Synopses & Reviews
Edgar Heap of Birds (Cheyenne/Arapaho, b. 1954) is the creator of some of the earliest and most memorable Native American conceptual art. Drawing on language and history, his public art installations, paintings, prints, and drawings explore the often-contested relationship between non-Indian historical accounts and Native memory. In this book, which grew out of the museum's sponsorship of Heap of Birds's Most Serene Republics at the 2007 Venice Biennale, influential writer Lucy Lippard approaches the artist's work from an activist's perspective. She is joined by art critic Jean Fisher, who provides a critical overview of Heap of Birds's contributions from the 1980s to today, and co-curators and editors Ash-Milby and Lowe, writing on the Biennale exhibition. An original DVD bound into the book features conversations with the artist and footage of his work in Venice.