Native American Artists 4: Indigenous Women: Red Star, Belcourt, Watt, & Belmore

Native Americans, Indigenous Peoples, Indians. These terms we've applied to those who connect ancestrally to the Americas since before 1492. These people have been attacked, beaten, killed, forced on to specifically inhospitable land, we stripped of their culture, and yet they persevere. During the 1950s-and 1960s civil rights movements, they fought alongside African, Asian, and Latino American's for recognition as a group of people. 

Students will learn about some of the Indigenous artists creating in the 20th and 21st centuries. Through a combination of lecture and discussion, students will learn about these artists, see some of their art, and practice looking for symbols and details.

Each of these women has been influential in the field of art, art history, and recognition of Indigenous women. 

Red Star: uses multiple forms of media to confront the romanticized image of the Native American Woman and the future of Indigenous peoples. 

Belcourt: a Metis First Nations artist uses paint to recreate floral patterns inspired by the historical bead patterns of her tribe. She learns her own history and calls into question identity, culture, and divisions within communities. 

Watt a Seneca Nation member works with textiles and in collaboration with different groups to create art that inspires unity and connection. 

Belmore is an Anishinaabekwe artist known for her politically charged performance pieces where she calls attention to First Nations people who are often voiceless and go missing while police and white officials ignore these facts. She recognizes identity and place as contributing factors and forces the audience to join her in these places as she throws the issues right in their faces.