When Authenticity Matters

As a woman in today’s culture, I can’t deny that I love a new piece of jewelry. Be it a gift from a special someone or window-shopping at the mall, I am attracted to the shiniest thing in the display case. Buying the most unique item in the store is often the goal, with hopes of receiving compliments and interest at the next cocktail party. The unique item for the Spring 2012 fashion season is turquoise jewelry. Turquoise in the United States has been associated with southwestern Native American culture broadly for many years, but what do the current wearers of turquoise really know about the native culture it hails from? How do big name sellers of this trending jewelry, which include the Smithsonian Institution, represent the culture in which these items are made?

An example of popular symbols made out of turquoise for sale.

Turquoise has been a prized gemstone for thousands of years, cultivated in desert regions of the Middle East like Egypt and Persia, as well as the Southwestern region of the United States. Among native cultures it is known for its medicinal powers, giving the wearer both physical and mental healing for ailments. The Navajo, who are currently one of the largest craft groups of authentic turquoise jewelry, have historically carved turquoise in to a variety of shapes and sizes to serve multiple religious and aesthetic purposes. Today’s southwestern culture of turquoise manifests itself in craft goods made by native people for profit. Beginning in the 1850’s, creating metal-worked gemstone jewelry became a trade business. First by the Navajo, then the Hopi and the Zuni, turquoise jewelry was produced among other things to bring much needed revenue to native tribes. Turquoise jewelry created for trade consumption is much different than personally made adornments for native people, created as “an amalgam of actual Southwestern Native American symbols and superfluous designs contrived to fit the tourist idea of what Indian jewelry ought to look like.”[1]. Turquoise jewelry has become increasingly popular among tourists ever since.

The most unlikely places now sell turquoise because it is “popular” this fashion season. Museums have not ignored this trending market for capitol. The largest museum system in the United States, the Smithsonian Institution, is following these fashions. At SmithsonianStore.com, you can find a wide variety of turquoise jewelry. There is a small section on each buying page that offers what they call a “Museum Provenance”. Flipping through the different pieces, I realized that this “provenance” was exactly the same paragraph for each Native American piece. The information given ironically suggests that turquoise was “originally used exclusively for Navajo ceremonies and religious rituals”[2], acknowledging that this gem might be a sacred ritual item to this culture, but is still available for purchase. The artist or the community they come from is completely unmentioned. Visitors and online shoppers alike are able to buy turquoise without visiting or having any knowledge about any native culture. While connecting it to the National Museum of the American Indian (NMAI) collection broadly, there is no detail of the why these objects connect to collection items, other than that they are Native American made.

A native jewelry maker passes this tradition to a young boy, likely his son.

The general non-native public is willing to purchase these pieces because they are “trendy” and want to say they own a piece of native culture, regardless of who has made it. However, finding a connection to who made these pieces can bring authenticity to the purchase. Having worked at Mesa Verde National Park in southern Colorado, I have seen native materials handled and sold much differently. Many tribes sell trade items at this National Park Site, including jewelry and pottery. Each native made pot, for example, comes with a small card that has a picture of the artist, their tribe and a description of their art training. This encourages future sales for artists and provides a personal connection and appreciation for their craft. There is no doubt this pottery is an authentic piece, in both provenance and in the character that created this beautiful work of art. If this principle where applied to the jewelry sold at the Smithsonian Store, an added layer of artistic appreciation could help provide recognition to native craft people and their beautiful pieces.

This authenticity is what gives you the most unique piece in the room.

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[1] http://www.camerontradingpost.com/turquoisehx.html

[2] http://www.smithsonianstore.com/jewelry/turquoise-jewelry/taos-turquoise-drop-necklace-45499.html

Photos:

http://www.southwestshowroom.com/categories/vintage-jewelry_page_1.html

http://www.visualphotos.com/image/1×5074231/native_american_jewelry_making

Freedom Highway

Since Iris Morales visited us last week, I have been thinking about the particular power of art to promote change and social justice.  Ms. Morales clearly believes that art is a key part of any social movement.  It is not ancillary, but rather has its own unique and necessary role to play.  I think that we are often overly optimistic about the power of art to bring about social change.  However, I want to highlight a group that indisputably had an effect on a social justice movement: The Staple Singers.

The Staple Singers were composed of Roebuck “Pops” Staples and his children Mavis, Pervis, Cleotha, and Yvonne.  They initially performed as a gospel ensemble, but in 1963 Pops Staples met and befriended Martin Luther King Jr.  The Staple Singers began writing and performing “freedom songs” at civil rights marches and rallies.  Their 1965 song “Freedom Highway” was inspired by the famous march on Selma, Alabama.

