Modern Spirit: The Art of George Morrison

The work of Chippewa artist George Morrison (1919–2000) has enjoyed widespread critical acclaim. His paintings, drawings, prints, and sculptures have been displayed in numerous public and private exhibitions, and he is one of Minnesota’s most cherished artists. Yet because Morrison’s artwork typically does not include overt references to his Indian heritage, it has stirred debate about what it means to be a Native American artist. This stunning catalogue, featuring 130 color and black-and-white images, showcases Morrison’s work across a spectrum of genres and media, while also exploring the artist’s identity as a modernist within the broader context of twentieth-century American and Native American art. Born and raised near the Grand Portage Indian Reservation in Minnesota, Morrison graduated from the Minnesota School of Art and the Art Students League in New York City. He spent his early career mainly on the East Coast, becoming one of the first Native American artists to exhibit his work extensively in New York. Best known for his landscape paintings and wood collages, he employed a variety of media—paint, wood, ink and metal, paper, and canvas—and developed a unique style that combined elements of cubism, surrealism, and abstract expressionism. In her foreword to Modern Spirit, Cherokee artist Kay WalkingStick describes her personal association with Morrison and admiration for his authentic artistic vision. Kristin Makholm, in her introduction to the volume, explores Morrison’s ties to Minnesota and his legacy within the history of Minnesota art and culture. Then, drawing on extensive primary research and Morrison’s own writings, W. Jackson Rushing III offers an in-depth analysis of Morrison’s artistic evolution against the backdrop of evolving definitions of “Indianness.” By expanding our understanding of Morrison’s singular vision, Modern Spirit invites readers to appreciate more deeply the beauty and complexity of his art.

Arts & Photography

Rushing III, W. Jackson

Makholm, Kristin

History & Criticism

University of Oklahoma Press

Allan Houser (Haozous, in his native language) was a Chiricahua Apache, whose family once belonged to Geronimo's guerrilla band. After the remnants of this group were released in 1913 from decades of internment by the United States Government, the artist's family moved to a farm in Oklahoma, where Houser was born in 1914. In his teens, Houser attended the Santa Fe Indian School, where he first studied art. Although immersed in Apache tradition, as a student Houser was fascinated by art from all over the world, and he resisted the school's attempt to force him to work in what was considered the proper Native American style of flat forms, bright colors, and Indian subjects. Instead, he mastered a number of styles, from straightforward representation to abstraction, and throughout his career remained alert to developments in the work of his contemporaries. Houser's sculpture, considered his finest work, can be seen in many collections both in the United States and abroad. Among his most famous works are Sacred Rain Arrow, which welcomed athletes to the 2002 Winter Olympics, and Offering of the Sacred Pipe, which was created for the U.S. Mission to the United Nations. In 1992, Hous

Allan Houser: An American Master (Chiricahua Apache, 1914-1994)

Harry N. Abrams

After training at The Studio of the Santa Fe Indian School in the 1930s, the Chiricahua Apache artist Allan Houser (1914–1994) had both commercial and critical success as a painter and sculptor. Unlike some artists, he generally was not comfortable working in a painterly style but, believing that charcoals and pastels would enable him to intensify the freshness and spontaneity of his imagery, Houser began to focus on drawing. Houser built a dedicated drawing and design studio in Santa Fe in 1990 and was extremely prolific over the next four years. Allan Houser Drawings: The Centennial Exhibition offers a critical examination of Houser’s career as a draughtsman, from his early career to the rich body of work he produced late in life. Both the publication and the accompanying exhibition coincided with the centennial of Houser’s birth and a national celebration of the artist’s legacy.

Allan Houser Drawings: The Centennial Exhibition

Jerman, Hadley

Fred Jones Jr. Museum of Art

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Books by Rushing III, W. Jackson