Arts and Cultures

Overcoming rear-guard resistance, American Indian writers and their allies are blasting a place in the speculative genre for an Indigenous worldview and discovering surprising affinities.

Joy Harjo’s unique poetry and music have broken ground and helped revitalize an interest in these Native arts. This year, she became the first American Indian to be named Poet Laureate of the United States.

A basket series newly acquired by the NMAI pays tribute to the suffering of students at the Carlisle Indian Industrial School and to the unique talent of the late Shan Goshorn.

A new NMAI exhibition in New York brings together contemporary Native artworks with past influences spanning the Western Hemisphere. The pieces vary greatly in their forms and origins, yet their creators share a common thread: all take inspiration from their Indigenous roots.