The Saint Louis Art Museum (SLAM) is hosting an exhibition titled “Action/Abstraction Redefined: Modern Native American Art, 1940s-70s,” which sheds light on the early years of the Institute of American Indian Arts (IAIA). Established in 1962 as the first fine-art college for Native Americans, IAIA played a significant role in promoting Native American art. The exhibition showcases over 90 artworks that merge ancestral aesthetics with movements like Abstract Expressionism, Color field, and Hard-edge painting.
IAIA’s co-founder, Lloyd Kiva New, recruited Indigenous artists who were influenced by the dominance of Abstract Expressionism in the art world, including Fritz Scholder. Scholder’s work, inspired by artists like Jackson Pollock and Willem de Kooning, will be featured alongside pieces by IAIA alumni such as Linda Lomahaftewa, a renowned printmaker and painter.
Originally presented at the IAIA Museum of Contemporary Native Arts, the exhibition caught the attention of Alexander Brier Marr, SLAM’s assistant curator of Native American art. Impressed by the depth of abstraction during that era, SLAM collaborated with IAIA to expand the exhibition, offering a more comprehensive portrayal of key artists. Among them is Anita Fields, a ceramicist and textile artist associated with the St. Louis region, who attended IAIA in the 1970s.
The exhibition prompted SLAM to reassess its collection and address the gaps in its representation of Native American art. In 2010, the museum acquired the Danforth Collection, comprising over 250 objects by Plains Indians. Subsequently, SLAM hired its first curator of Native American art. The exhibition also motivated the museum to identify additional works to enrich its holdings. In March, SLAM acquired Scholder’s “New Mexico #45” (1966), marking the first post-war painting by a Native American artist to join its collection.
Through “Action/Abstraction Redefined,” SLAM aims to amplify the recognition and appreciation of Native American art, acknowledging IAIA’s pivotal role in fostering artistic expression among Native American communities. The exhibition serves as a testament to the convergence of ancestral traditions and modern art movements, highlighting the unique perspectives and contributions of Native American artists during the mid-20th century.
