The Met Is Expanding Its Definition of American Culture by Hiring a Curator of Indigenous Art for Its Famed American Wing

The Metropolitan Museum of Art
is looking for its
first full-time curator of Native North American
art to spearhead a
new Native arts program, housed in the American
wing. 

The successful candidate will be
tasked with overseeing the museum’s vast collection of indigenous
American artifacts, including the Charles and Valerie
Diker Collection of more
than 116 objects hailing from 50 different Native American
cultures, from the 2nd century to the early 20th
century. 

“The Met continues to expand and shape its program of Native
American art—from ongoing rotations of the ‘Art of Native
America’ display in the American Wing to the upcoming Great
Hall installation by contemporary Cree artist Kent Monkman,” the
head of the Met’s American wing, Sylvia Yount, tells artnet
News.  “With the arrival of a new curator, we anticipate an
increasingly robust program of Indigenous American art across the
museum.”

Yet, despite its significant
holdings, Native American art and artifacts have historically been
something of an afterthought for the Met.

A presentation of the Diker
collection, on view through October 16, constituted the museum’s
first-ever show of Native
American art in its
American wing. For many, the exhibition marked a long overdue
turning point from the habit at many museums of displaying Native
American art in their international
galleries. The commitment to hire the new curator also
came as part of the Diker gift.

“The presentation in the
American wing of these exceptional works by Indigenous artists
marks a critical moment in which conventional narratives of history
are being expanded to acknowledge and celebrate the contributions
of cultures that have long been marginalized,” said Met director
Max Hollein in a statement at the time.

But even this momentous occasion
was marred by controversy: the Association on American Indian
Affairs castigated the Met for allegedly failing to consult with
tribal representatives. As a result, the group said, the museum
improperly contextualized non-art objects as art. 

The Met, claiming that it
“engaged regularly and repeatedly with tribal leaders in many
Native communities throughout the country,” declined to remove
contested items from the exhibition.

All of which is to say that the
new curator, an associate in the American department, will have
their work cut out for them. But, according to the job posting,
they’ll also have a unique opportunity to mount shows, collaborate
with other departments, and even add to the museum’s
collection.

The post The Met Is Expanding Its Definition of American
Culture by Hiring a Curator of Indigenous Art for Its Famed
American Wing appeared first on artnet News.