University of St. Thomas, Minnesota UST Research Online Education Doctoral Dissertations in Leadership School of Education Spring 2015 Art, Life Story and Cultural Memory: Profiles of the Artists of the Lewis and Clark Bicentennial Elise S. Roberts University of St. Thomas, Minnesota, [email protected] Follow this and additional works at: https://ir.stthomas.edu/caps_ed_lead_docdiss Part of the Art Education Commons, Bilingual, Multilingual, and Multicultural Education Commons, Educational Leadership Commons, Educational Methods Commons, Liberal Studies Commons, Other Education Commons, Other Educational Administration and Supervision Commons, and the Urban Education Commons Recommended Citation Roberts, Elise S., "Art, Life Story and Cultural Memory: Profiles of the Artists of the Lewis and Clark Bicentennial" (2015). Education Doctoral Dissertations in Leadership. 63. https://ir.stthomas.edu/caps_ed_lead_docdiss/63 This Dissertation is brought to you for free and open access by the School of Education at UST Research Online. It has been accepted for inclusion in Education Doctoral Dissertations in Leadership by an authorized administrator of UST Research Online. For more information, please contact [email protected]. Art, Life Story and Cultural Memory: Profiles of the Artists of the Lewis and Clark Bicentennial A DISSERTATION SUBMITTED TO THE FACULTY OF THE SCHOOL OF EDUCATION OF THE UNIVERSITY OF ST. THOMAS ST. PAUL, MINNESOTA By Elise S. Roberts IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE DEGREE OF DOCTOR OF EDUCATION May 2015 UNIVERSITY OF ST. THOMAS MINNESOTA Art, Life Story and Cultural Memory: Profiles of the Artists of the Lewis and Clark Bicentennial We certify that we have read this dissertation and approved it as adequate in scope and quality. We have found that it is complete and satisfactory in all respects, and that any and all revisions required by the final examining committee have been made. iii Copyright © 2015 by Elise S. Roberts iv ABSTRACT A case study of four public artists uncovered how the artists’ lived experiences and awareness of cultural memory influenced their creation of commemorative artwork for the Lewis and Clark bicentennial. The study involves how the professional and cultural experiences of two White artists and two Native American artists living or working in the Missouri River Valley in North Dakota, South Dakota and Montana influenced their art. Professional factors influencing the artists included education, involvement with the Lewis and Clark bicentennial, work space, and connections to arts communities. Cultural factors influencing artists were family relationships and ethnic, political, gender, and religious identification. Artists played two roles, as journeyers and as leaders. Artists first understood the creative process as an expedition, where the path to the finished artwork is not always clear with the potential to alter their beliefs and practices. Artists also understood their role as leaders in transforming the viewer’s understanding of commemorative events. The findings are useful in valuing the complexity of the artist’s life, the leadership role artists play in interpreting controversial events, and the challenges of maintaining an authentic creative voice in today’s society. Keywords: Cultural memory, Lewis and Clark bicentennial, leadership, life story, Native American, place studies, visual arts v ACKNOWLEDGMENTS Many individuals and organizations helped me in the research and writing of this study. This study is only possible because artists Tom Neary, Sandy Swallow, Linda Whitney and Monte Yellowbird chose to share their visions of the Lewis and Clark bicentennial with the public. Thank you for creating works of art that inspire viewers and open dialogue about long held beliefs. You welcomed me into your studios and homes, treated me as a valued colleague and friend. Thank you also to Lorna Neary, Wayne Morgan and Emily Yellowbird, who took on additional responsibilities at home and work so that I could interview their spouses. Hawley (Minnesota) High School, its teachers and students graciously allowed me to sit in on their classes during Monte Yellowbird’s artist-in-residency program. I appreciate that you made room for me during a very busy day. Thank you also to Valley City State University, North Dakota for providing access to the Printing Lab and library. The images of They Came and The Flogging of John Newman are courtesy of the Celebrating Explorers: Commemorating the Lewis and Clark Expedition's bicentennial Exhibition. The exhibition was sponsored by the North Dakota Art Gallery Association with support from the North Dakota Council on the Arts, which receives funding from the state legislature and the National Endowment for the Arts. Executive Director Linda Olson and her staff provided information about the exhibit that led me to Linda Whitney and Monte Yellowbird. Thank you to my professors at the University of St. Thomas: Dr. Bruce Kramer, who taught my proposal class and Dr. Sue Huber and Dr. Jean-Pierre Bongila who served on my dissertation committee. I especially appreciate the support of Dr. Sarah Noonan, vi my dissertation chair, who encouraged me to “keep writing,” even when it looked like I wasn’t making progress. I use all of your best practices when I work with my own students. Lastly, thank you to my family. My parents Jim and Maureen Schebler are educators both at work and at home. They filled my childhood with family stories, creative opportunities, and vacations at historic sites around the country. They now do the same for their grandchildren. Thank you to my children, Andrew and Miranda, and my daughter-in-law Wendy. They traveled the Lewis and Clark trail with me, enduring thousands of miles in car seats, hotels with and without swimming pools, and abrupt changes in plans as I followed my research path. Finally, thank you to my husband James, who picked up extra duties during my entire doctoral work. You encouraged me to keep going, even when it was difficult for you and our family. I’m excited to see what trail we follow next. vii TABLE OF CONTENTS PAGE ABSTRACT ....................................................................................................................... iv ACKNOWLEDGMENTS .................................................................................................. v TABLE OF CONTENTS .................................................................................................. vii LIST OF FIGURES ......................................................................................................... xiii CHAPTER 1—INTRODUCTION ..................................................................................... 1 Bicentennial Preparation and Events ........................................................................... 1 Conflicting Cultural Perspectives and Commemorative Events ................................. 2 Problem Statement, Purpose, and Significance of the Study ...................................... 3 Definition of Terms ..................................................................................................... 6 CHAPTER 2—LITERATURE REVIEW .......................................................................... 9 Historical Framework for the Lewis and Clark Expedition ........................................ 9 Traditional Historical Perspectives ....................................................................... 9 Changing Attitudes about Lewis and Clark ........................................................ 13 The Intersection of Memory and Visual Art ............................................................. 19 Lewis and Clark Art and the Intersection of Memory ............................................... 20 Literature of the Frontier, Manifest Destiny, and Native Spirituality ....................... 23 Frederick Jackson Turner’s Frontier Thesis and Manifest Destiny .................... 23 Native Spirituality and Conflict with Science and History ................................. 25 viii Summary and Gap in the Literature .......................................................................... 27 Analytical Theory ...................................................................................................... 28 Cultural Memory ................................................................................................. 28 Joseph Campbell and the Hero’s Journey ........................................................... 35 Summary ................................................................................................................... 37 CHAPTER 3—METHODOLOGY .................................................................................. 39 Qualitative Research Methods ................................................................................... 42 Case Study Research and the Narrative Tradition ..................................................... 44 Setting ........................................................................................................................ 46 UST Institutional Review Board Permission and Guidelines ................................... 46 Recruitment and Selection of Participants ................................................................ 47 Data Collection .......................................................................................................... 49 Interviews ...........................................................................................................