Indigenous Beauty: Masterworks of American Indian Art from the Diker Collection

Indigenous Beauty

Feb 12 – May 17 2015

Seattle Art Museum

Simonyi Special Exhibition Galleries

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This spring, Seattle has the opportunity to see some of the most stunning works of American Indian art ever made.

Marvel at nearly 2,000 years of amazing skill and invention. Linger over drawings, sculptures, baskets, beaded regalia, and masks.

The immense variety of Indigenous Beauty: Masterworks of American Indian Art from the Diker Collection reflects the diversity of Native cultures. This superb exhibition offers more than great works of art and cultural artifacts—it is an invitation to explore other worlds.

Deeply engaged with cultural traditions and the land, indigenous artists over the centuries have used art to represent and preserve their ways of life. Even during the 19th and 20th centuries, when drastic changes were brought by colonization, artists brilliantly adapted their talents and used the new materials available to them to marvelous effect.

The works in Indigenous Beauty will inspire wonder, curiosity, and delight. Come experience the vast beauty of indigenous art from all across North America.

In the meantime, feel free to explore some highlighted stories and artworks from each of the regions on the page below.

The exhibition is organized by the American Federation of Arts. Guest curator is David Penney and local curator is Barbara Brotherton, Curator of Native American Art at the Seattle Art Museum.

THE SURREAL AND SERIOUS DREAM

Drumming, dancing, and storytelling are important aspects of winter life in the Arctic. It is a time of darkness and cold with the specter of spirits all around. Community members retreat to the warmth and social security of the men’s ceremonial house (called qasgiq) to have prayerful exchanges with the spirits of the Arctic universe (which are represented by the hoop bent around the main face of the mask), especially those that help humans survive. This mask looks like a montage of disconnected elements, which is exactly why the Surrealist artists in the early 20th century collected ones like it. While the disparate elements appear to be conjured up from a dream, and were in fact based on the visions of shamans, they sincerely honor the game animals that make survival in the Arctic possible, including fish, waterfowl, and seals. Notice the human hand whose fingers appear to grip the fish from behind the mask.

WHEN A COAT ISN’T JUST A COAT

The Naskapi people made coats not simply for warmth and protection, but also for religious reasons. The Naskapi, a nomadic tribe at one time, relied on the migrating herds of caribou for food, clothing, and other means of survival. Their ability to hunt was dependent on appeasing the spirits of the caribou, which they did through the coats that men wore on the hunt—coats with elaborate details and symbols painted onto the hide of past caribou that had given themselves up to the hunters.

These coats were such an incredibly important part of the Naskapi culture that even after extended contact with European traders, the Naskapi changed only the cut of the garment. Today, anthropologists look at a coat such as this one—made almost 100 years after first contact—and theorize that the traditional design, colors, and material offer proof of the Naskapi’s relative isolation from and even resistance to outside influences.

BEAD-DAZZLED!

This fancy bag was carefully cut from wool into this envelope shape and covered with tiny glass beads in intricate designs. The shapes are mostly abstracted floral motifs, a style that was inspired by the embroidery and lacework of Euro-Americans who came to the Eastern Woodlands and Southeast. Some geometric elements on the fringes of the strap reflect an earlier Native preference for abstract geometric designs. Red tassels acquired in trade further accentuate the beauty of this bag.

The style of this bag was modified from those of older pouches originally worn by Native men and later desired by fur traders and hunters. So, this piece is a combination of a traditional type (a man’s bag, originally made of hide) and a new look (floral motifs) and new materials (beads, wool, silk tassels).