More than a Trace

 Native American and First Nations Contemporary Art

The misrepresentation of Native American imagery, objects and names, has become such a pervasive part of American popular culture that most people fail to recognize or remember the deep history and traditions from which they were appropriated.  The fight for ownership of Native traditions, history, and identity by Native Americans is widespread and ongoing. 

While recent small victories, such as Washington’s NFL team dropping the name “Redskins” and the removal of the butter girl from Land O’ Lakes’ packaging offer glimmers of progress, these misused names and images shouldn’t be forgotten.  Indeed, their placement in exhibits at respected institutions such as the National Museum of the American Indian serves as reminders of colonialist and racist appropriation.  But it is not enough to just remove the derogatory totems.  Americans should understand that Native peoples and cultures are a present, thriving, and integral part of society’s fabric.  Few are better suited to take up this mantle than artists, whose creative endeavors help quell the notion that Native peoples, their culture and their ideas are either lost or obsolete. 

 In More than a Trace: Native American and First Nations Contemporary Art, on view in Buffalo, NY from December 11, 2020 through April 11, 2021, ten renowned artists from across the United States and Canada are exhibiting their works. All are either citizens of Native nations and tribes, born to Native parents, or identify as hybrid descendants. The show includes the works of Jay Carrier, Lewis deSoto, Jeffrey Gibson, Luzene Hill, Peter Jemison, Brad Kahlhamer, Meryl McMaster, Duane Slick and Marie Watt.