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| Edward Curtis dedicated his life to making a record of Native North Americans |
Edward Curtis was an American photographer, who between 1900
and 1930, lived among and photographed 80 tribes. He produced extensive
documentation of Native Americans with over 40,000 photographs. His 20 volume book,
The North American Indian was a
product of his dedication to preserving
a picture of a “vanishing race” as
tribes were secured to reservations and exposed to European culture.
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| Wilson has a contemporary vision |
Will Wilson is a Native American photographer and
a member of the Navajo Nation. He uses a
historical tintype process ( making a 8 x 10 inch negative in a case on a black metal plate) as he focuses on the current Native
culture. “I want to supplant Curtis’s Settler gaze and the remarkable body of ethnographic
material he compiled with a contemporary vision of Native North America.”
I know very little about Native Americans and unfortunately my limited knowledge base is a product of movies. Curtis’s photographs appealed to a longing to know more and were a window into the past cultural traditions, dress and life. The expressions in these historical photographs seemed proud and sad at the same time. Although Curtis has been accused of romanticizing the culture by using props and staging some of his subjects, his pictures were an impactful reminder of who was here first.
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| Some of Wilson's photos were interactive, the photo comes alive with dance |
Both of these artists seem to want to tell us more. Mingled Visions provides more with a sharper image of Native North Americans from the past and into the present.
(Mingled Visions runs until June 22, 2019 at the Westmoreland Museum of American Art. The next show in July, Era of Cool: The Art of Van Hamersveld, explores the pop art of Van Hamersveld's album covers, posters, and more.)
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