Synopses & Reviews
This exciting investigation explores the indigenous arts of the US and Canada from the early pre-contact period to the present day, stressing the conceptual and iconographic continuities over five centuries and across an immensely diverse range of regions. The richness of Native American art is emphasized through discussions of basketry, wood and rock carvings, dance masks, and beadwork, alongside the contemporary vitality of paintings and installations by modern artists such as Robert Davidson, Emmi Whitehorse, and Alex Janvier. Authors Berlo and Philips fully incorporate substantive new research and scholarship, and examine such issues as gender, representation, the colonial encounter, and contemporary arts. By encompassing both the sacred and secular, political and domestic, the ceremonial and commercial, Native North American Art shows the importance of the visual arts in maintaining the integrity of spiritual, social, political, and economic systems within Native North American societies.
Review
"The best guide yet to understanding the complexities of Native North American art....a solidly ground, sophisticated history, combining art history, anthropology, and cultural studies...splendidly well-written...useful and timely."--Gerald McMaster, Curator of Art, Canadian Museum of Civilization
Review
"The best guide yet to understanding the complexities of Native North American art....a solidly ground, sophisticated history, combining art history, anthropology, and cultural studies...splendidly well-written...useful and timely."--Gerald McMaster, Curator of Art, Canadian Museum of Civilization
"An outstanding new volume in the Oxford History of Art series. Designed to introduce readers to the depth and diversity of Native regional art, it is also a highly readable introduction to Native North American history and anthropology."--Foreword
"A fine statement, covering in fewer than 300 pages the artistic output of most Native American tribes across the northern hemisphere over a period of more than eight centuries.... Illustrations are especially fresh, varied, and well chosen."--Library Journal
"Nicely organized and clearly written-- very good illustrations."--Pat McDonald, Calhoun Community College
"This book has it all--a fresh, readable style, wonderful supporting photos and diagrams, and it's inexpensive. Berlo and Phillips also present a holistic view of Native American Art--just as it should be. Brava!"--Helen Barnes, Wichita State University
"An excellent textbook--politically aware and well-written. An especially good bibliographic essay. One of the best aspects of this text is the integration of arts from all periods--ancient through contemporary."--Matthew Looper, California State University at Chico
"An excellent book which includes information on various ethical issues surrounding the collection, display, and documentation of native American arts."--Maude Wahlman, University of Missouri, Kansas City
Description
Includes bibliographical references (p. 254-273) and index.
About the Author
Janet Catherine Berlo is the Susan B. Anthony Chair of Gender and Women's Studies and Professor of Art History at the University of Rochester, New York.
Ruth Phillips is Director of the Museum of Anthropology and Professor of Fine Art and Anthropology at the University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada
Table of Contents
Chapter 1: An Introduction to the Indigenous Arts of North AmericaArt History and Native art
What is 'art'? Western discourses and Native American objects
Modes of appreciation: curiosity, specimen, artefact, and art
What is an Indian? Clan, community, political structure, and art
Cosmology
The map of the cosmos
The nature of spirit
Dreams and the vision quest
Shamanism
Art and the public celebration of power
The power of personal adornment
'Creativity is our tradition': innovation and tradition in Native American art
Gender and the making of art
Chapter 2: The Southwest
The Southwest as a region
The ancient world
From the colonial era to the modern Pueblos
Navajo and Apache arts
Chapter 3: The East
The East as a region
Hunting cultures, burial practices, and Early Woodlands art forms
Mississippian art and culture
The cataclysm of contact: the Southeast
The early contact period in the Northeast
Arts of the middle ground
Arts of self-adornment
Chapter 4: The West
Introduction
The Great Plains
The Intermontaine region--an artistic crossroads
The Far West: arts of California and the Great Basin
Chapter 5: The North
Geography, environment, and language in the North
Sub-arctic clothing: art to honour and protect
The Arctic
Chapter 6: The Northwest Coast
Origins
The early contact period
Styles and techniques
Western connoisseurship and Northwest Coast art
Shamanism
Crest art
The potlatch
Art, commodity, and oral tradition
Northwest Coast art in the twentieth century
Chapter 7: The Twentieth Century: Trends in Modern Native Art
Questions of definition
Commoditization and contemporary art
Moments of beginning
The Southern Plains and the Kiowa Five
The Southwest and the 'Studio' style
The display and marketing of American Indian art: exhibitions, mural projects, and competitions
Native American modernisms, 1950-80
Institutional frameworks and modernism in Canada
Postmodernism, installation, and other post-studio art
Notes
List of Illustrations
Bibliographic Essay
Timeline
Index
Chapter 1: An Introduction to the Indigenous Arts of North America Art History and Native Art; What is 'Art'? Western Discourses and Native American Objects; Modes of Appreciation: Curiosity, Specimen, Artefact, and Art; What is an Indian? Clan, Community, Political Structure, and Art; Cosmology; The Map of the Cosmos; The Nature of Spirit; Dreams and the Vision Quest; Shamanism; Art and the Public Celebration of Power; The Power of Personal Adornment; 'Creativity is our Tradition': Innovation and Tradition in Native American Art; Gender and the Making of Art
Chapter 2: The Southwest The Southwest as a Region; The Ancient World; From the Colonial Era to the Modern Pueblos; Navajo and Apache Arts
Chapter 3: The East The East as a Region; Hunting Cultures, Burial Practices, and Early Woodlands Art Forms; Mississippian Art and Culture; The Cataclysm of Contact: the Southeast; The Early Contact Period in the Northeast; Arts of the Middle Ground; Arts of Self-Adornment
Chapter 4: The West Introduction; The Great Plains; The Intermontaine Regionan Artistic Crossroads; The Far West: Arts of California and the Great Basin
Chapter 5: The North Geography, Environment, and Language in the North; Sub-Arctic Clothing: Art to Honour and Protect; The Arctic
Chapter 6: The Northwest Coast Origins; The Early Contact Period; Styles and Techniques; Western Connoisseurship and Northwest Coast Art; Shamanism; Crest Art; The Potlatch; Art, Commodity, and Concepts of Replication; Northwest Coast Art in the Twentieth Century
Chapter 7: The Twentieth Century: Trends in Modern Native Art Questions of Definition; Commoditization and Contemporary Art; Moments of Beginning; The Southern Plains and the Kiowa Five; The Southwest and the 'Studio' Style; The Display and Marketing of American Indian Art: Exhibitions, Mural Projects, and Competitions; Native American Modernisms 195080; Institutional Frameworks and Modernisms in Canada; Postmodernism, Installation, and other Post-Studio Art
Notes List of Illustrations Bibliographic Essay Timeline Index