Women in Art Living Art:

Women in Art

Living Art: Female Native American Artists and Their Living Artistic Expressions

The artistic representation of the various cultures of Native American peoples represents more than just aesthetic value. It also represents a connection to life and the cultural aspects of life that can be then portrayed to an external source through artistic representations. In many Native American cultures, artistic pieces are also a crucial part of daily life or represent certain aspects of daily life that are typical to each individual culture. Female artists within the various Native American cultures play a special role in the artistic representation of Native American life. In fact, the female Native American artist lives their art through various aspects such as creating utilitarian art pieces like pottery; in modern artistic interpretation, female Native Americans have turned to photography as a way to represent their living image within a specific cultural context through artistic expression.

Native American female artists are highly skilled and create works of art that represent their own lives and cultural contexts within those lives. For generations, art within Native American culture has represented a close connection to cultural values and practical every day life experiences. Much of what is considered art by the Western world was once a practical use of tools to enhance every day life within various tribal cultures; "What we now call art was once seen as a mnemonic or narrative device," (Rushing 138). Thus, female artists did not always consider themselves as so, but rather created their art as a way to live out their normal everyday lives. This then incorporates elements of real artistic expression as a natural product of the various native cultures that live all over the United States. Art was not separate from the everyday, it was the everyday. In this, creating art was a very active and necessary process for both male and female Native American artists. According to research, "It is more appropriate to think of Native American art as a verb, as "arting," to focus attention on the creation process and the use of the objects produced," (Neusner 15). Thus, the goal was not aesthetic value alone, but also the work of creation itself. Artistic expression went hand in hand to everyday survival, and in this concept the artist is constantly creating in an active participation with the external world around her. Art expressed the innate feelings of he culture through everyday practicality. Tools and objects that are looked at as mundane in other cultures become the palettes for creative artistic expression, "The designs on clothing, pottery, baskets, and tools frequently correspond with images from stories, features of the landscape, and clan symbols," (Neusner 15). The incorporation of these cultural elements through art is meant to keep them in the present, constantly reminding the people of the various indigenous cultures of the United States. Incorporating art into the everyday then strengthens the cultural connection; "By wearing clothing and using pottery and baskets, Native Americans are reminded of their stories; they are surrounded by the patterns that they associate with what makes their life and culture meaningful," (Neusner 15). Thus, artistic expression for the female Native American artist is expression of what it is to actually live the Native American experience.

One of the most functional as well as creative artistic expressions produced by female Native American artists is the art of pottery making and basket weaving. According to research "For centuries pottery-making was primarily done by women, with the exchange of pottery controlled by men," (Rushing 64). Thus, this was within a multitude of various indigenous cultures a place for the work of female artists to shine. The art of pottery making and basket weaving stems from very utilitarian needs. The people of the various cultures needed containers and objects to carry and store the basic needs of existence, like food and water. When the female members of the tribal communities then took it upon themselves to create such seemingly mundane objects, they were then allowed impressive artistic expression within the context of everyday existence. Within the limitations of their every day lives and roles, women created works of beautiful art that were could actually be used within normal activities. Thus, pottery making and basket weaving serves as "another example of how the human spirit despite its over abundant penchant for doing things that certainly could be considered not of "light," yet harbors the inner spirit which enables them to bring forth items of beauty coupled with functionality from articles that at best to begin with had to be considered mundane," (Snow Owl 1). Female artists created art out of the needs and actions of their own lives. They expressed their cultural traditions individually through the need for a synergy between the aesthetic and everyday practicality. Thus, they embodied an important role within typically patriarchal societies, "The historical identity of Indian women, as seen through the eyes of the paternalistic culture that has represented them for 150 years, both resembles and differs from images of western women," (Rushing 135).

As native pottery and baskets became coveted by foreign collectors, the role of the female as an artist became crucial in the artistic representation of the various indigenous cultures of the Native American tribes. Foreigners recognized the individual expressions within the necessary objects of everyday life, and thus began to prize such objects. This then created a new role for the female pottery and basket maker, a recognized role as an artist. Examining the Pueblo Indians and the rise of their art within surrounding communities shows how the role of women were elevated through their part in the representation of their people to the external world. According to research, "As the status of the individual potter grew in the marketplace, Pueblo women, once muted and discouraged from putting themselves forward, now found themselves as representatives and spokespeople for their communities and Pueblo culture in general to the outside world," (Rushing 64-5). So, as they create art out of the necessity of life, they are allowed to live their art through its implementation in the every day. The Navajos believe that closed circles within art symbolize the constriction of life itself, for they allow not real movement. Thus, within their artistic expression included in pottery and basket making, "Navajos insist on openings in all encircling designs," Nuesner 15). This is a unique interpretation of artistic expression that is then weaved into the context of everyday life. For example, "The characteristic design women into Navajo wedding baskets is always open, and the opening corresponds with the beginning and ending coil at the center and perimeter of the basket [] signifying the opening for the movement of life," (Neusner 15). Thus, the art becomes an active part in the context of every day life. It signifies a tradition and philosophy that stems from the female artists who create such physical manifestations of cultural traditions.