Interwoven Power: Native Knowledge / Native Art is a fresh reinstallation of Montclair Art Museum’s renowned collection of Indigenous art from North America. Foregrounding Native perspectives, the exhibition explores the transformative power of Indigenous knowledge to address pressing social issues. Themes include relationships to the earth and its beings, gender and family, sovereignty and justice, and the power of art itself.
This long-term exhibition revisits two newly restored historical galleries through a collaborative process with many Indigenous colleagues. The exhibition features 50 historical, modern, and contemporary works by artists from more than 40 Native nations, including numerous new commissions and recent acquisitions, among them a significant site-specific installation by Holly Wilson (Delaware Nation) that engages MAM’s neoclassical architecture and sculpture.
The exhibition design is inspired by Native fiber arts. Media include sculpture, basketry, textiles and dress, photography, ceramics, beadwork, works on paper, painting, and more, with emphasis on Lenape, Haudenosaunee, and other artists from Northeastern nations as well as women and queer and two-spirit artists and contributors.
Through this important reimagining and restorative work, we also examine the Museum’s history, collection, and other legacies of European colonization in the Americas to help forge new ways of thinking and relating in a changing world.
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Installation view of Interwoven Power: Native Knowledge / Native Art. Photo: Jason Wyche/Montclair Art Museum.
![Rose B. Simpson and Roxanne Swentzell (Khaʼpʼoe Ówîngeh [Santa Clara Pueblo], b. 1983 and 1962). Detail of Untitled (Timeline Necklace), 2019. Ceramic, glaze, leather, wood, string, mud beads, wire. Image: Brian Wagner/Courtesy of Hood Museum of Art.](https://www.montclairartmuseum.org/sites/default/files/2024-07/Simpson_Form%20and%20Relation_Hood%20Museum%20of%20Art%2C%20Andover%2C%20MA%2C%202021_Installation%20view%2005_Brian%20Wagner.jpg)
Rose B. Simpson and Roxanne Swentzell (Khaʼpʼoe Ówîngeh [Santa Clara Pueblo], b. 1983 and 1962). Detail of Untitled (Timeline Necklace), 2019. Ceramic, glaze, leather, wood, string, mud beads, wire.
Elizabeth Hickox (Wiyot/Karuk, 1872/5–1947). Lidded basket, ca. 1912–13. Myrtle, conifer root, beargrass, maidenhair fern, porcupine quills.
Installation view of Interwoven Power: Native Knowledge / Native Art, with Holly Wilson's (Delaware Nation) What Was, What Is, What Will Be (2024). Photo: Jason Wyche/Montclair Art Museum.
![Meghann O’Brien [Jaad Kuujus] (Haida/Kwakwa̱ka̱’wakw, b. 1982). Detail of Kuugan Jaad IV, 2018. Merino wool, cashmere, cedar bark.](https://www.montclairartmuseum.org/sites/default/files/2024-07/2023.6_Meghann_OBrien_Kuugan_Jaad_IV_CU_1_Copy.jpg)
Meghann O’Brien [Jaad Kuujus] (Haida/Kwakwa̱ka̱’wakw, b. 1982). Detail of Kuugan Jaad IV, 2018. Merino wool, cashmere, cedar bark.
Artist once known (Yurok), Detail of Necklace, 1875–1900. Dentalium shells, pigment, glass beads, cotton cloth.
Installation view of Interwoven Power: Native Knowledge / Native Art, with Rebecca Haff Lowry's (Delaware Tribe of Indians) Cape of a Matriarch (2021). Photo: Jason Wyche/Montclair Art Museum.
Artist once known (Lakota). Possible bag, 1875–1880. Buffalo hide, glass beads, metal, horsehair, sinew.
Sarah Sense (Chitmacha/Choctaw, b. 1980). Detail of Present State of the English, 2022. Woven archival inkjet prints on Hahnemuhle bamboo paper, Hahnemuhle rice paper, beeswax, artist tape.
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Newly commissioned works are by Nicholas Galanin (Tlingit/Unangax̂), Holly Wilson (Delaware Nation), Eric-Paul Riege (Diné), Elizabeth James-Perry (Aquinnah Wampanoag), and Brandon Lazore (Onondaga Nation)/Jack Johnson (Akwasasne Mohawk). Additional artists represented are Mary Kawennatakie Adams (Akwasasne Mohawk), William Benson (Eastern Pomo [Clear Lake]), Brittany Britton (Hupa), Barbara and Joseph Cerno (Acoma Pueblo), Shan Goshorn (Cherokee Nation, Eastern Band), Kennetha Greenwood (Otoe-Missouria), Rebecca Haff Lowry (Delaware Tribe of Indians), Elizabeth Hickox (Wiyot/Karuk), Oscar Howe (Yanktonai Dakota), James Lavadour (Walla Walla), Truman Lowe (Ho-Chunk), Nadia Myre (Algonquin, Kitigan Zibi Anishinabeg First Nation), Tonita Peña (San Ildefonso Pueblo), Jaune Quick-to-See Smith (Confederated Salish and Kootenai Nation), Meghann O’Brien (Haida/Kwakwaka’wakw), Kevin and Valerie Pourier (Oglala Lakota), Cara Romero (Chemehuevi), Fritz Scholder (Luiseño), Sarah Sense (Chitmacha/Choctaw), Jay Simeon (Haida), Rose B. Simpson and Roxanne Swentzell (Khaʼpʼoe Ówîngeh [Santa Clara Pueblo]), and Lu Ann Tafoya (Khaʼpʼoe Ówîngeh [Santa Clara Pueblo]), as well as numerous historical artists who were known to their communities.
