Category: Museum Anthropology Blog

Via The New Yorker, July 4, 2022

In town with some summer hours to spare? Visit “Dakota Modern: The Art of Oscar Howe,” the overdue retrospective of a remarkable Yanktonai Dakota painter, who died in 1983, at the age of sixty-eight. The show graces the always enthralling New York branch of the Smithsonian’s National Museum of the American Indian, housed in the Alexander Hamilton U.S. Custom House—a prodigy of Beaux-Arts architecture by Cass Gilbert, from 1907—hard by Battery Park. It’s admission-free. Too few attend. (Some days, you may have the place and its spectacular collection of Native American art and artifacts almost to yourself, except for the occasional school group.) Howe is a frequently misunderstood American master. He bridged ethnic authenticity and internationalist derring-do, though condescension from establishment institutions and proprietary tribute from some sectarian advocates have hindered his recognition as a straight-up canonical modernist. Really, go see.

More here.

The School of Social and Political Sciences (SSPS) is seeking to appoint a continuing Lecturer (Level B) in Anthropology, specializing in environmental anthropology, economic anthropology or medical anthropology.

The School is composed of the Disciplines of Anthropology, Government and International Relations, Political Economy, and Sociology and Criminology. It offers innovative degrees at undergraduate and postgraduate levels that attract the very best students from Australia and overseas. SSPS is the focus for the strategic development of the social sciences at the University of Sydney with a goal of becoming Australia’s leading centre for research and teaching in the field.

Founded in 1925, the Discipline of Anthropology at the University of Sydney is Australia’s first anthropology department. It maintains a strong reputation for theoretical innovation, excellence in ethnographic fieldwork and an outstanding commitment to the training of postgraduate research students.

The successful appointee will be located in the Discipline of Anthropology and teach into our undergraduate and postgraduate programs, supervise research students, contribute to School based strategic research themes, and play a role in initiating new research and teaching initiatives within the School, Faculty and University. The appointee will be expected to contribute to the full range of discipline activities and contribute to the life of the School and Faculty.

Via KUNM, June 30, 2022

 

Native Americans have long called the Southwest home. Yet, the true scope of their rich history and culture has often been overlooked. Now the updated permanent exhibit at the Museum of Indian Arts and Culture in Santa Fe is showcasing both historic and contemporary Native artwork.

“Here, Now, and Always” is the newest reimagined exhibit from the museum that’s dedicated to giving Native Americans control of their own narratives.

At a preview this week, curator Tony Chavarria of Santa Clara Pueblo, who focused on themes of cycles in the exhibit, says when the museum’s core exhibition first opened in 1997 it was one of the first in the region to incorporate Native perspectives. This new iteration continues that mission.

“[We want] to give a voice to the Native people of the Southwest, and provide basically a new perspective, a new era,” Chavarria said. “So it’s important to give that voice to this generation that keeps growing. Native people don’t want to be stuck in time like it’s the 1880s.”

More here.

Via The Harvard Crimson, July 1, 2022

For some Nebraska legislators, the whereabouts of Ponca Tribe chief Standing Bear’s pipe tomahawk were discovered as a coincidence.

Charles R. “Dick” Clark, a staff member of state Senator and Oglala Sioux tribe member Tom Brewer, had ordered tomahawk heads as part of an initiative to drive business opportunities for Native Americans in the area. As the two collaborated, their conversation meandered to another tomahawk — that of Standing Bear, the Ponca chief who was at the heart of a landmark civil rights case in 1879.

“We just go Google it up, and it’s like, ‘Huh. It’s at the Peabody Museum for Archaeology and Ethnology at Harvard University,” Clark said.

On June 3, after pandemic-induced delays, a delegation of Ponca Tribe representatives — including Standing Bear’s direct descendent, Stacy Laravie — traveled to Cambridge for the repatriation ceremony. Now back in Nebraska, the tomahawk will remain there and be exhibited.

Director of Cultural Affairs for the Ponca Tribe of Nebraska Richard Wright Jr., who was tasked with facilitating conversations between the Northern and Southern Ponca tribes and Harvard in preparation for the repatriation, said the return indicates a symbolic and spiritual milestone.

“It’s meant everything,” he said. “It’s getting our history back. It’s very emotional in a way, as well. These things belong with the Ponca people. They belong at home.”

On his way to his son’s funeral shortly after being forced to migrate from Nebraska, Standing Bear was intercepted and imprisoned. In the trial that resulted, the Ponca chief’s lawyers requested the judge grant him a writ of habeas corpus.

The case resulted in a landmark decision by Judge Elmer S. Dundy, who, after the U.S. attorney had argued that Standing Bear was incapable of suing the government, concluded that the group of Poncas led by Standing Bear were defined as people under federal law and had a legal right to a writ of habeas corpus.

“To us in Nebraska, that’s a touchstone in legal history like no other,” Clark said of Standing Bear’s court case. “It wasn’t, by any means, the final step or the last step that was needed — but what an important thing to have happened that should be commemorated.”

More here.

Come join a team of dedicated curatorial staff at an exceptional time in the history of the Smithsonian American Art Museum (SAAM). The museum’s leading Latinx art collection represents a profound commitment to building a great national collection reflecting the rich contributions of Latinos to our country, from the colonial period to the present. Artists featured in the collection reflect the diversity of Latino communities in the United States, including artists of Afro-Latinx, Mexican, Puerto Rican, Cuban, and Dominican descent, as well as other Latin American groups with deep roots in the United States.

