Action/Abstraction Redefined

Action/Abstraction Redefined presents modern Native American art from the 1940s through the 1970s. The exhibition features 55 artworks by leading artists such as Fritz Scholder (Mission/ Luiseño), George Morrison (Chippewa), and T.C. Cannon (Kiowa), organized by influences of major twentieth-century art movements including Abstract Expressionism, Color Field, and Hard-Edge painting.

Innovative artists featured in Action/Abstraction explored new ways of artistic expression and challenged stereotypical expectations of Native art, resulting in the development of contemporary Native art. Their deeply personal paintings, sculptures, and works on paper were created in studios across the nation and at the Institute of American Indian Arts (IAIA) in Santa Fe, where artists were encouraged to experiment and take risks. As part of avant-garde movements at the time, Native artists redefined the concept of abstraction and pushed the boundaries of Native art.

Action/Abstraction Redefined is organized by IAIA Museum of Contemporary Native Arts, Santa Fe, NM. Action/Abstraction Redefined was co-curated by Dr. Lara Evans, Professor of Art History, IAIA Research Center for Contemporary Native Arts Director; Tatiana Lomahaftewa-Singer, curator of collections, IAIA Museum of Contemporary Native Arts; and Dr. Manuela Well-Off-Man, chief curator, IAIA Museum of Contemporary Native Arts.

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Banner image: Fritz Scholder, (Mission/Luiseño), New Mexico Number 21 (detail), 1965