Native educators are working with MAM to create educational materials, trainings, and programs for students and teachers, community leaders, and the general public as an integral component of this exhibition. For school audiences, an elementary school curriculum based on NJ State Learning Standards enhances learning in the galleries for group tours. Family engagement includes studio programs taught by Indigenous artists and gallery guide activities. In addition, public talks and events with artists, collaborators, and contributors to the exhibition are scheduled throughout the year.
The Museum has developed educational lesson plans tailored for elementary and secondary grade students that correspond with Interwoven Power. These resources are accessible for viewing and use by the public. Click here to view.
Interwoven Power: Native Knowledge / Native Art is curated by Laura J. Allen, MAM Curator of Native American Art, in collaboration with:
Collaborators
Current MAM Native American Art Advisory Council Members
Former MAM Native American Art Advisory Council Members
Exhibition Design / Ciné Ostrow
Graphic Design and Display Font / Sébastien Aubin (Opaskwayak Cree Nation), OTAMI - ᐅᑕᒥ
Contributors
MAM Curatorial Staff
Many thanks to all the additional colleagues who have informed and supported the exhibition development. This list continues to grow.
Lead Sponsor
Sponsors
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Presenting Supporters |
Lead Supporters |
Partnering Supporters |
|
Gregory Packaging, Inc. and |
Joan C. Affleck |
Lisa and Joseph Amato |
Visionary Legacy Patrons
The Jennifer Ley and Kit Skarstrom Indigenous North American Art Fund
Supporters
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Rick and Linny Andlinger |
Kate Logan and Edmund Rung |
In-kind support generously provided by Ken Harrison and EdgeKraft LLC, MC Hotel, Susan Brady and SBLD Studio.
All MAM programs are made possible in part by funds from the New Jersey State Council on the Arts, a Partner Agency of the National Endowment for the Arts, and Museum members.
Lead Image:
Nadia Myre (Algonquin, Kitigan Zibi Anishinabeg First Nation, b. 1974). Detail of Sharing Platform (New Technologies), 2018. Ceramic, stainless steel, 46.5 x 46.5 x 9.5 in. Museum purchase, Acquisition and Rand Forum Funds, 2016.6. Image: Mike Patten/Courtesy of Art Mûr.
Full Image Credits:
Installation view of Interwoven Power: Native Knowledge / Native Art. Photo: Jason Wyche/Montclair Art Museum.
Rose B. Simpson and Roxanne Swentzell (Khaʼpʼoe Ówîngeh [Santa Clara Pueblo], b. 1983 and 1962). Detail of Untitled (Timeline Necklace), 2019. Ceramic, glaze, leather, wood, string, mud beads, wire. 24 x 252 x 9 in. Museum Purchase, Acquisition Fund, 2023.5. Image: Brian Wagner/Courtesy of Hood Museum of Art.
Elizabeth Hickox (Wiyot/Karuk, 1872/5–1947). Lidded basket, ca. 1912–13. Myrtle, conifer root, beargrass, maidenhair fern, porcupine quills. (Bottom): 5 x 8 1/4 in. (Lid): 3 x 5 ½ in. Gift of Mrs. Henry Lang in memory of her mother, Mrs. Jasper R. Rand, 1931.86ab.
Installation view of Interwoven Power: Native Knowledge / Native Art with Rebecca Haff Lowry's (Delaware Tribe of Indians, b. 1972) Cape of a Matriarch (2021). Photo: Jason Wyche/Montclair Art Museum.
Artist once known (Yurok), Necklace, 1875–1900. Dentalium shells, pigment, glass beads, cotton cloth. 21 x 3 ½ x ¼ in. Gift of Mrs. Henry Lang in memory of her mother Mrs. Jasper R. Rand, 1931.289.
Artist once known (Lakota). Possible bag, 1875–1880. Buffalo hide, glass beads, metal, horsehair, sinew. 13 ½ x 21 5/8 in. Gift of Mrs. Henry Lang in memory of her mother, Mrs. Jasper R. Rand, 1931.460.
Installation view of Interwoven Power: Native Knowledge / Native Art, with Holly Wilson's (Delaware Nation, b. 1968) What Was, What Is, What Will Be (2024). Photo: Jason Wyche/Montclair Art Museum.
Sarah Sense (Chitmacha/Choctaw, b. 1980). Detail of Present State of the English, 2022. Woven archival inkjet prints on Hahnemuhle bamboo paper, Hahnemuhle rice paper, beeswax, artist tape. 40 x 40 in. Museum Purchase, Acquisition Fund, 2022.22.
Installation view of Interwoven Power: Native Knowledge / Native Art, with Eric-Paul Riege (Diné, b. 1994) jaatłoh4Ye’iitsoh [17–18] + [][][][] (2024) on the left and Rose B. Simpson and Roxanne Swentzell's (Khaʼpʼoe Ówîngeh [Santa Clara Pueblo], b. 1983 and 1962) Untitled (Timeline Necklace) (2019) on the right. Photo: Jason Wyche/Montclair Art Museum.
