“Hearts of Our People:” Native Women Birthing their Worlds through Art

At the Frist Museum in Nashville you can experience the depth and breadth of visual objects produced by Native American women in the exhibition “Hearts of Our People: Native Women Artists,” the first major exhibition devoted solely to their work. Featuring more than 115 objects through a variety of media including painting, sculpture, bead work, pottery, video and installation art, the exhibition includes artists working in the United States and Canada from ancient times to the present day.

The exhibition is a sojourn into the visual expressions by Native women through three core themes, Legacy-encompassed in works that acknowledges lineage, the embodiment of previous generations and the ways they address the present moment and speak to the future. Relationships-exploring the concept of bonds existing beyond the human world including animals, nature and other entities. Power- works created for “diplomacy and influence” to empower others and to empower oneself.

One of my favorite works was “Blanket Stories: Three Sisters, Four Pelts, Sky Woman, Cousin Rose and Alll My Relations,” by contemporary artist Marie Watt.

The blanket column references architectural structures like ancient Greek columns and monumental Western sculpture, totem poles of the Northwest Coast are where Watts grew up amongst giant conifer trees. Blankets are special articles for many native communities, celebrations of important life events like births, marriages, and naming ceremonies.  I love the textures and patterns in the work, the height of the column, a new perspective of this beautiful culture!

The exhibition also features a provocative work, “Fringe,” by artist Rebecca Belmore. I highlighted “Fringe” in podcast episode #19. It was thrilling to see the work in person, the whiteness of the drapery, the tangle of beaded red threads that traced a diagonal trail of the memory of blood through the aesthetic of Native American beading down her back. If you are inclined, click the link below to listen to learn more. And go check out the exhibition to see the ways Native women bring her own life experiences, skill and individual style to her art.