The Exhibition Native North Americans’ Artworks Kicks off

The exhibition Native North Americans’ Artworks, co-organized by Hunan Provincial Museum, Bowers Museum and Tan Guobin Contemporary Art Museum, was opened to the public on the afternoon of March 27, 2015.

The exhibition Native North Americans’ Artworks, following the step of the last exhibition entitled Photograph Exhibition on Native Americans: “Mayans”, “Incans” and “North American Aborigines” in 2013, further explore the regional civilization and culture of Native Americans. The exhibition features various aspects of the culture and art of the Native Americans. The objects on display include potteries, shells, stone jewelry, feather ornaments, weavings and weapons (bows and arrows) and so on. Through these artworks, citizens in Changsha are able to learn about and appreciate the brilliant culture created by these people.

The exhibition encompasses five sections: “North of the Arctic”, “Coastal Area of the Northwest”, “The Great Prairie”, “and California”, and “The Southwest”. Altogether 133 sets of objects are on display, ranging from potteries, shells, stone jewelry, feather ornaments, weavings to bows and arrows and other implements used by Native Americans. The exhibition covers the whole North American continent and the cultural features of different regions are presented, including the fish-shaped fishhook made from the traditional walrus ivory and metals (from other lands) by the Inupiaq living in the north of the Arctic; the eagle-feathered headdress awarded to brave men by the Lakota people in the great prairie; feathered baskets used by the Pomo for coming-of-age ceremonies, weddings and funerals. These artworks are of both aesthetic values and practical functions, demonstrating the beauty of culture and art of the Indian tribes. An authentic and bright world of the Native Americans is revealed. Various aspects of the culture and art of Native Americans are displayed from different perspectives, including their unique languages, beliefs, social structures, customs and the traditional arts created by different tribes.

Bowers Museum, as one of the planners for this exhibition, is located in Santa Ana in Orange County, California. It is one of the best museums in the southern part of California. It is also the largest and the oldest museum in the Orange County. It is a specialized museum which studies the progress of the human society from the perspective of the art. Its rich collections range from the Pre- colonial Central American Culture, American Indian Culture to African and Oceania arts. It has been ranked as “one of the must-see museums in American” by Newsweek. The exhibition Native Americans’ Artworks is one of the key exhibitions in Bowers Museum. Hunan Provincial Museum is the third stop of this tour exhibition in China, after Guangdong Museum and Shanxi Museum. By using the implements and artworks of the Native Americans, this exhibition presents a colorful and authentic world of the Native Americans in a direct way.

In recent years, Hunan Provincial Museum, one of the key museums in China, has been taking an active role in promoting dialogue between different regional civilizations. With a broad vision and open-mindedness, Hunan Provincial Museum endeavors to conduct cultural exchange and cooperation with many important museums, innovation-led industries and institutions in other countries and regions, including America, Mexico, Germany, Italy, Britain, France, Czech Republic and Hong Kong. A series of high quality exhibitions have been held, such as From the Academic to Impressionism: Master Pieces of the 19th Century European Paintings at the Pérez Simon Collection, Towards Modernity: Three Centuries of British Art, UNE AVANT-GARDE EUROPEENNE: the appreciation of the 20th century collections from Unterlinden Museum, Exhibition of European Glass Artworks, American Car Culture in Photography. These exhibitions have been very popular among the general public. Hunan Provincial Museum has built a bridge, linking the past, the present and the future, and linking people from different regions and of various races.

Visiting Information

Time: Open from March 28, 2015 to May 27, 2015 (closed on Mondays)
Visiting Hours: 10：00—16：00
Exhibition Site: The Gallery at the Fifth Floor, Tan Guobin Contemporary Art Museum (Xiangjiang No.1 residential quarter, at the intersection of Xiangjiang North Road and Chuangyuan Road, Kaifu District, Changsha city)
Public Transportation：bus No. 128 and No. 801; the bus stop is Xinlian School
Admission: The exhibition opens to the public for free; please collect tickets with your valid IDs (ID Card, Student Identity Card, soldier identity card, senior citizen identity card, passport and so on).