An Ethnographic Exploration of Visual Sovereignty and Contemporary Native American Art
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University of Denver Digital Commons @ DU Electronic Theses and Dissertations Graduate Studies 2020 Framing Representation: An Ethnographic Exploration of Visual Sovereignty and Contemporary Native American Art Laura A. Hughes University of Denver Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.du.edu/etd Part of the Indigenous Studies Commons, and the Museum Studies Commons Recommended Citation Hughes, Laura A., "Framing Representation: An Ethnographic Exploration of Visual Sovereignty and Contemporary Native American Art" (2020). Electronic Theses and Dissertations. 1782. https://digitalcommons.du.edu/etd/1782 This Thesis is brought to you for free and open access by the Graduate Studies at Digital Commons @ DU. It has been accepted for inclusion in Electronic Theses and Dissertations by an authorized administrator of Digital Commons @ DU. For more information, please contact [email protected],[email protected]. Framing Representation: An Ethnographic Exploration of Visual Sovereignty and Contemporary Native American Art ______________ A Thesis Presented to the Faculty of the College of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences University of Denver ____________ In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree Master of Arts ____________ by Laura A. Hughes August 2020 Advisor: Dr. Christina Kreps ©Copyright by Laura A. Hughes 2020 All Rights Reserved Author: Laura A. Hughes Title: Framing Representation: An Ethnographic Exploration of Visual Sovereignty and Contemporary Native American Art Advisor: Dr. Christina Kreps Degree Date: August 2020 Abstract The nature of this research is to explore the idea of visual sovereignty within contemporary Native American art, and how this concept engages with practices of decolonization. Through conducting semi-structured interviews with five artists who self- identify as Native American, I explore how the artists engage with this concept, what visual narratives their artwork presents, and how their works function as acts of decolonization. I connect their narratives to a broader conversation of critical museology and museum anthropology within museum spaces including how to reconsider the art/artifact divide, how to frame Indigenous arts reception through Indigenous aesthetics, and how their narratives add multiplicity to the concept of sovereignty. This research utilizes critical ethnography and narrative methodology to present the data, which is interpreted through the frameworks of visual sovereignty, Tribal Critical Race Theory, and both relational and Indigenous aesthetics. ii Acknowledgements I would like to pay special regards to the artists who participated in this research, imparting their invaluable knowledge and time to contribute to my ongoing journey of education and self-reflection. To Melanie Yazzie, Gregg Deal, Kristina Maldonado Bad Hand, Hock E Aye Vi Edgar Heap of Birds, and Rose B. Simpson, this research would not have succeeded, nor been as meaningful, without your thoughtful contributions to such a complicated area of research. I would like to thank all of the faculty in the Department of Anthropology at the University of Denver, especially my committee members, Dr. Christina Kreps, Dr. Kelly Fayard, Dr. Dean Saitta, and Dr. Annabeth Headrick from Art History. To Dr. Kreps and Dr. Fayard, I want to specifically thank you both for your patience, feedback, and advice as I worked through the many drafts of this thesis. I want to express gratitude to Melissa Kocelko, Manuel Ferreira, Talaya Banks, Madeline Rahme, Sarah Beals, Lucor Jordan, Madison Dillard, and Nicholas Dungey for being an incredibly supportive cohort who have each contributed to my overall success as a graduate student. Last and certainly not least, I want to thank my mother Kathleen, my father William Jr., my siblings Elizabeth and William III, and all of my family and friends for the emotional support and encouragement they have offered along the way. I truly could not have done this without you all. iii Table of Contents Abstract ......................................................................................................................... ii Acknowledgements ..................................................................................................... iii Table of Contents ......................................................................................................... iv Chapter One: Introduction and Background ................................................................. 1 Background .......................................................................................................... 4 Terminology and Definitions ............................................................................ 13 Chapter Two: Literature Review ................................................................................ 16 Art and Anthropology ........................................................................................ 16 Art Market ......................................................................................................... 21 Indigenous Aesthetics ........................................................................................ 23 Visual Sovereignty ............................................................................................ 26 Museums and Visual Sovereignty ..................................................................... 28 Chapter Three: Theoretical Framework ..................................................................... 33 Visual Sovereignty ............................................................................................ 33 Tribal Critical Race Theory ............................................................................... 39 Relational and Indigenous Aesthetics ............................................................... 43 Chapter Four: Research Design and Methodology .................................................... 47 Research Design ............................................................................................... 48 Ethics and Positionality .................................................................................... 49 Methodology ..................................................................................................... 50 Critical Ethnography ..................................................................................... 50 Narrative methodology ................................................................................. 52 Chapter Five: Artist Narratives .................................................................................. 54 Melanie Yazzie ................................................................................................. 54 Gregg Deal ........................................................................................................ 66 Kristina Maldonado Bad Hand ......................................................................... 78 Hock E Aye Vi Edgar Heap of Birds ................................................................ 90 Rose B. Simpson ............................................................................................. 104 Chapter Six: Central Themes .................................................................................... 117 Theme #1: Functionality of Art ....................................................................... 117 Art as Educational and Communicative ...................................................... 121 Art as Visibility ........................................................................................... 124 Theme #2: Factors that Inhibit Indigenous Artists and Art Reception ............ 127 Lack of Context ........................................................................................... 128 iv Classification of Indigenous Art .................................................................. 130 Commodification and Craftivism ................................................................ 131 Institutional Push Back and Colonialism ..................................................... 133 Theme #3: Sovereignty and Decolonization ................................................... 137 Sovereignty .................................................................................................. 138 Decolonization ............................................................................................. 141 Chapter Seven: Thematic Discussion ....................................................................... 146 Functionality of Art Discussion ....................................................................... 146 Factors that Inhibit Indigenous Artists and Art Reception Discussion ........... 153 Sovereignty and Decolonization Discussion ................................................... 159 Chapter Eight: Findings and Conclusions ................................................................ 163 Conclusion ....................................................................................................... 168 References ................................................................................................................. 170 v Chapter One: Introduction and Background This thesis is an exploration of Jolene Rickard’s (Tuscarora) theoretical concept of visual sovereignty. Since the early 1990’s, Rickard has been theorizing about visual sovereignty as a way to diversify political sovereignty through Indigenous art. As a paradigmatic tool, Rickard argues that visual sovereignty becomes