CURATORIAL STATEMENT

Indigenous communities are often overlooked by mainstream feminism and media in the United States -- the former largely failing to acknowledge the intersection of Indigeneity and womanhood, while the latter fails to recognizeIndigenous histories. This exclusion, unfortunately, extends beyond media and feminism into the traditionally Euro-male-centric art world. Historically, the art world reveres the “fine arts” of Renaissance painting and Greco-Roman sculpture. Mediums historically explored by women, such as sewing or quilting, or those found in traditional Indigenous art, such as beadwork or basket-weaving, challenge the notion of classical art and are oftentimes overlooked because of this. Our curation seeks to uplift these pieces of art and these individual Indigenous artists, but with a specific twist of our own.

This curation showcases the work of Indigenous, female craft-artists whose work seeks to reclaim and preserve the legacy of their individual tribes. Though each artist's body of work is distinct from the next, there is the shared intention of reclaiming Indigenous culture and Indigenous identities. Some of the artists in this collection revitalize traditional art forms and recount tribal mythologies through their basket-weaving, pottery, and house posts. The other portion modernize traditional crafts and legends, capturing their Indigenous identities through beadwork, jewelry, and fashion. The individual tribal affiliations and histories of each woman is distinct from the next, but there is a shared identity of being Indigenous women in North America that allows their work to be seen in context with one another.

With a passing glance, this curation may not appear feminist. However, Indigenous feminism differs from that of mainstream (white) feminism. Indigenous feminism is an intersectional feminist theory that centers around the decolonization, sovereignty, and rights of Indigenous women in particular. Indigenous feminism also advocates for a matriarchal society and the acceptance of two spirit individuals, both of which were prominent in Indigenous communities around the world prior to colonization. Furthermore, craft art is an inherent reclaiming of typically feminine art forms that were previously disregarded as craft. This includes mediums such as beadwork, quilting, basket-weaving, and many other art forms that originated with Indigenous cultures.