What is most interesting to me about this song is that it takes a tragic and violent event and turns it into a reason for uplift and inspiration.  I think this gets at why the Staple Singers were such an important part of the civil rights movement, and why their music was so successful. Their music is affirmative, uplifting and inspiring rather than confrontational.  They were able to energize crowds and bring hope to an extremely difficult situation.

Hidden Elves in Denver: The Artistry of the Museum Diorama

There are elves hidden in the Denver Museum of Nature and Science. They live amongst white-tailed deer, pronghorns, and blue herons in the museum’s dioramas. Some hide in trees, while one is perched on a dinosaur’s back. But all of these elves are the creation of one man – artist Kent R. Pendleton.

According to museum lore, Pendleton was not allowed to sign his name to diorama backgrounds he painted. Instead, he hid the elves as a way to leave his mark on the exhibitions. Interested in finding all of the known elves? A “Seek and Find” of museum secrets is available at the front desk, as the DMNS has truly embraced the tiny, mythical creatures.

This acceptance signals two recent trends in museum dioramas: the reconsideration of dioramas as composed artworks and the recognition of those diorama artists. Today museum dioramas are problematic for many museums, as they generally represent turn-of-the-century colonial views within museology. However, for many visitors, dioramas continue to offer moments of wonder inspired by the natural world. By considering the artistry behind dioramas, museums can redefine the place of these exhibitions within the contemporary museum.

Created as scientific educational tools, dioramas pose taxidermied animals in a natural scene to offer a sense of the animal’s native habitat. At the American Museum of Natural History, artists went into the field to collect animal and plant specimens; each diorama is representative of an actual place in the natural world.

Artist Raymond deLucia works on a diorama at the American Museum of Natural History in 1939. Source: the American Museum of Natural History website

Still, taxidermy, background, and foreground artists played a huge part in crafting the scene: how are the animals posed? Do they interact? How does the weather reflect the mood of the diorama? What is the spatial relationship between the taxidermies and the botanical models?

AMNH has developed online exhibition resources to shed greater light on its beloved dioramas. From biographies of the diorama artists to virtual tours and behind the scenes views, the dioramas website is replete with information about the creation of these composed scenes. The online video collection ranks among the best of these features. Many are recorded by Stephen Quinn, author of Windows On Nature: The Great Habitat Dioramas of the American Museum of Natural History, and use the backdrop of dioramas to situate historical research on their creation.

However, the website also includes archival footage of background artist James Perry Wilson painting the scene for the Fisher and Porcupine diorama in the Hall of North American Mammals. By illustrating the process and challenges of painting a large-scale diorama background as Wilson works, the narrator emphasizes the technical technique and artistry in the exhibitions.

In sharing the archival footage on the internet, the museum is able to recast the dioramas as artworks derived from scientific observation and study. This artistic perspective helps alleviate some of the problems of maintaining exhibitions of a different era. Above all, it elevates the work of talented museum professionals, obviously illuminating personal perspective and curatorial decisions to dioramas intended to mimic nature.

Joseph Pulitzer in the Dominican Republic

 

In 2008, Junot Diaz become only the second Latino to win the Pulitzer Prize in fiction for his novel, The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao. Only Oscar Hijuelos preceded Diaz, winning the award in 1990 for The Mambo Kings Play Songs of Love. The Pulitzer Prize was establish by Joseph Pulitzer upon his death, and has been awarded in the Fiction category since 1918 (the category was originally named Novel until 1947). The authors who have been awarded the prize for fiction arguably include the most influential American writers of the twentieth century; Ernest Hemingway, John Steinbeck, John Updike, Alice Walker, William Faulkner, and Toni Morrison just to name a few. The award is traditionally bestowed upon writers who have previously exhibited excellence, and who the board feels will continue to be a significant influence in the field. Some argue that the Pulitzers have traditionally shunned minorities in the past, and by the current record of Latino prize winners, there may be some truth to this. But the significance of the Pulitzers cannot be denied. Their bestowal of the award for Diaz’s work is monumental regardless of his ethnicity. After Diaz’s win, Hijuelos cautioned, “You have to be careful in the sense of encountering people who wouldn’t give you the time of day before, and suddenly you’re in the club…For me, when I won the Pulitzer, I remember thinking, ‘Where were all these Latino lovers before?’”[1]

Like Junot’s short stories, Oscar Wao, is a very personal depiction of life in America for children of Dominican immigrants. It brings to life an aspect of American society previously unknown to outsiders. So rather than ask where all the Latino lovers have been, Junot Diaz actually invites everyone to join in. This personal feeling has been a characteristic of all of the literary readings we have read throughout this semester. Richard Wright, Anzia Yezierska, Sherman Alexie, and Diaz use very personal depictions of their environments growing up to educate audiences about their cultural and ethnic heritages. And these authors have crafted some of the most compelling literature in American history. So why has it taken eighteen years for the Pulitzer Prizes to award its second Latino author? Are authors who specifically target audiences outside their respective ethnic identities fulfilling their responsibilities to the larger society? Or are they selling out by using their heritage to attract larger audiences? Is it the art and cultural award organizations’ responsibility to promote works by different ethnic or minority groups?

