April 24, 2004
Cultural Inspiration versus Appropriation
For the past week on RaggedClothCafe, we have been discussing when it is ethical to use another culture's artwork as inspiration for one's own, and when it is simply copying (And often not very interesting at that.) My 2 cents worth was about Bill Holm, a white guy from Montana who so thoroughly documented Northwest Coast Indian Arts that he became the link passing the knowledge on to a new generation of Native Artists.
After a week of respectful discussion, I was surprised to find an article in the New York Times, Artifacts for Art's Sake: An Eclectic Array, about a collection of Pacific Northwest Coast Indian art from the collection of a New Yorker. But the question of this article seemed to be, 'is this really art?' A quote from the article: "In their eyes, there is no difference between the aesthetic and emotional pleasures derived from European and American art and that of Native Americans. And they are spreading the word." And the conclusion: "What it does do is affirm the distance we've come toward understanding that historic Native American art — particularly object-making — has a worthy aesthetic place in world culture."
Huh? Almost a century after Picasso validated African art to the Western eye, we are still debating the value of the indigenous vision? Or is this a move aimed at the art valuation market. The article has some beautiful images, but the context is so sadly xenophobic that I am still shaking my head.
image: Human raven Mask, Bella Coola people, Pacific northwest coast, mid-19th century A.D., wood and pigment (Smithsonian Institution)
Posted by sfenton at April 24, 2004 10:01 AMFascinating topic. A discussion, albeit short, came up not too long ago on one of the collage lists regarding chinese funeral papers, Joss paper is what it is generally called. Several members, both of Chinese extraction or not, felt it was disrespectful while others appeared to have no negative feelings associated with cross cultural use of a paper intended for a ceremony to be used in a collage. I suppose respect is the principle I try to follow. Exposure to unfamiliar cultures is only possible when someone tackles the dilemma of whether it is appropriate. Without people like Bill Holm my knowledge of Native American art would be restricted to the few visits I've made to Native soil. Thanks for sharing this article.
Posted by: Zoe at April 24, 2004 10:58 AMSerena, I think the article reflects the naivete of the reviewer more than anything else. The exhibit itself is specifically aimed at doing something different from the ethnographic studies that the NMAI usually tackles. And the exhibit was apparently set up in conjunction with a conference in which Native Americans as well as art curators got to examine artifacts and talk about the ways in which they might be exhibited. I think the conference would have been fascinating to attend.
But the article never really makes any of this very clear, and the final statement that you quote is beyond the pale. Totally foolish. Shame on the NY Times. And thanks for bringing it to our attention. June
