Native American Art

the long version

This volume presents some 100 Native American artworks that are displayed at Museum of Fine Arts in Boston. Although some objects were made for Native use, many reflect the interaction of Native Americans with other cultures, and demonstrate a mastery of new materials and techniques in weaving, silversmithing, beadwork and other crafts. An introductory essay traces the history of Native American art at the MFA since the late nineteenth century, which mirrors cultural shifts in attitude toward these objects in the United States as a whole. Covering a diversity of objects from across the North American continent -- from the eastern and southern Woodlands to the Northwest Pacific Coast, with a particular emphasis on the Southwest.