[1] Carlos Rodriguez Martorell, “Take it easy Junot, says fellow Pulitzer Prize-winner Oscar Hijuelos,” New York Daily News, April 15, 2008.

Miss Chief Eagle Testickle

Native Americans wearing thigh-high platform moccasins?  A head dress made of pink feather boas?  A recreated tipi decorated with Louis Vuitton suitcases and a chandelier?  Kent Monkman, a noted Canadian artist, has used his native Cree heritage to create paintings, films, installations and performances that question and challenge traditional perspectives of native peoples.  His artwork also addresses the strong gender roles associated with native peoples and overly masculine frontier cowboys.  Jessica Lack, from The Guardian newspaper, noted of Monkman in 2008: “Funny and politically incisive, his injection of some Cher-like glamour into the heart of America’s butch psyche is like throwing a Versace wedge into an auto-repair shop.” Monkman’s alter-ego, Miss Chief Eagle Testickle, is a modern interpretation of a berdache or a two-spirit, a native person who fulfills mixed gender roles. 

George Catlin first documented a two-spirit in his painting, Dance to the Berdache (1832-1839), in which a tribe is shown celebrating an individual wearing both male and female dress.  Catlin and now Monkman have completely flipped the universal view of the warrior or noble savage.  Miss Chief appears in Monkman’s paintings which usually depict a traditional nineteenth century landscape and figures representing or engaging in mixed gender roles. 

So far, Monkman has been warmly received and reviewed by the art community, but it is unclear how other native peoples view his representations.  Do Monkman’s interpretations actually challenge traditional masculine perceptions of native peoples?  Is this method of art and performance too obscure and limiting for broader audiences?  Should Monkman focus more on accurate historical representations such as that in Catlin’s work instead of using a combination of traditional and modern interpretation?

damali ayo: The 21st Century Richard Wright?

damali ayo

Moving into the present, I stumbled upon the websites of damali ayo (her capitalization), a writer, performer, artist, comedian and activist, who uses what she describes as “Now Art” to engage audiences in discussing current race relations in America.  ayo created the website “Rent-A-Negro” as a type of performance art and followed it with the companion book, How to Rent a Negro in 2005.  The website and book raise questions regarding racial relationships in a satirical and witty way by providing humorous tips, quizzes and terms. 

ayo also created, “I Can Fix It!” a free guide that outlines ten solutions for increased public participation in positive race relations.  Like Richard Wright her work relies heavily on her own experiences growing up in a white-centric America.  She captures the attention of the public through humor, then candidly opens up and encourages discussion of taboo topics.  Instead of trying to describe her interactive work in detail, I highly recommend viewing the following clip of ayo’s interview with Bill O’Reilly, and visiting her websites to learn about her art and programming.

Painting a Unified Labor Force

"Dress Shop" by Ralph Fasanella (1972) owned by the Fenimore Art Museum, Cooperstown, NY.

This piece reveals the ability art has to address important political and social issues.  It depicts a garment factory symbolizing the factory that Fasanella worked in as a young man with his mother and sister.  Fasanella, his mother, and his sister are all painted in the scene, highlighting the import role the factory played in his family life.  There is a sign towards the bottom left of the factory which says “In Memory of Triangle Workers”.  This sign and the painting as a whole, is paying homage to the 146 young immigrant workers who perished in the Triangle Waist Factory Fire of 1911.  This fire was significant to labor history, as it revealed the poor working conditions of industrial workers.

The windows of the factory display historical newspaper headlines and the paintings of the events they describe.  Amongst the historical events are the assassinations of John F. Kennedy and Martin Luther King Jr.  This component continues with the theme of paying homage to important historical events and those who have perished.  Fasanella kept newspaper clippings he found important in his studio in New York City as inspiration for his work.

To the left of the factory are 1920s New York City tenements and to the right of the factory are 1970s New York City apartment buildings.  This allows the viewer to compare and contrast living conditions in New York City in these two important decades of political and social change.

Car Sickness or Papi’s Affair?

