Representation in Museums
In 1910, the art of the Native American culture began to be displayed in art museums. The first was an art museum in Brooklyn, which presented Native American culture’s works as serious art. The curator, Stuart Culin, selected one tribe to represent the entire region of North America. Objects exhibited in the museum were organized based on their function. Very descriptive labels, photographs, small-scale models, and others means were used to attempt to portray the environment in which this culture lived.
In 1925, Culin established another gallery for American Indian collections. This gallery had many of the same aspects as the first; however, this one involved more world cultures. It included Asian and Eastern European cultures, Africa, Oceania, and the Americas. Each culture, Culin chose a color to match. Southwest had a pink background painted walls, while the color green was chosen for the Africa section. With the objects and cultures of the world matching with specific colors, this was an attempt for Culin to symbolize each …show more content…
Artists even referred to this type of art in stressing the importance of these works and how they produced dimensions of a tribe’s culture. Subsequently, an artist by the name of Joan Sloan and dealer Amelia White, in 1931, organized an expose showing modern watercolors by Pueblo Indians adjacent to the artwork of their ancestors, beadwork, pottery, poetry, and baskets. This exhibit was the Exposition of Indian Tribal Arts. This was a crowning exhibit in the history of representation of native culture’s art in museums. It was one of the first exhibits to display modern and historic works of art as one. The exhibition depicted the evolution and importance of each piece, showing the existence and talents of past and present artists of the culture (changing,
In 1910, the art of the Native American culture began to be displayed in art museums. The first was an art museum in Brooklyn, which presented Native American culture’s works as serious art. The curator, Stuart Culin, selected one tribe to represent the entire region of North America. Objects exhibited in the museum were organized based on their function. Very descriptive labels, photographs, small-scale models, and others means were used to attempt to portray the environment in which this culture lived.
In 1925, Culin established another gallery for American Indian collections. This gallery had many of the same aspects as the first; however, this one involved more world cultures. It included Asian and Eastern European cultures, Africa, Oceania, and the Americas. Each culture, Culin chose a color to match. Southwest had a pink background painted walls, while the color green was chosen for the Africa section. With the objects and cultures of the world matching with specific colors, this was an attempt for Culin to symbolize each …show more content…
Artists even referred to this type of art in stressing the importance of these works and how they produced dimensions of a tribe’s culture. Subsequently, an artist by the name of Joan Sloan and dealer Amelia White, in 1931, organized an expose showing modern watercolors by Pueblo Indians adjacent to the artwork of their ancestors, beadwork, pottery, poetry, and baskets. This exhibit was the Exposition of Indian Tribal Arts. This was a crowning exhibit in the history of representation of native culture’s art in museums. It was one of the first exhibits to display modern and historic works of art as one. The exhibition depicted the evolution and importance of each piece, showing the existence and talents of past and present artists of the culture (changing,