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In Conversation: Will Wilson and Edward Curtis

September 1, 2018 – February 2019

Person in intricate attire with fan, adorned with detailed designs and textures, seated for portrait.
Will Wilson, Tashina Jean Tahdooahnippah, M. Ed., citizen of Cheyenne & Arapaho Tribes and affiliated Comanche/Kiowa/Kickapoo, “Cheyenne name: Mista-stoot (owl woman),” “Kickapoo name: Skish-co-quah,” 2016

In this free, focus exhibition that complements the temporary exhibition Art for a New Understanding: Native Voices, 1950s to Now, contemporary photographer Will Wilson (Diné) presents an authentic, twenty-first century depiction of Indigenous culture through his photography, even allowing his subjects to choose the pose, clothing, props, and context of each photograph. This exhibition will also feature photographs from Edward Curtis, who traveled throughout the western United States between 1907 and 1930 to photograph traditions and cultures of Native American peoples. The photographs of Wilson and Curtis in conversation offer a chance to see different depictions of Native peoples and to think critically about how they have been portrayed in photography over the past century.

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