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Native North American art
440 pages
A sweeping, visually and intellectually rich journey through millennia of Indigenous creativity and resilience.
What it feels like
Reading this survey feels like walking through a meticulously curated, expansive museum exhibition guided by deeply knowledgeable curators. The pace is steady and deliberate, allowing the reader to absorb the profound connections between the sacred and the secular, the ancient and the contemporary. The mood is one of reverence and intellectual curiosity, grounded in a deep respect for the resilience of Indigenous cultures. The prose is accessible yet scholarly, weaving together history, ethics, and aesthetics without overwhelming the reader with academic jargon. It is a deeply enriching experience that moves from historical awe to a powerful recognition of ongoing cultural vitality. This book will delight art history enthusiasts, museum-goers, and anyone seeking a nuanced understanding of North American Indigenous visual traditions.
- Mood
- contemplative
- expansive
- reverent
- intellectually stimulating
- Tone
- informative
- respectful
- scholarly
- engaging
- Pace
- steady
- Themes
- cultural resilience · sacred and secular intersections · colonial impact and survival · artistic evolution · identity and representation
- The writing
- Clear, accessible, and academically rigorous without being overly dense.
- The arc
- Moves from a sense of historical awe to a grounded understanding of ongoing cultural vitality and resilience.
- Who it's for
- Students of art history, museum-goers, and anyone seeking a comprehensive, respectful understanding of Indigenous North American visual culture.
Content notes
- colonialism
- cultural erasure
- racism
About the book
"This lively introductory survey of indigenous North American arts from ancient times to the present explores both the shared themes and imagery found across the continent and the distinctive traditions of each region. Focusing on the richness of artwork created in the US and Canada, Native North American Art, Second Edition, discusses 3,000 years of architecture, wood and rock carvings, basketry, dance masks, clothing and more. The expanded text discusses twentieth- and twenty-first-century arts in all media including works by James Luna, Kent Monkman, Nadia Myre, Jaune Quick-to-See Smith, Will Wilson, and many more. Authors Berlo and Phillips incorporate new research and scholarship, examining such issues as art and ethics, gender, representation, and the colonial encounter. By bringing into one conversation the seemingly separate realms of the sacred and the secular, the political and the domestic, and the ceremonial and the commercial, Native North American Art shows how visual arts not only maintain the integrity of spiritual and social systems within Native North American societies, but have long been part of a cross-cultural experience as well."--Back cover.
Description from Open Library.
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