WSU Museum of Art Exhibits Contemporary Native American Art

PULLMAN, Wash. — Washington State University’s Museum of Art will present “Art in 2 Worlds: The Native American Fine Art Invitational 1983-1997,” from Sept. 2 through October 19.

The exhibition, curated by the Heard Museum of Art in Phoenix, features 52 contemporary works from 48 Native American artists.  “This retrospective exhibition looks at the series of Native American Fine Art Invitational exhibits that, over the past 15 years, have featured artists on the cutting edge of the Native American Fine Art Movement,” said Margaret Archuleta, curator of fine art for the Heard Museum.

A reception will follow the opening from 6-8 p.m.

The museum will host guest lecturer Michael Holloman, director for Spokane’s Center for Plateau Cultural Studies at the Northwest Museum of Arts and Culture at 7 p.m. Sept. 12 in the auditorium at the Fine Arts Center. Here, WSU’s College of Liberal Arts will honor Holloman with an Outstanding Alumni Award. A reception will follow.

Along with the large exhibition in the Museum of Art, there are expanded venues titled “Art in the 2000s.” These mini-exhibits will showcase regional native artists, Rick Bartow, Joe Feddersen, and Lillian Pitt, also featured in “Art in 2 Worlds.”

“The Museum of Art/WSU has taken this opportunity to explore the Native American arts of our region in a series of exhibitions to accompany the wonderful exhibition from the Heard Museum,” said Roger Rowley, curator of exhibitions for the Museum of Art. “It has been a pleasure to work with and celebrate the creative energy of these communities.”

The expanded series locations and times are Sept. 2-18 at the New Holland Library in the atrium display cases, Sept. 15-Oct. 4 at the Compton Union Building Gallery, Sept.15-Oct. 10 in Gallery II of the Fine Arts Center and Sept. 2-Oct. 19. at the anthropology department The Museum of Art will be open Monday-Friday, 10 a.m.-4 p.m., Thursday,10 a.m.-7 p.m., and Saturday-Sunday, 1 p.m.-5 p.m. starting Sept. 2.

“The works in this exhibit come out of unique individual experiences, all under the broad banner of what it can mean to be a Native American artist in contemporary society,” said Chris Bruce, director of the Museum of Art. “The Heard Museum invitational has, over the past 15 years or so, become one of the defining events in the Native American Fine Arts Movement.  In committing to this annual program, the Heard Museum has provided a great service to the ongoing history of art — first, by recognizing the diversity of artistic expressions beyond the familiar artifacts of traditional cultures and second, by showcasing such varied points of view for the consideration of the mainstream art world.”

“Art in 2 Worlds” is a program of ExhibitsUSA, a national division of Mid-America Arts Alliance, which is generously supported by the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation, H&R Block Foundation, Copper Foundation, Richard Florsheim Art Fund, Samuel H. Kress Foundation, Sprint, the National Endowment for the Arts, the National Endowment for the Humanities and the state art agencies of Arkansas, Kansas, Illinois, Missouri, Nebraska, Oklahoma, and Texas.

Support for this exhibit comes from the Samuel H. and Patricia W. Smith Arts Endowment.  Funding for the museum exhibitions and programs for the fiscal year is provided by WSU, the Friends of the Museum of Art, the WSU Foundation, Washington State Arts Commission and private donors. 

For more information on the WSU Museum of Art, visit http://www.wsu.edu/artmuse/.

 

 

 

 

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