The Olson-Brandelle North American Indian Art Collection

Book Overview

This is the comprehensive illustrated catalogue of the Olson-Brandelle North American Indian Art Collection. This collection is comprised of a total of 400 art objects, including more than 220 traditional Pueblo Indian pottery forms, as well as baskets and other textiles, original prints and clay ?gures. Also included are 36 photogravures by Edward Curtis from his volume The Hopi. Dating from pre-1600 to the present, the collection aims at documenting continuing traditions and the recognition achieved by Native American potters during the 20th century. The collection is dedicated to honor the donor, Kent Olson, and his family tree of Olsons and Brandelles. While Kent Olson's career was that of an attorney, his calling in life has been to connect with Southwest Native American people through collecting their art. He has realized the importance of family relations in preserving artistic momentum; many times an early 20th-century matriarch inspired multiple generations of artists to follow, and to bring new ideas to their heritage. Thus the Hopi-Tewa potter known only as "Nampeyo" is represented in this collection along with works from her great granddaughters. Most of the objects derive from cultural groups associated with Arizona and New Mexico-although works from Alaska, California, New York, North Carolina, Oklahoma and Utah are included. The ceramic accomplishments of the Southwest Pueblos are the strongest of North American indigenous groups, reflecting a reliance on the most prominent natural resource of their arid landscape-the earth itself. There also are objects of northern Mexico, particularly those associated with the Casas Grandes ceramics revival that has reflected pottery traditions of the American Southwest.

• Format: Hardcover
• ISBN: 0971434565
• ISBN13: 9780971434561
• Release Date: January 1
• Publisher: Augustana College
• Length: 328 Pages