A-Level: Identity—Ethnic identity

videos + essays

Pepón Osorio, <em>En la barbería no se llora (No Crying Allowed in the Barbershop)</em>
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, <em>Abaporú</em>
Tarsila do Amaral, Abaporú

This painting inspired a movement called Cannibalism, but it’s not what you think.

Jaune Quick-to-See Smith, <em>Trade (Gifts for Trading Land with White People)</em>
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, <em>Off on My Own (Harlem, New York)</em>
Gordon Parks, Off on My Own (Harlem, New York)

Gordon Parks and the writer Ralph Ellison collaborated to show that Harlem is everywhere.

Chilkat past and present
Chilkat past and present

This prestigious garment follows a traditional design passed down through generations of indigenous Alaskans.

Restoring meaning to Crow chiefs
Restoring meaning to Crow chiefs

Red Star annotated photographs to restore dignity and context to government-issue photographs of Crow chiefs.

<em>Strange Worlds</em>
Strange Worlds

Geller captures the tensions of the Jewish immigrant experience in the early 20th-century United States.

Benny Andrews, <em>Flag Day</em>
Benny Andrews, Flag Day

Does the figure emerge from the stripes of the flag, or do they imprison him?

John Quincy Adams Ward, <em>The Freedman</em>
John Quincy Adams Ward, The Freedman

This remarkable work honors those who fought for their own freedom, but acknowledges that the struggle goes on.

Casta painting in the Spanish Americas
Casta painting in the Spanish Americas

These challenging paintings visually separate Indigenous Americans from the Spanish elite; most were exported.

Nampeyo (Hopi-Tewa), polychrome jar
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)
Bear Claw Necklace (Pawnee)

Six bears were required to create this necklace, meant imbue the Pawnee chief with protection and power.