THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 12, 2002
ARTS
THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN = 11
Indian Arts Festival hits local museums
By Mandalee Meisner Jayplay writer
The 14th Annual Indian Arts Festival kicks off this weekend with art exhibits and events at both the University of Kansas Museum of Anthropology and Spencer Museum of Art.
"Indian Arts Show: A Juried Competition" showcases and judges artwork from Native Americans in both traditional and contemporary media. The display will open tomorrow and run through Oct. 20 at the anthropology museum, east of the Kansas Union.
Mary Adair, museum director, said the Lawrence Indian Arts Show always drew major talent because the juried competition was one of the top 10 shows of its nature in the country and the largest in the Midwest.
"Reservation Blue's Song," an acrylicon-canvas piece by Levi Jiron, shows alcohol bottles labeled "lies" layered with traditional Native-American faces and hand print smears.
Adair said this piece, like many in
the competition, examined contemporary Native-American issues while integrating traditional and modern imagery.
"There's a lot of emotion that goes into something like this," Adair said.
"4 Photographers," on exhibit at the White Gallery in the art museum, west of the Union, explores Native American issues through the photographic medium.
The personal, contemporary work of Native-American artists Zig Jackson, Victor Masayesva Jr., Shelley Niro and Hulleah Tsinhnahjinnie contrasts sharply with the early 20th century portraiture of documentary photographer Edward S. Curtis.
Andrea Norris, director of the art museum and curator of the exhibit, said she purposefully left her own interpretations away from the contemporary photographs.
"My point of view is just one point of view," Norris said. "Lots of art can be interpreted many ways, but because this art is from a different culture, I'm especially sensitive about interpreting it."
Norris said one of Jackson's black-and white photographs provided an example of disparities between her curatorial translation of pieces and the artist's own intent.
The photo shows the artist sitting in full headdress on a bus in San Francisco. The other passengers look out windows, unaffected by his conspicuous attire.
Norris said she thought the photo played with stereotypical visions of the Native American. Jackson however, had a different view. He said the oblivious passengers in the photo expressed the invisibility of the Native American in contemporary culture, and the bus ride hinted at the dislocation of Native Americans from their homeland.
A tour of "4 Photographers" begins at 12:15 p.m. today, led by Norris. It Starts With a Whisper and Honey Moccasin, both films by Niro, will be shown at 7 tonight in the art museum's auditorium.
Contact Meisner at mmeisner@kansan.com. This story was edited by Amy Schmitz.
John Nowak/Kansan
This bronze sculpture is one of the entries in the juried competition portion of the 14th Annual Indian Arts Show.A panel of two Native Americans judged the art. Awards will be presented to the winning artists at an opening ceremony tomorrow at 7:30 p.m.
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