Junot Diaz‘s “Fiesta 1980″ is a short story about an immigrant family from Santo Domingo who attends a family party in the Bronx. The story is told from the perspective of Yunior, a young boy, who seems to be very observant of the immediate world that surrounds him. The middle child of three, he is prone to car sickness and, as a result of this unfortunate habit, we learn the nature of his parents. On one side is his nurturing, caring mother, who gives him mentas before each car ride in an attempt to settle his stomach. Contrasting this character is her husband, known to Yunior as Papi, who does not ever seem to show much concern or compassion for Yunior or anyone else besides his Puerto Rican mistress whom he actually takes his sons to meet and eat dinner with on several occasions. 

Is this story meant to be a glimpse into the lives of a Latino immigrant family? If so, is it thought to be an accurate portrayal: loving mother, brash father, older brother whose main concern is getting with girls, younger sister who does little more than look cute as she sleeps through practically the entire story? Mami and Tia, who are sisters, whisper secretly in the corner as the party becomes more wild through the night. Yunior guards the bedroom door while brother Rafa is inside with Leti, a girl he just met. Papi’s voice is so loud and boisterous, it can be heard from the street below. Tio, Yunior and Rafa’s uncle, tells them that if they were still in Santo Domingo, where he grew up, they would be drinking cervezas and getting with girls all the time, an idea that seems a fantasy to the two young boys.

That’s what they left behind for America? Yunior does not mention life before moving to New York City, except when he thinks of how his father must have begun his affair with the Puerto Rican woman while his family was waiting for him to send for them in the Dominican Republic. The affair clearly bothers Yunior and the story concludes on the family’s ride home from the party. While his parents appear possibly to be sharing a special moment as Papi’s hand rests on Mami’s leg, Yunior calls their attention, but the reason is unclear. Is he telling them that his carsickness is once again rearing its ugly head? Or is he going to bring up his father’s secret love life?  Whether or not Junot Diaz has intended his work to become an example of an average Latino immigrant family in America or not, he has certainly presented a compelling story of human experience.

Is Feminism Dead?

"It's A Small World, But Not If You Have To Clean It" by Barbara Kruger (1990)

Barbara Kruger’s 1990 piece provides a satirical look over the white picket fences of suburban America in the 1950s and 1960s.  What is this young woman doing as she peers through her magnifying glass?  Why, inspecting for dirt of course!  This image of woman as dirt detective addresses the plight of the suburban housewife; the empty, dead feeling a married suburban woman felt as she lived only to serve her husband and children.

Women’s issues such equal wages and equal job opportunities were propelled to the forefront in the 1960s with the help of feminist authors such as Betty Freidan and women organizations like the National Organization of Women and New York Radical Women.  However, one of the most influential movements addressing important women’s issues was The Feminist Art Movement.

The Feminist Art Movement began in the late 1960s and paralleled the Feminist Movement occurring at the same time.  Many women used art to claim ownership over their mind, spirit, and body.  The movement addressed issues of men’s perception of women’s bodies, a male dominated art world, and worked towards making women artists more visible in art history discourse.  The exhibition Women Artists of America: 1707 – 1964 at The Newark Museum in New Jersey, 1965 was influential in bringing women artists to the forefront of art history studies.

In 2007 the LAMOCA did a large exhibition presenting an historical overview of the role art played in the Feminist Movement.  WACK! Art and the Feminist Revolution focuses on the crucial period of 1965 – 80 in which the majority of feminist activism and artmaking occurred internationally.  The exhibition is no longer showing, but the exhibition catalogue is still available for purchase.

The Elizabeth A. Sackler Center for Feminist Art at the Brooklyn Museum has a strong mission committed to teaching, exhibiting, and preserving feminist art.  The center is home to Judy Chicago’s The Dinner Party (1974-1979).  This instillation is made of three long tables arranged into a triangle. There are 39 settings throughout the tables, representing 39 vaginas of 39 historical and mythical figures. 999 women’s names are inscribed upon the Heritage floor which the table stands on. Through this piece we see a woman artist giving women a voice in a history. The discourse of history was so commonly written by men of power about men of power. The Feminist Art Movement sought to expose this fact and change it. More pieces of this nature can be found through the center’s online Feminist Art Database.

Some Post-Modernists ask the question, “Is Feminism dead?” I don’t believe so. Reproductive rights, same-sex marriages, and the fight for equal pay are still hot button topics within today’s world. The growing commitment to collecting and promoting Feminist Art is indicative of the fact that feminists still walk among us. Institutions such as The Feminist Art Project at Rutgers University in New Brunswick, New Jersey and the Sackler Center for Feminist Art remind us that feminists are continuing to use art as a catalyst for social change.