ART 362 ADX - Native American Art

Minimum Credit(s) Awarded: 4
Maximum Credit(s) Awarded: 4

This course provides an introduction to North American Indian art and to the broader questions underlying its study. Beginning with the question “What is Native American art?” we will explore ways that Indians and non-Indians in the past have viewed Native American art, and how this art is seen today. As we look at art from various regions of what is now the United States, we will look at pre-contact Native American art, the changes that came about with the arrival of Europeans to this continent, and post-contact Native American art, with particular consideration of the impacts on this art of encounters between Indian and non-Indian peoples. Finally, we will examine 20th and 21st century Native American art and the issues raised by the intersections of Indian and non-Indian arts and cultures that have taken place since the turn of the 20th century. Throughout this course we will address issues of art historical approach and method raised by the study of encounters among diverse peoples in North America, and the dynamics of continuity and change in American Indian art. We will give particular attention to indigenous perspectives on Native art as we study the writings of Native American scholars, artists, and those whose lived experiences provide a basis for their insight and knowledge. Students in this writing-enriched course will be expected to write informal responses to issues raised in this class, reflections on course readings, films, and works of art considered in class, and a substantive formal research paper. Cross-listed ETHS362

Prerequisite(s): Completion of the Written Communication requirement.