Description
Artwork reflecting the experiences of Indigenous communities can suggest nuanced strategies for confronting environmental exploitation and the legacies of colonialism. As the visibility of Indigenous art at international exhibitions and museums increases today, Art in America has published a special issue for October 2017 that assesses the magazine's historical coverage of Native American art, examines the role of art institutions in creating spaces for Indigenous culture, and offers critical discussions of the work of both emerging and established Indigenous artists.
In her contribution to the issue, art historian Jessica L. Horton discusses how opponents of the Dakota Access Pipeline use digital technologies and Native storytelling devices to counter yet another United States government violation of their lands and culture. She demonstrates how video and new media works by Native artists made over the last year about the crisis at Standing Rock are part of an enduring tradition of activism and creative response. To mark the launch of this special issue of Art in America, Maria Hupfield and Jason Lujan, two artists who run the curatorial collective Native Art Department International, screen a selection of recent works and discuss them with Horton.