videos + essays
Pepón Osorio, En la barbería no se llora (No Crying Allowed in the Barbershop)
Osorio’s art explores the experience of being Puerto Rican in New York City.
Tarsila do Amaral, Abaporú
This painting inspired a movement called Cannibalism, but it’s not what you think.
Jaune Quick-to-See Smith, Trade (Gifts for Trading Land with White People)
Smith created this in 1992, responding to the 500th anniversary of Christopher Columbus’ arrival in North America.
Gordon Parks, Off on My Own (Harlem, New York)
Gordon Parks and the writer Ralph Ellison collaborated to show that Harlem is everywhere.
Benny Andrews, Flag Day
Does the figure emerge from the stripes of the flag, or do they imprison him?
John Quincy Adams Ward, The Freedman
This remarkable work honors those who fought for their own freedom, but acknowledges that the struggle goes on.
Nampeyo (Hopi-Tewa), polychrome jar
Nampeyo found inspiration from the old to create a pottery style that was entirely new and highly sought after.
Bear Claw Necklace (Pawnee)
Six bears were required to create this necklace, meant imbue the Pawnee chief with protection and power.
The lure of the American Southwest: E. Martin Hennings, Rabbit Hunt
The Southwest became a hub for artists seeking “quintessentially American” subjects beyond New York and Chicago.
Costumbrismo
Stereotypical folkloric scenes were widely circulated, shaping perceptions of Latin America at home and abroad.
Julian Martinez, Buffalo Dancers
Martinez’s distinctive style developed from studying Southwestern pottery and Modernist abstraction.
Paikea at the American Museum of Natural History
After a century in storage, this “Whale Rider” got a visit from his descendants—and received a token of their love.