The Marianna and Juan A. Sabater curator will work with the museum’s collection of approximately 1,100 works by Latinx artists under the supervision of the Head Curator. The Curatorial Office consists of 8 to 12 curators and curatorial fellows and 6 support staff. Responsibilities include collections development and intellectual management of collection objects, collections, and exhibition related research in the field of Latinx and American art, developing exhibitions and installations and writing attendant object and gallery texts, and public service in the form of lectures to popular and scholarly audiences.  Incumbent will actively participate in the reinstallation and reinterpretation of the museum’s collection to more fully present the multiple people, voices, and cultures that constitute the United States.

 

REGISTER HERE

 

The Wenner-Gren Foundation is seeking a doctoral student to join the Advisory Council, a group of six anthropologists who offer feedback and advice to the Foundation on our programs, initiatives, and future directions. In early November and early May, the Advisory Council gathers in person for a day of discussion and deliberation, then joins the Foundation’s Board of Trustees for a special session the following day. In recent years, the Advisory Council has played an instrumental role in everything from the crafting of the Foundation’s new mission statement to the development of strategies for combatting racial injustice in anthropology and promoting the ethical treatment of human remains. The doctoral student member will serve a 1 year term, bringing a critical perspective to the Advisory Council’s deliberations at a moment of transformation in the Foundation and the discipline at large.

Eligibility:  Ideally, the successful candidate will have completed the requirements for their degree except the dissertation at the time they apply for this position. Individuals of all nationalities, subfields, and traditions of scholarship are welcome to apply. We are particularly welcome to applicants who will bring diverse viewpoints to our conversations. The doctoral student member will not be eligible to apply for a Wenner-Gren award for programs with deadlines falling between November 1 and May 1 during their term of service.

Role:  The doctoral student member will fully share in the work of the Advisory Council, (1) participating in an annual review of the Foundation’s activities, including those of SAPIENS and Current Anthropology, (2) guiding the selection of topics for Wenner-Gren Seminars and Symposia; (3) providing guidance on specific Wenner-Gren programs; (4) participating in a roundtable discussion on current issues and topics in anthropology in a joint session with the Board of Trustees; (5) advising the President when pressing issues arise.

Support: The Foundation will cover travel expenses, lodging, and a per diem for the November and May Advisory Council meetings, which will be held either at the Foundation’s offices in New York or at an off-site location.  For our doctoral student member, we will also provide a $500 stipend to offset any lost income.

More here.

The National Endowment for the Humanities is currently accepting applications for its Archaeological and Ethnographic Field Research program. The application deadline is September 28, 2022.

This program makes awards to institutions and organizations conducting field research that answer humanistic questions. Supported projects can use a variety of methodologies including ethnographic methods, oral history, and participant observation to answer significant questions in human history and culture. Projects can be led by individuals or teams of scholars, and awards are made for one to three years with funding up to $150,000. More information on the program, including the Notice of Funding Opportunity and links to the application package, is at:
https://www.neh.gov/program/archaeological-and-ethnographic-field-research

NEH will host a live webinar on July 20 for prospective applicants and grant administrators, introducing the program, describing the application process, and offering application-writing suggestions. There will be a chance to ask questions, captions will be available, and the webinar will be recorded so others can watch it later.

Date: Wednesday, July 20
Time: 1:00pm – 2:00pm (Eastern time)
Participants can access this webinar through the registration link.

Questions may be directed to fieldwork@neh.gov. We will also respond to draft applications if we receive them by July 25. Submitting a draft is optional but helpful for applicants.

With the support of a three-year grant from the John Templeton Foundation, the SAPIENS Public Scholars Training Fellowship program guides anthropologists on accessible writing and podcasting for broad nonacademic audiences. The purpose of this fellowship program is to provide in-depth training for anthropologists in the craft of science communication and public scholarship—to transform their research into stories that engage the public and spur readers and listeners to rethink themselves and their world.

Applications for the fellowship programwill be accepted each summer to select a yearly cohort of 10 fellows.Each year will present a particular theme, drawing primarily from the research areas around cultural evolution: the Wisdom of World Cultures (2022–2023), the Impacts of Technology (2023–2024), and Global Challenges, Cultural Opportunities (2024–2025).

Each fellow will be selected for the academic year (September 1–May 31) and be expected to: (1) enthusiastically participate in regular Zoom meetings and trainings with their cohort; (2) pitch, develop, and publish at least one article for SAPIENS; (3) pitch, develop, and publish at least one article for another popular magazine; and (4) contribute to one SAPIENS podcast episode in collaboration with our production partner, House of Pod.

As part of this program, fellows will attend an exclusive quarterly keynote lecture by four renowned science writers and editors: Carl Zimmer, The New York Times; Kate Wong, Scientific American; Samir Patel, Atlas Obscura; and Amanda Mascarelli, The Conversation.

We are especially interested in bringing historically marginalized voices—such as by race, ethnicity, gender identity, class, geography, or ability—to the center of public conversations.

Via Hyperallergic, June 7, 2022

Last year, Juneteenth — a commemoration of the emancipation of enslaved individuals in Texas on June 19, 1865, two years after slavery was legally abolished in the United States — officially became a federal holiday. Unsurprisingly, some corporations and institutions appropriated Juneteenth for commercial purposes, with one notably egregious attempt by Walmart to cash in on the holiday. And this week, the Children’s Museum of Indianapolis apologized for an offensive menu item promoting an upcoming “Juneteenth Jamboree” scheduled for June 18.

In the comments section of the museum’s June 3 Facebook post about the event, one user shared a picture of a “Juneteenth Watermelon Salad” for sale in the museum’s food court.

More here.