The State of the Field: Contemporary Native American Art Ceilon Hall Aspensen Doctoral Student Montana State University October 27, 2014 Aspensen 2 In assessing the state of the field of contemporary American Indian art, the most astounding discovery I have made thus far is that it is not a “field” as far as “TheArt Bulletin” is concerned. There are four “Art Bulletin” categories into which contemporary American Indian art might fall: Art of the United States, Contemporary Art, Art of the Twentieth Century, and Native American Art.1 However, the only category that Art Bulletin seems comfortable placing contemporary American Indian art is Native American Art, even though the span of Native American art in total can be tens of thousands of years. This might lead one to assume that contemporary American Indian art is not a legitimate category that deserves its own space at all, but I will put forth that it is indeed, and one to which more than a dozen academics have been contributing solid material for over a decade. One possible reason for the ambiguity of this subject may be as simple as the broader field of art history not having created a space for it yet, and there are probably many reasons for not settling on a single category yet, which could possibly lie in our discomfort with where to place American Indians as persons. Nevertheless, I leave it to actual art historians to sort out the reasons for the omission. However, this difficulty is one that rests solely within the field of art history, and not with the authors who have been writing about the Native Americans who have been making contemporary art for quite some time now. It is my hope that this paper will not only assist in establishing a solid and clearly defined space in the field of art history for contemporary American Indian art, but will also provide a thorough overview as to the scholarship contained within the field. 1 College Art Association, “Dissertations,” http://www.caareviews.org/dissertations (accessed October 5, 2014). Aspensen 3 Before we can fully enter into this discussion, let us first do a little housekeeping concerning terms indigenous to the field of contemporary American Indian art. Firstly, there are several ways of referring to American Indians, including American Indians, Native Americans, indigenous peoples, Indians (depending on the setting and context), or by their specific tribal affiliation (which is my general preference, if I know it). My colleagues in Native American Studies tend to use the terms interchangeably (as will I throughout this paper). Secondly, it is important to know what American Indian Art is, as it is the only art genre in the United States governed by legal definitions. As per the Indian Arts and Crafts Act of 1990, Indian art is only that which is made by an enrolled member of a federally or state recognized tribe.2 This law only applies in the United States, but it provides an excellent working definition of what American Indian art is: art made by American Indians. This can clear up any ambiguity concerning whether American Indian art might include art that depicts Native Americans that is created by non-indigenous artists—it is not, plain and simple. Additionally, it also can also clear up an area of concern that may cloud the issue of categories: American Indian art can be contemporary—made today—and does not have to be of any certain style that “looks” Native American. If an enrolled member of a federally or state recognized tribe made it, then it qualifies. Though there may or may not be similar legislation in other countries in the Americas that specifically designates what Native American art is, this rule could be used to shore up the category if art historians feel more comfortable having a set criteria for determining such. 2 Indian Arts and Crafts Board, “The Indian Arts and Crafts Act of 1990,” http://www.iacb.doi.gov/act.html (accessed October 5, 2014). Aspensen 4 Having now set some ground rules as to what constitutes contemporary American Indian art from a Native American perspective and legal definition, let us explore who has been publishing and what has been published in this field. In an exhaustive search through Art Bulletin, JStor, Art Abstracts, Project MUSE, as well as Amazon.com (whose database is so comprehensive that public libraries use it when their own internal database searches fail to produce desired results), I have identified the following topics around which academics have been writing concerning contemporary American Indian art: artist specific; genre specific; region specific; tribe specific; commodification of contemporary American Indian art; display, collectors and collections; intersectionality in visual culture; representational and identity politics; and shaking up the field of art