Native American culture, abstract images showcased in Columbus Museum of Art exhibits
Two new exhibits at the Columbus Museum of Art showcase the works of a pair of dynamic, young American artists.
In “Wendy Red Star: A Scratch on the Earth,” the Crow artist of the title employs drama and detail to explore the culture and history of her people. And in “Lesley Vance: always circled whirling,” the Los Angeles abstract painter delivers colorful, swirling images that both complement and recall works of early 20th century modernists.
'Wendy Red Star: A Scratch on the Earth'
The term “annukaxma” — literally, “a scratch on the Earth” — was created by the Crow people to stand in for a word that didn’t exist in their language: “border.” The concept of borders came into play when the U.S. government was sending indigenous people off to reservations.
In her dramatic multimedia exhibit, Red Star, a member of the Crow or Apsaalooke Tribe who was raised on a Montana reservation, uses altered photography, native costumes, creation story sculptures, a sweat lodge and a 130-foot-long timeline to create a vivid portrait of the history and perseverance of Native Americans. The exhibit was organized by the Newark Museum of Art and curated by Nadia Rivera Fellah, former staffer with the Newark Museum and now associate curator of contemporary art at the Cleveland Museum of Art.
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Each component of the exhibit is intricate and rich with backstories.
The timeline, “Where They Make the Noise, 1904-2016,” stretches at eye level through two galleries and is composed of photos from more than a century of summer Crow festivals near Billings, Montana.
In another series of works, Red Star has taken a red pen to black and white U.S. government photographs of Crow chiefs, outlining the regal leaders and reinforcing and redrawing history in the margins by labeling decorative items (conch shells and brass hoops, for instance) and by noting family connections: “My Father was Medicine Bird” and “My Mother was Other Woman,” for example.
On one wall, a huge map includes a long list of names of Crow family members with their photographs superimposed on the Montana land they were allotted.
“My Home is Where My Tipi Sits” pays homage to the sweat lodge. Red Star’s recreation sits in the middle of the room, covered with colorful blankets and welcoming visitors to enter (capacity six people) and experience the atmosphere of a sweat lodge.
Presented on mannequins, recreated Crow costumes — “The Foxy Deer” and “Elk Tooth Dresses” — are stunning.
Five colorful sculpted coyotes standing on striped blankets portray the story of “Old Man Coyote, Catholic Priest,” in which the trickster/creator coyote used his wiles to form mountainous rocks.
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And finally, a large black and white map, “Their Land,” uses white flags to mark the locations of federally recognized tribes in the United States and in doing so, traces the legacy of colonialism.
Red Star, who lives in Portland, Oregon, told curator Nadia Rivera Fellah that she preferred to not be categorized as a Native American artist, but as a contemporary American artist. Undeniably, her work pays homage to the Crow people, but does so in a way that is engaging, intriguing and powerful for all Americans.
Lesley Vance: 'always circled whirling'
In her first solo exhibition at a public institution, Vance presents 27 oil-on-linen abstract paintings percolating with color and motion.
In the entrance to the exhibit, the museum displays a number of 20th century modernism paintings from its collection, works selected by Vance and featuring artists Gertrude Abercrombie, Charles Demuth and Georgia O’Keeffe, among others. Many of Vance’s paintings, all untitled, are referential in color, shape and design to these works.
One Vance painting, for instance, is matched with O’Keeffe’s “Autumn Leaves – Lake George, 1924,” with both works alive with orange curves. Another work recalls the colors and vertical lines of Abercrombie’s “Demolition Doors.”
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Vance’s exhibit was curated by Tyler Cann, senior curator of modern and contemporary art at Honolulu Museum of Art and former director of exhibitions and curator of contemporary art the Columbus Museum of Art. He described the appeal of Vance’s curvaceous, bold paintings:
“They just sort of grab you – destabilize you a bit. There’s something familiar about them but the longer you look at them, the stranger they get and there’s something great about the disorientation.”
The concept of pairing Vance’s works with modernist pieces from the museum’s collection is inspired. Few artists work in a vacuum; Most gain insight from their peers and predecessors, or as Vance said, “It’s not one direction but both ways.” Her exhibit title not only describes her works but pays homage to the give-and-take between artists over the years: “always circled whirling.”
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At a glance
“Wendy Red Star: A Scratch on the Earth” and “Lesley Vance: always circled whirling” continue through Sept. 3 at the Columbus Museum of Art, 480 E. Broad St. Hours: 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesdays through Sundays; 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. Thursdays. Admission: $8 special admission ticket, plus general admission of $18 adults, $9 students and senior citizens, free for members and age 3 and younger. On Thursdays from 5-9 p.m., general admission and special exhibition admission are $5 each. Sunday general admission is free. Call 614-221-6801 or visit columbusmuseum.org.
This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Two new exhibits on display through Sept. 3 at Columbus Museum of Art
