Tag Archives: native american

Frank Stella’s Personal Collection of Navajo Textiles Goes on View in New York

Geometric textile, c.1895
Geometric Textile, c.1895

A remarkable collection of Navajo blankets and rugs once owned by Frank Stella will soon be unveiled in a special exhibition presented by Peter Pap Rugs at Arader Galleries. Running from May 15 through June 10, 2026, the presentation will feature 40 historic Navajo textiles gathered by the late artist over several decades.
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Modern Art Monday Presents: Yelthadaas By Michael Nicoll Yahgulanaas

yelthadaas by michael nicoll yahgulanaas photo by gail worley
Photo By Gail

Canadian artist Michael Nicoll Yahgulanaas (b. 1954) named his ongoing series Coppers from the Hood — to which Yelthadaas (2010) belongs — for the shield-like totems, or coppers, that Haida chiefs traditionally exchanged during potlaches. These are communal feasts that formed the basis of the pre-colonial economy on the Northwest Pacific Coast, and they’re still held today.
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Remembering Native American Artist Jaune Quick-to-See Smith

indian madonna enthroned 1974 photo by gail worley
Indian Madonna Enthroned, 1974 (All Photos By Gail)

Jaune Quick-to-See Smith, a pioneering Native American artist and activist, passed away on January 24, 2025, after a prolonged battle with pancreatic cancer. She had just celebrated her 85th birthday.

An enrolled member of the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes, Smith was renowned for her dynamic artworks that intricately mapped the Native American experience, blending abstraction, collage, and mixed media to address themes of identity, oppression, and environmental issues.

mcflag 1996 photo by gail worley
McFlag, 1996
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Modern Art Monday Presents: Frank Buffalo Hyde, In-Appropriate #1

in appropriate by frank buffalo hyde photo by gail worley
Photo By Gail

In-Approprite #1 (2013), the pointed title of this Pop-style painting by Native American artist Frank Buffalo Hyde, calls out the type of cultural appropriation sometimes perpetrated by celebrities in the name of fashion or riding a trend. Buffalo Hyde based his painting on No Doubt’s 2012 music video for “Looking Hot.”
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Cannupa Hanska Luger’s Attrition in City Hall Park

cannula hanska luger attrition sculpture 1 photo by gail worley
Photos By Gail

For Cannupa Hanska Luger (b. 1979)  the Bison is a symbol of Indigenous resilience and sovereignty. The mass slaughter of North American bison from 1845 to 1895 by settlers of European descent took place for profit, dominion over land and westward expansion. The strategic removal of this vital source of food, clothing, shelter and spiritual reverence for the Great Plains Native American populations forced their assimilation into western culture. It was also an ecological disaster with long lasting effects.
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