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Indepth Arts News:
"Symbols of Faith and Belief: Art of the Native American Church"
2000-07-22 until 2000-09-17
Minneapolis Institute of Arts
Minneapolis, MN,
USA
In the late 1870s, a new religion emerged on the
North American Great Plains. The new religion
intertwined traditional Native American beliefs with
Christianity and spawned a new artistic tradition. This
exhibition explores the ways the Native American
Church has helped Native peoples in developing and
preserving their identity while assisting in their
adjustment to new social, cultural and economic
circumstances. A wide range of artistic techniques and
media has evolved throughout the history of this
religion to produce a distinctive genre of Native
American art.
The traditional expressive forms of
beadwork, carving, metalsmithing and featherwork
were combined to produce exquisite fans, rattles,
drumsticks, jewelry, ritual staffs and other ceremonial
objects used during the services of the Church. An
understanding of the emergence of forms provides insight into the changing nature of
American Indian life and art during the 20th century.
This exhibition has been organized by the Gilcrease Museum, Tulsa, Oklahoma with
support from the Phillips Petroleum Company, Founders and Associates, Inc., and
the State Arts Council of Oklahoma.
IMAGE:
Barry Belindo
Kiowa
Feather Fan, 1999
Feathers, leather, beads, ribbon, pigment
The Christina N. and Swan J. Turnblad Memorial Fund
The Minneapolis Institute of Arts
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