Visit the
GHM Store

Link to Previous Shows:

Radiant Visions, 2007/2008
Art and Poetry from Native California, 2008
Visionary Art, 2008
Lewis & Clark Revisited, 2008
Lon Megargee, 2008/2009
Carl Sammons, 2009
Current Exhibit, 2009

Link to all GHM Exhibits
prior to 2008

Canoe of Tules - Pomo, Pl. 489, 1924

July 11, 2009 - November 8, 2009

Inspired by a passion to document the traditional cultures of American Indians before they were irrevocably changed by contact with Euro-American society, photographer and ethnographer Edward S. Curtis (1868-1952) devoted his life to traveling among numerous Native American tribes and photographing the people and their ways of life. He also wrote about their languages and oral histories, recorded songs, and, toward the end of his career, made motion pictures of dances and ceremonies.

Nunivak Woman and Child, Pl. 694, 1930

Uyowutcha - Nunivak, Pl. 696, 1930

Curtis' monumental project eventually resulted in the documentation of the cultures of more than 80 tribes. He recorded 10,000 songs and the linguistic structure of 75 languages. His 20-volume epic "The North American Indian" is now recognized as the most comprehensive set of photographs of its genre in existence. 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.

Three Chiefs - Piegan, Pl. 209, 1911

Grace Hudson Museum has its own exciting story to contribute to this exhibition. 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.

Chief's Daughter - Nakoaktok, Pl. 364, 1914

Pomo Girl, Pl. 482, 1924

The "Edward S. Curtis Refocused" exhibition was produced by the San Diego Museum of Man in collaboration with members of Native American communities across the United States. The exhibit celebrates a superhuman body of work that brought the dignity of Native Americans and the richness and beauty of American Indian culture to the attention of many European Americans for the first time. It also addresses the controversy that has surrounded Curtis and his methods. Some Indians take issue with his intrusion into Native life and his disclosure of sacred traditional rituals. Others are grateful that he provided them with an opportunity to learn about the lives of their ancestors. Still others decry the fact that he erased evidence of modernization in Indian peoples’ lives. The exhibit includes quotes from contemporary Native Americans – some of whom are delighted to have found the only extant portraits of their youthful parents or grandparents among Curtis' volumes and others whom describe how Curtis' photographs have helped them re-create traditional rituals, such as the Plains Indians' Sun Dance. In any one’s estimation, however, Curtis accomplished an amazing feat, taking more than 40,000 photographs of American Indian throughout the course of his life.

Home | Museum | Store | Order
Expansion | Education | Sunletter | Contact

Link to previous exhibits:
Radiant Visions; Huichol Indian Art, 2007/2008
Art and Poetry from Native California, 2008
Northern California Visionary Art: A Contemporary Legacy, 2008
Lewis & Clark Revisited: A Trail in Modern Day, 2008
Lon Megargee: Legendary Prints of the Southwest, 2008/2009
Carl Sammons: California Impressionist Landscapes from the Donna Walsh Sumner Collection, 2009
Current Exhibit, 2009

Link to all GHM Exhibits prior to 2008

Grace Hudson Museum - 431 S. Main Ukiah, CA - 95482 - 707.467.2836