Galleries for Native American Art
Tuesday, April 21st, 2009There are music and art galleries in every major city in America. These galleries outnumber the Native American art galleries you will find. This is quite puzzling because music and art has been a part of Native American culture for centuries.
Native American artists have used art as a form of expression for thousands of years. It consists of symbols of animals and people. Their artwork is made of rock, feathers, cloth, clay and fabric. There are Indian tribes that are famous for the items that they do make. For example, the Navajo tribe is well known for its woven blankets.
Much of Indian art is carved into different symbols of animals like the eagle or bear. These types of items you can find displayed in a Native American art gallery in any one of a number US cities. These galleries usually feature the most popular Native American artists whose work reflects their customs and ancestral roots.
You will find artists such as Robert Yellowhair, Norval Morrisseau and Daphne Odjig, to name a few. Most of the items that you will see in one of these galleries are the woven baskets and Totem poles. Both of these reflect the heritage and tradition of many first Nations and Inuit tribes. A totem pole is a huge wooden sculpture that represents generations of a family including the faces of people as well as animals. You may also find Navajo jewelry, which has become popular with many people in the Southwest, on display in one of these galleries.
You will also find various stone sculptures, jade carvings, Kachina dolls and even paintings by native artists around the country. Other items you may find are ceramics, ceremonial masks, ceremonial drums and carvings in cedar or whalebone.
Something that is really strange is that the majority of art by Native Americans is only found in Native American art galleries that specialize in displaying Native American art. Do not get me wrong, you can find the art in American art galleries and retail stores for sale, but not for display only and they may not be authentic.