Aesthetics for Birds

Aesthetics and Philosophy of Art for Everyone

A Thanksgiving Announcement from AFB

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scorched

Lawrence Paul Yuxweluptun, Scorched Earth, Clear Cut Logging on Native Sovereign Lands, Shaman Coming to Fix (1991) (via Yuxweluptun’s website)

Tomorrow is Thanksgiving in America, and while there are many things to be thankful for (though also many things to be dissatisfied with, to put it mildly), we at AFB would like to take a moment to recognize and celebrate Native American art and people.

Please remember that the conventional Thanksgiving narrative is at best naively and misleadingly incomplete and at worst grossly, perniciously, and irretrievably wrong.

And be aware that Native Americans still fight for recognition, respect, and rights. Be aware of the current Dakota Access Pipeline (DAPL) situation (see how you can help here). Be aware that while you may be sitting down tomorrow to a meal with family and friends, others will be protesting at the National Day of Mourning in Coles Hill Plymouth, MA and at the Indigenous Peoples’ Sunrise Gathering on Alcatraz Island, CA.

Pueblo_Feast_Day.jpg

David Bradley, Pueblo Feast Day (1997) (via Wikimedia Commons)

The influence of indigenous cultures on contemporary American culture is immeasurable. So we would like to say thank you, and we stand with you.

If you’d like to get more informed, below the fold are a few links to recent developments in Native American art and the artworld.

  • The Newark Museum’s rehanging and updating of its Native American Art collection: now more informative and more central – it now sits at the beginning of the American art galleries. (via Hyperallergic)
  • Inside the DAPL protests from the perspective of art students at the Institute of American Indian Arts (via Artsy)
  • The ways that Native American artists are supporting the DAPL protests (via Hyperallergic)
  • How the DAPL will affect American cultural heritage sites (via artnet news)

If you want to share other relevant pieces from around the web, send an email to aestheticsforbirds@gmail.com or feel free to add a link in comments below.

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