Native American and First Nation Figures in Sculpture - by Fred F Poyner (Paperback)

Book Synopsis

The art of public structure is nearly as old as society itself, and its figurative representations (and gaps) represent deep wells of insight into culture. This book examines sculptors both old and new, and how the work of each one has presented Native Americans and First Nations peoples as figurative subjects found throughout the public sculpture of North America over the past 200 years.

Offering thorough examination of artworks by 50 different sculptors throughout the United States and Canada, this book profiles how artists have incorporated either traditional native styles and techniques or European artistic styles and training to create these figurative subjects in wood, stone, marble, bronze, and other materials; to what degree (or not) they utilized indigenous models or figures, photographs of individuals, or other primary sources to create their sculptures; how each sculpture relates to its landscape and display location; and, how each sculptor's own life relates to the works they have created for public viewing.

Both "historical" statuary and public sculpture that has distinctive artistic representation or styles are examined. Also included are oral history interviews, photographs, and first-hand accounts to help better understand all of these artworks. Each of the sculptors profiled here reflects a mixture of gender, ethnicity, and nationality in their identity and backgrounds, as diverse and varied a group as the subjects of their public sculpture.

Review Quotes

"By including works of Indigenous peoples in the United States and Canada, Poyner recognizes their shared histories and disregards political boundaries like lines of latitude. ...this work is about more than art. Poyner uses art to take the reader into a decades-long endeavor to rectify, preserve, and celebrate the history, cultures, and peoples of North America. ... Hundreds of black-and-white photographs as well as 24 colored plates are visually appealing and as instructive as the author's concise prose. ... Whoever enters the conversation [on the sculptures and art of Native American and First Nation peoples] should look to Poyner as a model for using public art to shed an informative light on North American history."--Pacific Northwest Quarterly

About the Author

Fred F. Poyner IV is an independent historian and author with over 30 years of experience in researching and writing about history and art of the Pacific Northwest.