Cultural Paradigms of Contemporary Indigenous Art: As Found in the Work of Shan Goshorn, Norman Akers, Marie Watt, and Joe Feddersen

Abstract

This dissertation is the product of an ongoing inquiry into the relationships that exist between artists, their Indigenous cultures, and their aesthetic pursuits as materialized in the contemporary art they produce; and, with the closer focus on the objects, how each work is the product of and producer of cultural knowledge. The four case studies analyze and interpreted four selected objects of study, created by professional Indigenous artists from disparate tribal and geographic spaces using a diverse array of materials and processes. The analytical framework draws upon the history of materials and their uses, the relationships that exist within Native American communities, the use of metaphors and symbolism to communicate dynamic and complex cultural concepts, and the position of each artist within his or her unique temporal conditions. The methodology for research draws upon existing practices in Art History, Anthropology, and Native American Studies. The purpose of this dissertation is to propose that by expanding current methods for analysis and interpretation of Indigenous arts, the art will gain in potency as products of both creative individuals and dynamic cultural communities; that the art can be seen to be a product of and a force for the continued vitality of Indigenous cultures mediated through the vision of the artists; and to examine the important role artists perform within a continuum of artistic production despite rapidly shifting social and cultural landscapes.