Action/Abstraction Redefined

March 16 – June 12, 2022

Action/Abstraction Redefined presents modern Native American art from the 1940s through the 1970s. The exhibition features 55 artworks by leading artists such as Fritz Scholder (Mission/ Luiseño), George Morrison (Chippewa), and T.C. Cannon (Kiowa), organized by influences of major twentieth-century art movements including Abstract Expressionism, Color Field, and Hard-Edge painting.

Innovative artists featured in Action/Abstraction explored new ways of artistic expression and challenged stereotypical expectations of Native art, resulting in the development of contemporary Native art. Their deeply personal paintings, sculptures, and works on paper were created in studios across the nation and at the Institute of American Indian Arts (IAIA) in Santa Fe, where artists were encouraged to experiment and take risks. As part of avant-garde movements at the time, Native artists redefined the concept of abstraction and pushed the boundaries of Native art.

This exhibition is organized by Dr. Manuela Well-Off-Man, chief curator, IAIA Museum of Contemporary Native Arts, Tatiana Lomahaftewa-Singer, curator of collections, IAIA Museum of Contemporary Native Arts, and Dr. Lara Evans, IAIA Associate Professor of Native Art History.