Indigenous Influences

January 14 - March 26, 2017

Curated by Regan Shrumm

INDIGENOUS INFLUENCES

Exhibition Date: January 14, 2017 to March 26, 2017
Reception Date: Saturday, January 14, 2017 - 2:00pm

February 19, 1pm, Panel Discussion on Cultural Appropriation of Indigenous artwork
March 5, 1pm, Curator Talk with Regan Shrumm

In the second floor galleries this winter, Indigenous Influences is an exhibition curated by Regan Shrumm, through the Dana and Toni Ann Rust Curatorial Fellowship at MoNA. The exhibition looks at works from MoNA’s permanent collection that are influenced by Pacific Northwest Indigenous communities.

Helmi Juvonen, Imaginative Perceptions, c. 1953, Linoleum print, 13.25” x 9.75”
1986.002.006, MoNA, gift of Dr. and Mrs. Ulrich Fritzsche

You can view the catalog for this exhibition CLICK HERE

Julius Twohy, Tobey, no date, Watercolor on paper, 18” x 13”
1986.021.001, MoNA, gift of Mark Tobey

Julius Twohy, Blessed Pony, Print, 16” x 23”
2012.298.140, MoNA, gift of James McGrath

Known as the ‘Mystics,’ Mark Tobey, Morris Graves, Kenneth Callahan, and Guy Anderson sought to create art that consciously responded to the world around them, including referencing the local regional landscape and cultures. These artists began to collect Native American art, visit local Indigenous ceremonies, and befriend anthropologists, all of which made a major impact on the artists’ styles, colors, and spiritual outlooks. However, the influence of style came at a cost to the local Indigenous nations. The exhibition examines the problematics and complexities of the artworks adopting Indigenous styles.

Swinomish Basket, collected 1916
Courtesy of Burke Museum of Natural History and Culture

Tlingit, Stikine Lidded Bentwood Box, c. 1900
Courtesy of Burke Museum of Natural History and Culture