You Are On Indian Land
Works by leading American Indian artists challenge the presentation and understanding of contemporary Native American art in the Museum of Northern Arizona’s upcoming exhibition, You Are On Indian Land, opening November 21. The special exhibition, included with museum admission, is on view through February 15, 2016.
Comprising a range of materials and processes, You Are On Indian Land addresses issues of post-colonial acculturation, cultural appropriation and social dissonance. Photography, assemblage sculptures, installation pieces, and video work create a visual dialogue and critical perspective on Indigenous art while actively engaging the notion of pop-culture, misappropriation and stereotypical representation through powerful and thought-provoking work.
Curated by independent curator Erin Joyce and the Museum’s Fine Art Curator Alan Petersen, You Are On Indian Land features work by Tamara Ann Burgh (Eskimo), Nicholas Galanin (Tlingit/Aleut), Ed Kabotie (Hopi-Tewa), Cannupa Luger (Mandan, Hidatsa, Arikara and Lakota), Michael Namingha (Hopi-Tewa), Steven Yazzie (Navajo), and interdisciplinary arts collective Postcommodity, which includes Raven Chacon (Navajo), Kade L. Twist (Cherokee Nation), and Cristobal Martinez (Chicano).
“The exhibition looks at themes of liminality, reclamation of representation, and misappropriation of Native cultures,” said Joyce. “It examines not only the idea of indigeneity, but also what it means to be a Native North American artist working in non-traditional mediums.”
“Viewers will be compelled to reconsider their understanding of ‘Indian’ art,” said Petersen.
The title of the exhibition, inspired by the 1969-1971 American Indian Movement occupation of the island of Alcatraz, looks at the idea of contested landscapes in American, revised treaties and cultural imprisonment. The exhibition debuted at the Radiator Gallery in New York City and was mounted later at the IAIA Museum of Contemporary Native Art in Santa Fe in May.
A member preview and artist reception will be held Friday, November 20, from 6:00 – 8:00 pm. A panel discussion with participating artists is scheduled for 2:00 pm on opening day, November 21, in the Museum’s Branigar Hall and is free with museum admission.
The Museum of Northern Arizona is located at 3101 N. Fort Valley Road in Flagstaff, Ariz. along scenic highway 180 to the Grand Canyon. Admission is $12 adult and $8 for youth, student (w/ ID) and American Indian (with tribal affiliation). MNA members and children under 10 are free.
To learn more about the Museum of Northern Arizona, visit musnaz.org or call 928.774.5213.