Showcasing the diversity and vitality of Indigenous art in Canada, Early Days makes its United States debut at the Heard Museum in Phoenix, where it will remain on view through January 2, 2024. The exhibition features objects ranging from 18th-century ceremonial regalia to the work of vanguard artists of the 1960s, ’70s and ’80s such as Norval Morrisseau, Carl Beam and Alex Janvier, as well as leading contemporary Indigenous artists like Kent Monkman, Meryl McMaster and Rebecca Belmore.

Great Lakes First Nation, pair of moccasins, ca. 1770-80, black-dyed deerskin sewn with sinew, decorated with porcupine quillwork and fringed with red-dyed deer-hair tassels inserted in tinned iron cones. Gift of Dr. Phil Nuytten. 2013.7.2.A-.B

“Our intent was to use the collection to tell the stories of the myriad Indigenous cultures that have historically inhabited what we now call Canada, attempting wherever possible to leave the explaining to those Indigenous cultural stakeholders who know these works best,” says Sarah Milroy, chief curator at the McMichael Canadian Art Collection. “The preparations for this exhibition and the publication that accompanies it, provided a framework for our museum’s deepening engagement with Indigenous artists, writers and scholars across the country.”

Through painting, sculpture, photography, beadwork, porcupine quillwork, wood carving, textile, argillite carving, collage, silver work, printmaking and ceremonial objects, Early Days explores the tensions and ties between the past and the present; and the relationship to the land, ancestors, and each other among tribal nations.

As a state known for its many Indigenous communities and their celebrated art forms, Arizona and the Heard Museum—which, with nearly 45,000 objects, has one of the most extensive collections of Native American art in the country—made for a natural choice to launch the exhibit’s international tour. This will be the first time that many of the living artists in the exhibition have had their work shown in the state and invites a deep connection with the issues at the heart of the Indigenous experience.

Bob Harris (Kwakwaka´wakw, 1870-1930), Chief Xi’xa’niyus, “Gives All His Blankets Away” and Johnny Davis, Chief Lalakinx’idi, “The One Who Always Went Too Far” (1867-70-ca. 1921), Kύmugwe, “Wealthy One,” Chief Of The Undersea Kingdom Mask, ca. 1890, western red cedar, paint. Purchase 1977. 1977.2.1.A-.B

Norval Morrisseau (Bingwi Neyaashi Anishinaabek First Nation, 1932-2007), Artist’s Wife and Daughter, 1975, acrylic on hardboard. Purchase 1975, 1981.87.1.

“We are honored to be the first stop on this world tour,” says David M. Roche, Heard Museum director and CEO. “The exhibition allows us to share the magnificence of Indigenous art from coast to coast to coast in Canada with the people of Arizona.”

Milroy adds, “This exhibition makes clear that contemporary Indigenous art has deep roots in the past, but is a vital and evolving discipline. It is alive. These artists and makers have been engaging with all the key issues of our day: environmentalism, feminism and gender fluidity, land use, spirituality, tolerance, strategies for remembrance, and resistance and survival in a changing world. This is an exhibition to be mined for its lessons for the present and the future.”

Charles Edenshaw (Haida, 1838-1924), Wasco bracelet, ca. 1910, silver. Purchase 1974. 1981.108.1

After its time at the Heard, the exhibition travels to the Albuquerque Museum, the Chrysler Museum in Norfolk, Virgina, and back to Canada at the Musée national des beaux arts du Quebec. 

Through January 2, 2024
Early Days: Indigenous Art from the McMichael
Heard Museum, 2301 N. Central Avenur, Phoenix, AZ 85004 (602) 252-8840, www.heard.org

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