Denver, CO — How have the Indigenous people of North America been sustained by beauty, connections, and spirituality? An exhibition organized by the Denver Art Museum (DAM) aims to answer that question. Opening December 22, 2024, and guided by the themes of fashion, family, ancestors, and the reasons Native people gather (like dances or ceremonies), SUSTAINED! The Persistent Genius of Indigenous Art, is a celebration of Indigenous contributions to the arts and to the museum over the past 100 years.
Tom Jones (Ho-Chunk), "Bela Falcon," 2023, digital inkjet photograph with glass beads, shell beads, and rhinestones 40 × 77 in., collection of the Denver Art Museum, Funds from the Friends of Native Arts, 2023.193. © Tom Jones.
SUSTAINED! draws from both historical and current objects in the DAM’s permanent collection to show the ongoing relevance and continuity of Native art through time. Native artists are always innovating, responding to their environment, and caring for their community regardless of what century they are creating in.
Featured Artists
Pieces showcased include The Eye Dazzler dress, created by fashion designer Orlando Dugi (Diné), with a beaded bodice that references the 19th century Diné Germantown Eye Dazzler textiles; a pair of giant Jaatłoh4Ye’iitsoh or Earrings for the Gods by Eric-Paul Riege (Diné); and the newly commissioned Sons of the Sun by Teri Greeves (Kiowa). In Sons of the Sun Greeves creates what is likely her largest piece to date, an 8-by-6-foot beaded panel that combines medicines and creation stories of the Kiowa as they migrated from the north part of America to what is now Oklahoma. SUSTAINED! also features Jeffrey Gibson’s (Mississippi Choctaw/Cherokee) one becomes the other video that highlights contemporary Indigenous people’s relationship to the DAM’s collections, as well as numerous other pieces by notable artists like Fritz Scholder (La Jolla Luiseño, 1937–2005), Norval Morrisseau (Bingwi Neyaashi Ojibwa, 1932–2007), and many others.
Community Advising and Policies
The exhibition was curated in conjunction with a panel of seven Indigenous community members who, through a series of meetings, shared what type of exhibition would be meaningful to themselves and their communities. These advisors include: Angela K. Parker (Mandan/Hidatsa/Cree); Chelsea Kaiah (White River Ute/White Mountain Apache); Felicia Alvarez (Eastern Shoshone); Sid Whitting Jr. (Sicangu Lakota); Montoya Whiteman (Southern Cheyenne-Arapaho); Raelene Whiteshield (Southern Cheyenne/Arapaho/Kiowa); and Cassandra Atencio (Southern Ute).
In what is likely a response to earlier reports of the museum denying repatriation requests, promotional materials for the exhibition have been careful to note current-day collection and community engagement policies. DAM says those are guided by an internal Policy on Collections Use and Repatriation of Culturally Sensitive Materials, written in collaboration with Walter Echo-Hawk (Pawnee) and Jhon Goes in Center (Oglala Lakota), and formally adopted by DAM’s board in 1994. The museum also notes that with the release of updated NAGPRA regulations in 2024, it has “taken action to ensure its guidelines align with the new regulations while fostering the DAM’s long-term relationship-building with Indigenous communities.”
Links
- SUSTAINED! The Persistent Genius of Indigenous Art
Denver Art Museum, opening December 22, 2024 - Preparing for SUSTAINED! with NAGPRA Regulations in Mind, by Dakota Hoska (Oglala Lakota)
- Denver Art Museum blog about Sons of the Sun, by Dakota Hoska (Oglala Lakota)