrees, out of which emerged a new esthetic expression.

We have no way of knowing how often a migrant culture would bring some new material or idea with them into an area. There, they would find something that to them was different and exciting and would, in turn, develop the material, motif, or concept in a quite different and unusual manner. This usually provided a wholly new esthetic creation, from which development came the innovation, inventiveness and experience that today we associate with the varieties of Indian art. It is also true that under the same environmental circumstances one quite frequently finds totally disparate cultural expressions. It is easy to identify and separate Hopi work from Navajo, even though both lived in essentially the same area and were not too far distant from each other in point of time. Environment, therefore, is not the whole answer to a variety in art expression.

In speaking of Indian art, very often the term "tourist art" is used. While it is true that this usually is a reference to work that is strictly commercial, or perhaps of limited quality, it need not necessarily be a bad term; for just as there are tourists today who are sensitive and have a keen eye for quality, so were there such tourists in ancient days Indians who, going from one area to another, knew what they wanted. They were themselves skilled craftspeople and sought only the best from the area in which they were traveling. The fact that they brought with them highly desired material, often raw resources valuable to the craftsmen, or currency of sorts, such as jade, feathers, and foodstuffs perhaps with magical properties meant that objects would be created to please them. This latter is the true designation, in my opinion, of tourist art: when the object is made to satisfy the outsider rather than for disposal within the host group. It is when the outsider comes in with wealth but no knowledge that tourist art often becomes bad art.

Our acknowledgement and appreciation for support is a most pleasant task. Initially, Dr. Thomas Leavitt of the National Endowment for the Arts was instrumental in assisting us in starting the project, and his enthusiasm was later shared by many others, most particularly the interest of Philip Morris Incorporated on behalf of Marlboro, who generously funded the traveling exhibit, the several premiere openings, and with matching funds supplied by the National Endowment for the Arts, allowed us a far better catalog than we would originally have been able to provide. The efforts of Mr. George Weissman, Mr. William Ruder, Mr. Frank Saunders, and Mrs. Caroline Goldsmith, are hereby most happily acknowledged. We cannot overlook the opportunity to extend our most sincere appreciation to Miss Nancy Hanks, Dr. John Spencer and Miss Diane Kartalia, of the National Endowment for the Arts, for their assistance in making possible the matching grant which has literally put this show on the road.