Makeda Best, the Richard L. Menschel Curator of Photography, wrote that in the recently acquired Wendy Red Star photograph seen above, the artist “draws on the genre of self-portraiture while juxtaposing popular notions about Native peoples. Posing in what could be a diorama from a natural history museum, Red Star sits on Astroturf with cutouts of animals and other props.”
As we approach Indigenous Peoples’ Day on October 12, we celebrate the heritage and cultural contributions of Native populations. In 2016, artist Vernon Ah Kee visited and left us with powerful words and reflections on how denial can inhibit critical dialogue. In keeping with our Land Acknowledgment, we strive to honor and celebrate Indigenous cultures.
We encourage you to bookmark our Events page as we continue to announce new online programs. All public programs are free, and they spark great conversation around works of art and artistic practice. Spread the word and bring your friends—all are welcome!
This week on Harvard Art Museums from Home: Tune in to an online Art Talk on Thursday, October 8, in which Margaret Morgan Grasselli will tell us about the precious deception of the celebrated artist Louis-Marin Bonnet. What type of art captures and manipulates light? Find out on Thursday evening, October 8, and join the conversation online. Discover stories about an 18th-century French print in this Art Talk, a recording of a popular August event. There is still time to register for the Art Study Center Seminar on Friday, October 9, which will reconstruct the elaborate painting process of British artist Albert Moore. Consider different ideas of spirituality and how these appear in artworks we might not immediately consider to be spiritual. Join us online on Saturday morning, October 10. From the archives: Revisit the powerful 2017 program in which Colombian artist Doris Salcedo discusses the creative process, the themes of mourning and grief, and her public art installations protesting political violence and oppression. Also, on Indigenous Peoples’ Day, our friends at the Peabody Museum will launch a new online exhibit, Listening to Wampanoag Voices: Beyond 1620, that features contemporary Wampanoag speakers.
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