Native American Art is the visual works crafted by native people of North America, starting after their arrival on the continent thousands of years ago and continuing until the present. These works may be painted, carved, woven, sewn, or built, and can incorporate such materials as feathers, porcupine quills, tree bark, animal skins and hair, and wood. They encompass a variety of objects, including clothing and jewelry, blankets and rugs, masks, totem poles, baskets, and bowls.
Today, some Native American artists produce mainstream contemporary art’–paintings on canvas, photographs, and performance art’–while others continue to make art based on long-standing traditions. My critique is of the Jael Queen. The artist is a member of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians, a 9th generation of potters from Cherokee, North Carolina. The old ways, including traditional crafts, are most strongly preserved by the Eastern Band, some of whom continue to live on the Qualla Reservation in North Carolina.
They based these works on traditional design rules but have developed their own styles. Their works are used at potlatches or sold at art galleries to collectors. Few potters are responsible for reviving of lost art of being traditional and using modern pottery methods.
The works suggest two cultures coming together in an evolutionary process of healing the heart, and the sprit of one nation. It combines the past, present, and the future of Native American art. It was exhibited and collected by the Smithsonian, Monticello, and British museum. The artist states the “My goal is to create art so that people can see their past and future in my creations.”
