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The Arts Intel Report

The Land Carries Our Ancestors: Contemporary Art by Native Americans

G. Peter Jemison, Sentinels (Large Yellow), 2006.

Sept 22, 2023 – Jan 15, 2024
Constitution Ave NW, Washington, DC 20565, USA

Earlier this year, crowds flocked to catch Jaune Quick-to-See Smith’s show “Memory Map” at the Whitney Museum of American Art. It was her first New York retrospective and a landmark exhibition. As critics emerged, they noted it was clear that Smith, now 83, centers her art on one simple aim, which she defines as “examining contemporary life in America and interpreting it through Native ideology.” Meanwhile, Smith was busy curating a show of similar ambitions—this one—bringing together the work of 50 living Native artists from across America. Weaving, beadwork, paintings, photography, and much more are part of a riveting display. —Elena Clavarino