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

Revisions

Re-examining Native culture and politics and their relationship to white institutions, four essayists discuss notions of ethnicity, authenticity, racism, imperialism, post-colonialism and the role of the museum. With statements by eight artists. Biographical notes. 28 bibl. ref