Heads Above the Grass

Today it is imperative that we acknowledge the brutality, intolerance and biased actions of the past. Thus by lifting our heads above the tall grass we can move forward to personal affirmation and progress. This progress can be represented by the educational and artistic exploration of complex issues of our society. In the field of art education we can articulate the progress by welcoming the creative activities of all vectors of youthful life and culture. Through this acceptance a wealth of experiences can be deposited to actually create more understanding and an enriched learning atmosphere. Once the multi-form stories of life are truly received we must then reverse the flow and generate an out-pouring of concepts, emotions and offerings back to society. The return of these artistic gifts may be in the form of workshops, lectures, critiques, dance, theatre, music, public art, visual art exhibitions and other boldly inclusive expressions

Land, Spirit, Power : First Nations at the National Gallery of Canada

Nemiroff documents the Native art collections of the National Gallery of Canada and provides a chronology of exhibitions of Native art that have taken place in Canada, the United States, and Europe since 1927. She shows how a recuperation and decontextualization of Native art served both nationalist and modernist discourse before a dialogue based on authenticity, identity and cultural difference was established. Houle criticizes the objectification of Natives by whites and emphasizes the importance of language and orality in Native culture. Townsend-Gault questions the notion of knowledge in works by 18 artists participating in the exhibition. Includes texts by or on the artists (some in the form of an interview with the curators). Circa 110 bibl. ref

Holponiyochi Contemporary Native American Sculpture 012

Holponiyochi, the Native American Choctaw word meaning, to cause to see, is the conceptual framework of the exhibition. The aim is to challenge and subsequently change common perceptions and heighten the awareness of the viewer by featuring works of diverse media and aesthetic vision by nine Native American artists from across the US: Marcus Amerman (Choctaw), David Bradley (Lakota), Bob Haozous (Apache), Edgar Heap of Birds (Cheyenne-Arapahoe), Truman Lowe (Winnebago/Ho-Chunk), Duane Slick (Oneida), Jacquie Stevens (Winnebago/Ho-Chunk), Charlene Teters (Spokane) and Kelvin Yazzie (Navaho/Dine). Holponiyochi was co-curated by Wright State University professor of Art, Thomas Macaulay, and guest curator Noel Day. The exhibition was held from September 14 through October 19, 2003.https://corescholar.libraries.wright.edu/restein_exhibitions_all/1011/thumbnail.jp