history. Within these topics, the following authors have dominated the space: Bill Anthes, Janet Catherine Berlo, Lois Essary Jacka, Nancy Mithlo, David W. Penney, Ruth B. Phillips, Jack Rushing, III, Lowery Stokes Sims, Paul Chaat Smith, Charlene Touchette, Edwin L. Wade, and Kay WalkingStick. Of those listed, only four are art historians (Janet Catherine Berlo, David W. Penney, Ruth B. Phillips, and Lowery Stokes Sims); two are anthropologists (Nancy Mithlo and Edwin L. Wade); one is an American studies scholar (Bill Anthes), one falls within the realm of Native American studies and is an associate curator but has no credentials (Paul Chaat Smith); one is a working artist with an MFA (Kay WalkingStick), and one I will classify as “enthusiast” until I am able to track down her credentials or expertise, which are nowhere to be found, despite her numerous publications (Lois Essary Jacka). Of all the authors in this list, Jacka is the only one whose work might not be considered scholarly because her work has not been published Aspensen 5 in any academic journals or museum retrospectives (although I have submitted an inquiry to her regarding her experience and education related to the field in which she has published). Additionally, Paul Chaat Smith has no credentials, but is widely regarded as an expert on Native American art, and holds a curatorial position at the National Museum of the American Indian. Regardless of credentials, all of these artists created space for their work by publishing outside of the field of art history; and had they not, we would not know of the work of the American Indian artists about which they have written. In addition to the dozen authors introduced to this point, there are a few dissertations listed (but not necessarily published) by “The Art Bulletin” that fall into the area of contemporary American Indian Art between 2002 and 2014. In the next section of this document are five tables that enumerate these dissertations. Table 1 lists six dissertations in progress in the Contemporary Art category that include Native American art, but none were completed. Table 1: College Art Association dissertations on contemporary art that include Native American art3: Year: Completed: In Progress: 2013 0 0 2012 0 14 2011 0 2 2010 0 1 2009 0 1 2008 0 0 2007 0 0 2006 0 1 2005 0 0 2004 0 0 2003 0 0 2002 0 0 3 College Art Association, “Contemporary Art,” http://www.caareviews.org/category/7/dissertations (accessed October 5, 2014). 4 This dissertation is actually about indigenous art education, not the art itself. Dickenson, Rachelle, “A Question of Sovereignty: Indigenous Art Education in Canadian Universities” (York University, R. Hill) Aspensen 6 Table 2 lists seventy-four dissertations on Native American Art outside the context of contemporary art, including all forms of art not limited to visual representation (e.g., dance and music are included), and most are not about contemporary art. Of those seventy-four dissertations, only fourteen were completed. Table 2: College Art Association Dissertations on Native American Art outside the context of contemporary art, including all forms of art not limited to visual representation (e.g., dance and music are included), and most are not about contemporary art5: Year: Completed: In Progress: 2013 1 4 2012 2 7 2011 1 10 2010 0 10 2009 0 7 2008 2 4 2007 1 5 2006 3 6 2005 1 7 2004 2 6 2003 1 5 2002 0 3 Table 3 lists five dissertations on Art of the United States outside the context of contemporary art or Native American art, which include Native American art, none of which are about contemporary Native American art. Of the five dissertations in progress, all were completed, plus one. 5 College Art Association, “Native American,” http://www.caareviews.org/category/21/dissertations (accessed October 5, 2014). Aspensen 7 Table 3: College Art Association Dissertations on Art of the United States outside the context of contemporary art or Native American art, which include Native American art, none of which are about contemporary Native American art6: Year: Completed: In Progress: 2013 1 0 2012 0 0 2011 1 0 2010 0 0 2009 0 0 2008 2 1 2007 0 0 2006 1 1 2005 0 1 2004 1 1 2003 0 0 2002 0 1 Table 4 lists seven dissertations on Art of the twentieth century outside the context of Native American art, which include Native American art, and of which only six were completed. Table 4: College Art Association Dissertations on Art of the twentieth century outside the context of Native American art, which include Native American art7: Year: Completed: In Progress: 2013 1 1 2012 0 0 2011 1 0 2010 2 1 2009 0 1 2008 1 1 2007 1 0 2006 0 3 2005 1 0 2004 0 0 2003 0 0 2002 0 0 6 College Art Association, “Art of the United States,” http://www.caareviews.org/category/3/dissertations (accessed on October 5, 2014).