Lectures at the MFA - Origin Stories: Native American Art and American Museums

Bringing together voices from the academic, museum, and artistic communities, this free afternoon symposium expands on themes presented in “Collecting Stories: Native American Art,” the first exhibition to examine the perspectives, motivations, and voices involved in building the MFA’s early holdings of Native American art. Presenters share different perspectives on how Indigenous art was acquired by and influenced the development of American museums in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. What can we learn from the journeys of objects into museum collections, and what are the responsibilities of museums in displaying Native American art? Geraldine Barney, artist and activist Philip J. Deloria, professor, Native American and Indigenous Studies, Harvard University David W. Penney, associate director, Museum Scholarship, National Museum of the American Indian Ruth Phillips, professor, Art History, Carleton University Sunday, May 6, 2018