Wednesday, July 15, 2009

EDWARD CURTIS "REFOCUSED" IN UKIAH


July 11 through Nov 8, the Grace Hudson Museum presents a show of Edward Curtis photos. I have not seen it yet (I expect to within the next 10 days and will post a review), but it sounds like an interesting exhibit: According to the museum's website:

In this exhibition Curtis' work is examined through the eyes of contemporary Native Americans who selected images from his body of work through which to examine issues of authenticity, tradition and relationships between Natives and non-Natives. The exhibition also explores the many challenges that Curtis faced in the course of his project, such as chronic under-funding, challenging physical conditions, inter-cultural mistrust, and marital difficulties ..... Curtis, it turns out, stayed with John and Grace Hudson when he came to the Ukiah area in 1923 to record Pomo culture. Curtis arrived in the summertime, when many Pomo people were scattered about the countryside working, so John Hudson took him around the county and introduced him to key people and families and allowed Curtis to use the Hudsons’ basket collection in his photographs. The Sun House Guild has since purchased and framed a number of Curtis’ original Pomo Indian photogravures. Grace Hudson Museum staff will mount a special section of the exhibit displaying many of these Curtis prints, along with the actual Pomo artifacts pictured in the images.

2 comments:

Nancy Ewart said...

Now I know that I will be doing later this summer. I've loved his work for ages and haven't seen much of it "in person." It sounds to me like a field trip to Northern California is definitely in order.

Anonymous said...

Nancy, please feel free to contact me via email when you are heading up here, would love to get together if scheduling works.