Curated by Native Artist Jerry Brown
Jerry Brown is a contemporary Diné painter from Mariano Lake, NM. He’s been making artwork for his entire life, and is a graduate of the Institute of American Indian Arts in Santa Fe. Jerry creates abstract mixed-media paintings influenced by his Diné culture and daily life that combine paint, modeling paste, paper, and natural materials. Jerry is a beloved and acclaimed local artist famous for his hummingbirds.
Four pieces of artwork in the Gallup New Deal collection are classic representations of art from the Studio School in Santa Fe under the direction of Dorothy Dunn. These pieces were created by Allan Houser, Timothy Begay, and Harrison Begay. Dunn insisted that her students use Native American subjects and a flat style with no context of place. She believed that this was an “authentic representation of Indian culture.” Dunn claimed this style was supported by the styles found in wall paintings and rock art that were visible everywhere in the Southwest. However, in doing this Dunn imposed boundaries on the young artists in the school. She defined Native Art rather than providing a space where Native artists could create their own definition of art. This was pretty typical of the time period, when the U.S. government, schools, and art dealers felt they had the right to impose their beliefs on Native Americans in terms of everything from art to education to land use.
In this tour, you will see the four New Deal pieces made by students taught by Dorothy Dunn compared to four of my paintings, and also my personal reflections on the paintings. My pieces were created in a different time and space than the Studio School images. I attended the Institute of American Indian Arts (IAIA) in the 1990s. IAIA grew out of the Studio School. I was fortunate that artists like Allan Houser, Fritz Scholder, Otellie Loloma, and others created IAIA with a philosophy of “Don’t do what you’ve always seen. Be yourself.” I was told to challenge stereotypes and break boundaries.
Both of these paintings depict animals. There is a show of caring for the sheep in Timothy Begay’s painting. Some representation of life and movement is shown in the sway of the skirt, but notice the image is isolated with minimal background. In my painting, the energy and movement of the hummingbird is displayed and expressed through the colors and movement of the paint. The background is wild and full of shapes. Though abstract, it provides a grounding for the image of the bird. My painting shows the life and movement of the bird. Begay’s painting does not show the same in its animals because the restrictions in Dunn’s style did not allow for such expression.
These pieces both show an interpretation of weaving. I created mine while watching family weave. The peace that surrounded the weaving process inspired the painting I created. Harrison Begay created a piece using the stylized painting method taught and encouraged by Dorothy Dunn. The painting is flat and does not necessarily depict the energy and flow that goes into the creation of a weaving.
Both of these pieces are about healing. In Texture, I created depth and feeling with the use of colors and shapes, and applied found materials. Harrison Begay’s piece presents a mood with the darker background. Some movement is conveyed in the fringe on the skirts and the raised feet. I choose to not paint sacred parts of my culture, however. I personally do not want to use my culture to sell my art. At the time Begay was painting that was not an option for him. He had to paint what he was expected to paint, not necessarily what he felt.
These two paintings depict movement and dancing. The Crown Dancer in Allan Houser’s piece is absent from natural surroundings. The painting is classic of the Dunn style. It is an isolated image, showing no context of time nor place. I created Dancer II to interpret the feelings I experience at dances and to show the movement and excitement of dance. The music and energy that lead the dancers in their gestures are captured by the swirling and movement in my painting.
Houser was one of the first artists to break free of the Studio School. In 1962, he and other artists founded IAIA in place of the Indian School. It was created specifically to encourage Native art students to begin exploring and creating art in new ways. Teachers like Houser encouraged students to create and experiment in any and all media. They encouraged students to create their own definitions of art, to not be defined by others, and to break free of the boundaries and rules set by the Studio School. I follow in that tradition.
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Gallup and McKinley County are situated on the ancestral and current homelands of the Diné and Ashiwi peoples.
Gallup’s New Deal art collection consists of over 120 objects created, purchased, or donated from 1933 to 1942 through New Deal federal art programs administered by President Franklin D. Roosevelt to support artists during the Great Depression.
The Gallup New Deal Art Virtual Museum features three types of exhibits, combining traditional and non-traditional approaches to illuminate academic, creative, and individual understandings.
Gallup’s New Deal art collection includes works by a demographically, professionally, and stylistically diverse group of named and unnamed artists.
Image Use Notice: Images of Gallup’s New Deal artworks are available to be used for educational purposes only. Non-collection images are subject to specific restrictions and identified by a © icon. Hover over the icon for copyright info. Read more
