ARTH 064. Woodland Native Arts and Ecologies

Cross listed: ENVS 059
The Eastern Woodlands has long been an international territory and gathering place for the Native nations of North America. Stretching from the Mississippi River to the Atlantic, and from the Gulf of Mexico to the boreal forests north of the Great Lakes, this huge geographic area has been home to diverse groups of Indigenous peoples since time immemorial whose stories, art, and ways of life reflect an intimate relationship with the varied ecologies and non-human inhabitants of the region. As the site of first contact with Europeans in the present-day United States and now one of the most densely populated areas in the continent, the Woodlands has also seen great environmental and socio-political upheaval over the course of the last 500 years. This course examines the history of the Woodlands from pre-contact to the present through the art and material culture of the Indigenous peoples who call the region home. We will explore how Indigenous ancestral and ecological relations to place have changed over time and how they are expressed in diverse visual and material cultural forms, from ancient earthworks to basketry, quillwork, beadwork, painting, sculpture, multimedia installations, and other forms that transcend the artificial divide of the traditional and contemporary. With an emphasis on Lenape, Anishinaabe, and Haudenosaunee art, histories, and traditional ecological knowledge, students will be asked to consider Swarthmore’s place on these Indigenous lands and within a nexus of contested territories. The course will include visits to Philadelphia-area museums and collections and coincides with the exhibition The sky loves to hear me sing: Woodland Art in Transmotion at the List Gallery, the art which will anchor key discussions alongside visiting artists and speakers.

Eligible for ENVS.
Arts and Humanaties.
1 credit.
Fall 2024. Green.
Catalog chapter: Art History
Department website: http://www.swarthmore.edu/art-history

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