"Made in America"
With a reception on Wednesday (Oct. 21) at 6 p.m., the Newcomb Art Gallery opens "Jaune Quick-to-See Smith: Made in America," an exhibition of paintings, drawings, prints and mixed-media installations by one of the most acclaimed American Indian artists working today.
The Child Within, 2004, mixed media on canvas, is one of the works included in the next Newcomb Art Gallery show by an acclaimed American Indian artist. (from the Newcomb Art Gallery)
On view through Dec. 23, the exhibition explores the paradox of Native American existence amidst the cultural changes of today. Jaune Quick-to-See Smith examines myths, stereotypes and flaws of contemporary society through subjects such as cowboys and Indians, McDonald's, General George Custer, fry bread and reservation life.
"I consider myself a cultural art worker, addressing issues of our time from a Native American world view," says Quick-to-See Smith. "Using a mixture of humor and pathos, I create a pictorial narrative."
Born on the Flathead Reservation in western Montana, she is a descendant of French, Cree and Shoshone ancestors, and she is an enrolled as a member of the Flathead Indian Nation.
Quick-to-See Smith has had more than 100 solo exhibits, organized more than 30 exhibitions of American Indian art and lectured at more than 200 universities, museums and conferences internationally. Her works are in the collections of New York's Museum of Modern Art and Whitney Museum, the Smithsonian American Art Museum, the Museum of Mankind in Vienna, Austria, and the Victoria and Albert Museum in London.
The exhibition was organized for the Belger Foundation, Kansas City, Mo., by Charles M. Lovell, director of the Newcomb Gallery, and is supported in part by contributions from Robert C. Cudd III and Carol Downes Cudd, and the Elizabeth Jane Moody Fund.
Quick-to-See Smith will present "A Survey of Contemporary Native American Art" on Oct. 28 at 7 p.m. in the Freeman Auditorium. The Newcomb Art Gallery will stay open late so that attendees may visit the exhibition while enjoying a special reception in honor of the artist. This event is free and no reservations are necessary.
Teresa Parker Farris is marketing coordinator for Newcomb Art Gallery.
