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September 18, 2007
…end of WHAT trail?
Juried Exhibition Deconstructs a Wild West Myth
Sculptor James Earle Fraser’s Mistake
Iconic images, whether they appear on the glossy pages of national magazines or end up reproduced in art journals and museum exhibition catalogs, provide the casual viewer with an intellectual shortcut. By leveraging memory and emotion, the message communicated through an icon’s mere presence has the potential to gather hundreds of disconnected thoughts and recollections into a single, powerful whole.
Try it yourself. Conjure up an image of the World Trade Center’s twin towers before their destruction. Consider President Nixon flashing the peace sign on the day of his resignation, or a WW II image of a Nazi swastika flag.
To the sensibilities of many American Indian people, the iconic image of a slumped Indian male figure atop an even more slumped horse is more than just a sculpture. Seen through their eyes, this defining work by James Earle Fraser serves as an icon that communicates the mistaken impression that American Indian people were defeated, or even worse, they were headed toward extinction.
A new exhibition at IAIA’s on-campus exhibition space, Primitive Edge, takes a straightforward look at Fraser’s “End of the Trail” sculpture, examining the work itself as well as its iconic impact in the minds of Native viewers as well as non-Native viewers. This juried show includes paintings, sculpture, collage, photography and installations.
Co-curators Jessie Ryker-Crawford (IAIA Museum Studies instructor) and Audrey Dreaver (IAIA student) are available for interviews.
Click here to download full press release in PDF format.
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